Apartment therapy living room

Struggling with how to lay out your living room to maximize form and function? Me too. Whether you live in a small studio or a larger home, furniture arrangement can be tricky, and sometimes thinking outside the box is the way to go! These eight smart living rooms — all from Apartment Therapy house tours this year — have taught me a thing or two about laying out what may be my most used room. Try these tricks for a better flow and use of this space in your home.

This couple sharing a small New York apartment were able to create a functional floor plan that has separate functional areas.

Tiara utilizes mirrors, tall ceilings, a lofted bedroom, and other smart decor choices to make her small studio apartment feel much larger than it actually is.

There are no doors or walls separating the living room, dining room, playroom, and kid's room, but each area of this one-bedroom feels like a separate zone.

Karen Sawyer's Washington state house's style is like an "estate sale in a greenhouse."

When Olivia moved into her Virginia studio apartment, it was her first time living on her own. Since moving in, she's hosted many Friendsgivings, dinner parties, and brunches, bringing her friends together in a small, cozy space.

You'll want to borrow some of these for your own small space.

Jake Poser is an interior designer and visual artist, and the apartment he shares with partner, August, is transitional, classic, inviting, elegant, and quirky.

With only 600 square feet, Celeste and Lucas had to get creative to fit as many functions into their small home as possible, employing an interesting furniture arrangement to do so.

Nearly everything in Miki's modern, colorful, maximal studio apartment is either second hand, Target, or IKEA.