Many homeowners struggle with designing wide or nearly square living spaces that need to accommodate multiple functions, but interior design experts say the key lies in starting with a single piece of furniture and building the entire layout around it. This approach can transform what seems like an impossible design challenge into a manageable and successful home makeover.

One recent case involved two roommates who moved into a new apartment with a 15-by-14-foot living room that needed to serve as both a living area and dining space. The nearly square dimensions made it particularly challenging to create distinct zones without sacrificing functionality. Splitting the room down the middle would have placed the couch and TV 15 feet apart, making conversation and viewing uncomfortable.

Interior designer Isfira Jensen, founder and CEO of Jensen & Co. Interiors, recommends starting with one crucial decision and letting it guide all other choices. "How many people are living there is going to guide the width of the sofa. After the width of the sofa, you can determine the dimensions of the area rug. And once you have the width of the sofa, you also know the dimensions of the TV that you need," Jensen explains. "So it sort of like all trickles down based on, like a single circumstance that is in the household."

For the roommates who wanted seating for four people plus a permanent dining setup for the same number, this approach solved their initial confusion. Instead of trying to balance two competing needs simultaneously, they focused first on selecting an appropriately sized couch that could comfortably seat four people. This single decision then determined the placement against the far wall in the middle of the room.

Once the primary furniture piece is positioned, Jensen says the remaining empty spaces should be filled based on the residents' actual lifestyle needs rather than following traditional design templates. "A lot of design decisions are guided by your needs; some people have a need for a little lounge area," she notes. "Other people want a meditation area. If you have a family, you might want a little kids' play area." The roommates, a journalist and a teacher, decided their additional spaces would accommodate a desk and reading nook.

Before making any purchases, Jensen strongly recommends using painter's tape to map out furniture dimensions directly on the floor. "Blue tape on the floor with the same dimensions of the sofa will give you a really, really good feel for how much space the sofa is going to take up in the room," she advises. Taking this concept further, the roommates stacked boxes within their taped outlines to simulate the physical presence of furniture and test traffic flow patterns around hip-high obstacles.

This methodical approach proved successful, with Jensen creating a comprehensive mock-up that addressed all the roommates' functional requirements. The final design accommodates both living and dining areas while leaving flexible space that can house either a reading nook or allow the dining table to be repositioned for better traffic flow. What initially seemed like an impossible design challenge became an enjoyable collaborative process once they followed a logical decision-making sequence starting with a single furniture choice.