The Average Dimensions of a Living Room

Next to the kitchen, the living room may be the room in your home where you spend the most quality time with your family. Whether you're building a new home or remodeling an old one, ensure that your living room is large enough to comfortably accommodate everyone in your household.

As of 2011, Dimensions Guide estimates that the average living room is a 16-by-16-foot square. Depending on the size of your home — including the number of people in your household — it may make sense for your living room to be a different size or shape.

Dimensions Guide states that living rooms in small homes are also square and are 12-by-12 feet. You may find it practical to keep your living room to this size if there are only two people in your household, or if you live alone.

Large homes, on average, have large, rectangular living rooms, 18 feet long and 13 feet wide. Though this would seem to be barely larger than the living room in a small home, consider that 6 feet is enough room to fit an extra couch; such a room could hold two more couches than a 12-by-12-foot living room.

If you don't entertain many guests, or if your family and guests socialize mainly in another room — such as the kitchen — you may not need a large living room. For instance, you could build the living room in your small home to be 10-by-11 feet and build a large kitchen.