Each decision below says what you are choosing, what it changes in daily use, what you can compare here and what to settle with ELS. Some comparisons were made for the whole home or, where marked StayReady, as rental guidance for landlords; ask ELS how they apply to your living room. A preference you note here is not a confirmed specification until it is measured and agreed. Next: compare the options, note your preference, then ask ELS to check it against your room.
4 of these 10 decisions have their options set out on this site. 5 require consultation with ELS, and 1 has no comparison on this site yet.
You are deciding what the living room is mainly for: conversation, television, entertaining, family activity or formal reception. The purpose decides how the seating is grouped, for example a formal seating group kept apart from a television zone, or one conversation group at the centre. It is not picked from a list: ELS records it from you as part of your brief. Next: note who uses the room and for what, and add it at the Room Scope Builder's programme step.
You are choosing how the seating is arranged: a straight sofa run, a sofa with a short L return, an L-shape or a sofa with chairs, or a floating conversation group in the middle of the room. The arrangement decides who faces whom and how people walk past. The Layout tool shows these arrangements by house type; their room dimensions are not yet verified, so ask ELS to check them against yours. Sectional and movable-chair arrangements appear only in the StayReady Furniture Designer, which is rental guidance for landlords. Next: compare the layout patterns for your house type, then ask ELS to test one against your measurements.
TV wall composition
You are choosing how the screen sits in the room: on a loose console, a console with a panel, or a full built-in wall. A built-in wall needs ventilation, cable access and a way to replace devices later, and the screen size sets how far you sit from it; both are compared as well. If you want no TV, a projector or a concealed screen, settle it with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the TV-wall compositions, then tell ELS how far your seating is from the wall.
You are choosing how much is on show and how much is put away: a loose console, a console with a panel, or full built-in cabinetry, with deep, feature or slim shelving for display. The balance decides what you see every day and what stays out of sight. A media-wall bay that hides its contents is settled with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the TV-wall compositions and the display shelving, then list what you want on show.
You are choosing the feature wall's material and finish: panelling (laminate, timber veneer, fluted, WPC, aluminium composite or a stone-look sintered panel), paint (standard emulsion through a hand-worked textured finish), tile (ceramic through natural stone and mosaic) or a premium finish (shadow-gap, microcement, metallic trim, backlit or book-matched detailing). The material sets the backdrop the room is seen against, and the detailing is planned around it. Next: compare the surfaces, then ask ELS about the detailing for your wall.
You are choosing the ceiling: a skim coat on the existing slab, flat plasterboard, a bulkhead or cove, or a bespoke feature ceiling in timber slats, fluting or coffers. The ceiling decides how the lights are mounted, so it is settled together with the lighting. Side-by-side comparisons of ceiling form and of light mounting are coming soon. Next: compare the ceiling systems, then ask ELS to plan the lights with them.
You are choosing how daylight is controlled: bare glass, roller or Venetian blinds, curtains with a sheer day layer and a block-out layer, or motorised shading. The choice decides glare, privacy and how dark the room can get. Laminated or performance glass that cuts heat, noise and UV is chosen with the window itself, so settle tinted or solar-control glass with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the shading options, then tell ELS which way your windows face.
You are choosing how the room is lit: soft ambient light, bright task light where you need it, and accent light on features, each on its own circuit, with cove light washing the walls. Separate layers let you change the room's mood without changing a fitting. White light can be a fixed colour temperature or a tunable-white range; multi-zone dimming scenes are settled with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the lighting schemes, then plan the layers on the lighting and shading page.
Compare living-room lighting schemes
Lighting & shadingAir-conditioning
Also part of this decision, not pictured: Fans only / no AC
You are choosing how the room is cooled: fans only, a wall split, a ceiling cassette or concealed ducted air-conditioning. Each changes what you see on the wall or ceiling. The three air-conditioned options are compared side by side. A ceiling fan, and louvred vents that let a cross-breeze in on a dry day and shut against driving rain, are ventilation choices. Next: compare the air-conditioning types, then the ventilation options on the air and comfort page.
Floor finish
You are choosing the floor finish and how much sound the room absorbs. SPC, porcelain tile and engineered timber are compared side by side. Hard surfaces leave a room livelier; soft furnishings and rugs absorb more, heavy curtains cut a little more of the road and rain noise coming through the glass, and purpose-made acoustic panels go further. Fabric panels, PET felt and timber slats are compared for visible acoustic treatment. Next: compare the floor finishes and the acoustic panels, then tell ELS about the noise you want to reduce.
These are four questions to settle with ELS before a specification is written for this room. Each example below is for this room, and each link opens the decision it belongs to. They are prompts, not an inspection.
Where does heat or stale air collect, and how does it leave?
A wall split, a ceiling cassette and a concealed ducted unit ask different things of the ceiling and the wall behind, so choose the type before the ceiling is detailed.
Air-conditioning optionsWhere can water or damp reach, and what protects what is behind it?
In our humidity, a cabinet or panel against an external wall may be affected by damp, so check the wall before choosing the finish.
Surfaces — wall panel, paint, tile & finishingWhat will it carry, and what holds it up?
A wall-mounted TV and deep feature shelves load the wall behind them, so say the TV size and what will be displayed before the wall is built.
TV-wall compositionHow is it reached to clean, service or replace?
A built-in media wall hides the devices and cables, which still need air and a way to be swapped, so plan ventilation, cable access and replacement together.
Media ventilation and cable accessA preference is not an approval. This is a decision aid for this room, not a promise: it lists what is still open and who checks it within the scope you commission. Nothing here is a condition for asking ELS about your room.
| What to decide | Why it matters | What is still needed | By when | Who verifies it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the air conditioner goes and how it is fed. | A wall split, a ceiling cassette and a concealed ducted unit need different ceiling and wall space. | The type chosen, and the ceiling and wall space it needs. | Before the design is finalised |
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| Which cabinets and panels sit against an external wall. | A wall that is or has been damp may not suit every finish. | Photos of the wall, and any history of damp or leaks that you know of. | Before the design is finalised |
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| What the TV wall and display shelves will carry. | The wall build-up and fixings follow the load, so the load comes first. | The TV size, the items to be displayed, and what the wall is built of. | Before fabrication or ordering |
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| How to ventilate, reach and replace the media equipment. | Devices behind a closed front still need air, and will need replacing in time. | A list of the devices, and the cable routes to each. | Before fabrication or ordering |
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ELS verifies these against the information you supply, within the scope you commission.