Woman’s Quest to Perfect ‘Awkward’ Living Room Layout Captivates Internet

A video of a woman seeking social media help to redesign the “insane” layout of the living room in her Chicago apartment has gone viral on TikTok.

The video was posted by Macy (@idkmacy), who is a Chicago-based flight attendant, according to her TikTok profile. The video has amassed 1.1 million views since it was posted September 27.

“So I really need advice on how the layout in my apartment should be. This is how it was like 30 minutes before I switched everything around,” she says in the clip.

The footage shows a living room setting with a television on a stand in the center of the space. A sofa is placed against the wall and a coffee table between the two pieces of furniture. “The TV stand there just felt awkward, but I kind of liked the layout,” she says.

The footage then cuts to another view of the living room, but this time it’s set up differently. As she says, “I just switched everything around.” The TV stand and the sofa have switched places with each other.

“It had been like this previously when I first moved in, but I didn’t have all the decor that I have now,” she explains.

A caption shared with the post simply says: “HELLPPPPPP.”

The viral post comes as more than half (56 percent) of U.S. homeowners were reported to have taken on home renovation projects last year, according to a survey of 32,615 people, including 17,713 renovating U.S. homeowners. The survey was conducted by Houzz, a home design website.

Interest in home decoration remained mostly stable, with 56 percent of those surveyed having taken on decorating projects in 2023, versus 57 percent in 2022, the report found.

Seven out of 10 renovating homeowners were reported to have invested in interior room remodeling last year, while living rooms were among the renovations that had long timelines, with 8.1 months of planning, according to the report.

The median amount spent on home renovations has surged in the past three years, rising by 60 percent from $15,000 in 2020 to $24,000 in 2023, the survey found.

‘Awkward Space’

“I think those paintings behind the television need to be a little rearranged,” the woman in the viral clip says. She later shows a glimpse of a “cozy nook” in another room, decorated with a small sofa, foot cushion and a white fluffy carpet and “ambiance lighting.”

Noting that she thinks her rug might be the problem, she asks, “What kind of rug should I get?” before saying “please help” as the video ends.

The clip has led to a storm of creative suggestions from interior design enthusiasts on TikTok.

Rachel Luesma said, “The first layout is just insane,” and the original poster replied, “Not really, it worked well with the awkward space.”

StrangerNatural wrote, “Second layout is way better with the couch that way.”

Al said, “Maybe an armchair or something between the tv area and the dining table. And consider a narrow console table behind the sofa. But I think this is the best layout (tv on the wall).”

Tech Gworly said, “Mm I think the TV stand is better up against a wall. Other than the risk of it getting knocked over. The other side of it also not very aesthetically appealing to look at.”

User haleigh suggested having the “couch diagonal from between windows to the one corner with the ladder bookcase. tv stand matching diagonal, roughly mimicking the lines created by the nook. the rug should not touch the walls.”

User @070dazed noted, “If you liked the way it originally was, maybe find a room divider to put behind it, making your entry way a small hallway of sorts.”

Amber said, “Well first I would actually put the sofa onto the rug, downsize the coffee table and add an anchor piece like a sofa table behind the couch with baskets to be able to throw your shoes in out of [sight].”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. The video has not been independently verified.

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