are you removing that 3/4 wall on the left?

Inspiration

How much space between the slider and the corner?

Not to talk you out of your inspiration, but think hard about the layout of the fireplace wall. You want to consider how it will look from the other half of the wall, and how it will balance out the room (you don't want the space to feel like a bowling alley with all the heaviness on one wall). Plus, it will be hard to achieve your plan with the windows on one side.

Instead, I'd consider something like the idea below for the fireplace area, with nice art above, and then put your tv on the 1/2 wall with a long, low cabinet under.

That 3/4 pony wall to the left defines a floor level that is higher than the LR, unless the refrigerator is 9 feet tall.

Taking out the pony wall and replacing it with a railing is sometimes possible, but I am not always a big fan of that especially it means if you are sitting in the LR looking up at the bottoms of the table and chairs. And I don't think I would like it looking at the edge of a countertop and the elevated backs of a run of cabinets either. Since it needs to be there I would probably keep it a wall and put art on it.

Thank you all for your comments. Sorry for late reply as I was away from home for the day. (The TV and chair in the picture are from the listing and not my style LOL)

(1) Lyn Nielson : No, 3/4 wall can't be removed as the kitchen area (as palimpsest rigtly pointed out) is three feet above the living room floor. I did consider removing half of the 3/4 wall (height wise) for metal railing installation. But then perhaps not a great idea.

(2) HU-187528210 : Thanks for the inspiration picture and for your time editing it. I just am not sure how it will look on the right side since the cabinets are going all the way to the glass window. The window frame is just couple inches away from the front wall.

(3) palimpsest : There is only 2-3 inch space between the frame trim of the window and the corner of the wall. You have a good eye lokking at minute details and great deduction skills. I did consider removing the 3/4 pony wall half way and add railings there but as you said its not a great idea because LR view will be bottom of table/chairs and even more awkward if people are sitting on those chairs.

(4) S J : Thanks for your honest comments. The only reason I am considering cabinets in living room is because this condo doesn't have enough storage. I am aware of the issue if I streched cabinets all the way to the windows. It may look awkward.

I don't want to confuse you guys but here is another picture taken from the kitchen area (behind the 3/4 wall). Its from a different condo in the same community. I still don't have full possession of the condo that I purchased.

Do you guys think something like this might work?

In our last house we used some open shelving at 45 degree angle in the kitchen. (inset picture). I can use these 45 degree shelving at both ends of cabinets.

Please be brutal and honest with your comments :). I can always ignore the comments but can not go back and change the design once it is installed. LOL

even though the window is so close to the wall, You can still do the fireplace and shelving, just keep it close to the center of the wall.

Since you are doing a complete redo, I would open up that pony wall and see if you can knock off the top foot or so to at least lower it some. I would keep that wall a light color to bounce light around the room from the windows on the opposite side, rather than dark to draw attention to it. it's good you have some other insp from the community to help, congratulations on the move.

My first thought is rethink the design. But, working with your design, what if you put a heavy drape on each side of the wall of windows creating 6-10 inches of solid, visual ”wall”?

Next thought is, move in first and then mock up your design so you can get a real feel for it with your furniture and lifestyle.

Because of the half wall on one side and the window on the other, you just need to do your whole built-in as "floating" unit and not attached to either end.

This is a built-in unit that does not go from wall to wall. This is what you need to do in your space.

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No mantle because it raises the TV too high for comfortable viewing.

You don't have walls on the side to properly stop the shelves, so I used the ladder bookcases from CB2

Paul this looks great and I did consider some sort of railing on the pony wall. However, my only concern is the dining area which is in the top area. It might just be too awkward if someone wearing skirt is sitting on the chair and other person sitting on LR couch could accidently/(intentionally?? ) stare at where they are not supposed to !!! Am I overthinking this??

You are overthinking. Do not invite perverts into your home. My biggest concern would be that the 3/4 wall will always give the feeling of being in a pit while in the living room... I'm sure its psychological from just not being able to see the kitchen area while seated. I'd absolutely have to see through the pony wall somewhere somehow.

If this is the real estate photo, I would wait until we can see your furniture in there. The last rendition with both Paul and Beverly’s ideas definitely looks the most open. There may be more ways to add storage if you need it.

The curtains and blue wall may be adding to the “bowling alley” feel. If the walls were white and the curtains were sheers, that space would look even better.

Any chance the 3/4 wall could be modified as storage? My family once owned a home with a 3/4 concealed storage wall between the living room and den. The wall was solid paneling on the LR side but had a series of doors on hidden hinges on the den side that opened to reveal cabinets. I think the cabinets were about 18” deep. You would have to leave an aisle behind any furniture in order to open the doors so the overall layout would have to be considered.

Okay so after getting so many great ideas, I have decided to give up on cabinet/storage (Thanks everyone). Instead I will get the railings installed. Again they look amazing in ( Paul F. 's design). It does make sense but I can't have the storage in 3/4 wall as the couch is going to go there to take advantage of big wall of windows ( L.D. Johnson ).

We are planning to get the renovation done before moving in. We are also planning to paint the condo with lighter/neutral colors and yes sheer curtains with perhaps Zebra shades on windows ( RedRyder ). Also, the big ikea hanging ball will go away and instead we will get the cam lights on ceiling. I do like the BeverlyFLADeziner and Paul F. open concept rendition (Thanks!!).

I do have to get the light framing done (like in the picture below) because I want the fireplace to look like built-in/recessed. Also, it will help hide the cable/wires for TV.

Thank you all. I will share the pictures once it is all done :)

It was @palimpsest 's thought about the railing.... that you had previously thought of. She just didn't like her own idea. Haha... it was correct though. It's going to be great.

If you don't like spindles for the railing I would consider decorative resin panels by 3Form with OR without a frame. You can get their panels in structural half inch and just use a base shoe.

The naturals like Capiz Shells, Raffia or paper layered in resin would be nice with all the light on them. Here is a link to all 3form resin panels. They have etched glass as well. Good luck! Don't let us down.

https://3-form.com/samples

resin panels.

Very interesting material. Might be too modern for the current project but good to learn about its exsistence for its use in modern design.

I live in a row house, and the back of the house is glass much like yours. I have a fireplace that projects into the room about 22" and it stops short of the wall of glass by about 25".

A fairly deep (22") full-height projection into the room does not block the far side of the first door from anywhere in the room where you would normally walk. The far corner of that first window is fully visible from the doorway into the room, because of how the fireplace stops short of the glass wall for sightlines to look past it. The only viewpoint where there would be anything blocked would be from a viewpoint up in the kitchen over by the fridge somewhere or that same corner of the LR and I am not sure why that would be an issue since there are two other full windows to look out of.

I am not sure why the pony wall makes the room seem more well like than another sort of wall would? Lots of rooms with high ceilings have at least one solid wall that goes all the way to the ceiling. This is at least partly open?

I am still not sold on having a view of the backs of chairs and the underside of the dining table from the LR as being a better view than a piece of art on the pony wall. It's not a about seeing someone's underwear.

These situations tend to remind me of this.

I don't think railing on the pony wall is a good solution. Looking up and seeing the clutter of furniture legs is not a pretty sight, when added to the visual clutter of a railing at that height, when viewed from the living room.

Maybe a glass railing? I still don't think the table and chair legs is nice view.

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Standard railing just adds visual clutter ...

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No comment other than the ”railing” renditions remind of houses built in the 70’s, too cluttered looking for me. i would leave the wall in place if it were mine.

Two things... the ceilings are 10 feet tall and unless the kitchen ceiling is only 7 feet tall then that means the upper floor is only 24 inches higher. In my last render I tried to lower the rail so it would be more realistic. There will be no view of the undersides of tables.

Second, what is the experience of those sitting to eat? The focus has been on what a visitor sees while sitting in the living room. What does the cook see now? Can they even see out the back window? Does the upper floor feel isolated from guests with a pony wall in place? Lots of questions.

The designers in the examples above did not ADD a pony wall. Should they have or would limiting the entire line of sight of a home to potentially correct just ONE view be a bad design choice?

Thanks guys. Great discussion.

@ palimpsest : I wasn't too worried about view being blocked by cabinets covering window pane. I thought it will just look awkward.

@ chispa : Glass railings might be too modern or may be not but as mentioned it will not solve the bottom of table view problem.

@ Paul F. : LR ceiling is 10.5 feet , Kitchen is 8 feet, Pony wall total height is 5.5 feet of which 3 feet are above kitchen floor. Some of the new pictures posted below will answer Paul's question regarding view from kitchen.

Here are some pictures I found from another condo that has the same layout (mirror image) as ours. They have done the railings on pony wall.

Thanks Paul

You could do a built-in on the platform and put dummy doors on the bottom (or not) if you can spare the space up there. I would have the bookcase open on both side to see through it (it's difficult to render).

Interesting idea but it will block the view from half the table. To be honest there is not much to view outside the glass windows wall but still it gives the feeling of openness.

I might just go for no storage in living room.

That is why I said to have it open on both sides, at least on the top... but if you display too much on the shelves you will block, yes.