Graciela Rutkowski Interiors

A fireplace gives a room character, structure, and warmth. But designing a room around one can be a challenge. How close do you place seating to the hot flames? Does the fireplace have to be the center of the room? And where, oh where do you put the couch?

From spacious cabins to staircase nooks, these seven rooms showcase the most brilliant ideas for styling a room with a fireplace. Take a look, get inspired, and show us how you style your room in the comments!

1. Clean Balance

Symmetry, soft surfaces, and neutral colors are the key to this zen room. Get the look by orienting your sofa towards the fireplace, then using a generous ottoman as a coffee table. Enjoy the fire from the sofa, or perch on the ottoman’s edge for extra warmth.

2. Fresh View

When a room has two focal points, such as a fireplace and a gorgeous picture window, it’s not necessary to center furniture around the fire. Instead, create your largest sitting area by the window, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Don’t forget to also place a comfy chair at the fireside for warm relaxation.

3. Secret Nook

A fireplace is an inviting place to sit, even when it’s not in a sitting room. Place a seat by any fireplace to create a relaxing landing pad in even the most unlikely area.

4. Grand Scale

A large fireplace calls for large groupings of furniture. If your fireplace is especially grand, give your furniture extra breathing room to echo its scale and avoid making it seem cavernous.

5. Social Elegance

A loose configuration of upholstered chairs facing a central coffee table creates a great space for social sitting. This design is a great choice for a formal parlor or sitting room.

6. Modern Comfort

An L-shaped couch makes an instant fireplace furniture arrangement when faced diagonally with a roomy upholstered chair. Make sure you include comfy seating for the whole family!

7. Traditional Warmth

For a classic traditional layout, orient two matching sofas to face on another, with the fireplace centered in the space between. Round out the composition with a pair of ottomans placed close to the fire’s warmth.

Do you agree with these ideas? How did you arrange your living room with a fireplace?

Content Marketing Specialist, Porch.com. Jacqui Adams is a writer and editor living in Seattle. She shares a cozy midcentury fixer-upper with her fiancé, her cat, and approximately eight bazillion books. Follow Jacqui on Twitter at @JacquiLeeLu.