Help me choose and arrange living room furniture!

10 years ago

I love our newly remodeled kitchen but as soon as it was finished I realized how much work the rest of the house needed, particularly our living space. I become paralyzed when it comes to picking and arranging furniture and wall decor and thought I might try reaching out for help here. The floor plan doesn't seem to lend itself well to proper, traditional placement of the furniture. And the front door opens right in front of the only wall where it makes sense to place the TV. We do plan on eventually mounting the TV and hopefully getting a more narrow media stand. Would love any ideas on what type of furniture to buy for this room and where to place it. Would also like ideas on what to do on the large, bare wall behind the TV. We have 3 kids 5 and under so we would prefer furniture that can stand up to some wear. Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer!

Side note: We have tried putting the TV on the opposite wall and moving the couch so that the back of it creates a sort of entry way next to the front door but it really shrunk the space so we would prefer to keep it on the wall where it is currently.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

rach4136
Original Author
10 years ago
taken from the front door
rach4136
Original Author
10 years ago
taken from the corner next to the raised bar
Related Discussions
arranging living room furniture w/ front door opens to living room
Q
Comments (2)
You might consider moving the sofa to be centered in front of the window and put the chair nearer the door adding a pony wall height bookshelf (with its back to the chair), with or without doors on the entry side, between the chair and the door to create an entry; perhaps something like this: http://thegamersforce.com/ikea-glass-door-bookcase/bookshelf-inspiring-low-bookcase-with-doors-bookcase-with-doors-ikea-dark-brown-bookcase-with-glass-glass-door-ikea-bookcase-singapore-ikea-glass-door-bookcase-ikea-billy-bookcase-glass-door-instruc/ A barrister style bookcase could also work. Such a room divider would give you a place to add a lamp to the room.
...See More
Desperately need help with living room furniture arrangement
Q
Comments (79)
Thanks groveraxle for the room layouts. If you look at 1 and 2, you will see a nice walkway from front to kitchen without having to walk through the conversation area. I like that. What I don't like is the inability to watch tv sitting perpendicular to the tv and fireplace. This is a tricky room since the wall is offset from the fireplace/tv. Have you thought of having 4 swivel chairs around a round center coffee table centered on the fire place? It is a cozy sitting arrangement and chairs can be pivoted toward the tv when watching tv. This really won't work for the two closes to the fireplace/tv because of the awkward up angle but it will work for the other two. The other option .. have you thought of two low backed curved couches? One on each side of the fireplace? It would create a cozy seating area and still put seating facing the TV. I couldn't find a curved couch quickly but here is the idea but using a sectional. Obviously this wouldn't work because the size is too big and the lounge pieces but the idea is there if you can see it. The walkway remains free. You get a cozy seating area for both TV and fireplace and you don't have to find complementary pieces if you feel better having matching pieces.
...See More
Need help with furniture arrangement for awkward living room
Q
Comments (3)
Put bookshelf on stairway wall. Put tv in middle of long wall. Put cat tree in corner where bookcase is now. Float couches facing each other - one with back to window. Put couches close enough so you can have an intimate conversation. Typical error in design is placing couches to far apart to have a conversation.
...See More
Help needed - Living room furniture/decor arrangement!
Q
Comments (18)
As far as arranging furniture with the columns, I would tend to ignore them and group seating around the fireplace. You are always in good company with a more flexible 3-seat sofa and two upholstered armchairs (or swivels.) I think a sectional will just add another complication to the space. What is opposite the fireplace? Are there any floor outlets near the columns or actually in them? Is there any electrical wiring in the bulkhead above them? They might be interesting if lighted. You could also install some glass shelves between the two that are near the exterior wall. Lighted from the top, that would be a great display for something like colored blown glass. As for the lighting, you can find less expensive variations on those. Scaling them for your room size will also lower the price somewhat.
...See More
tibbrix
10 years ago
If it were my place:

Sectional sofa in front of the kitchen bar, with the swing-around part of the sofa extending down the open area (back to where the TV is now).

Easy chair on a diagonal facing inward, toward the kitchen bar, back diagonally to window and front door.

Large coffee table

TV on a table in the corner by the window, facing the joint of the "L" sofa.

Fun bench along the wall between TV and kitchen.

Entryway table/credenza/cabinetry for keys, hats, scarves, whatever, on wall where the TV is now.
tibbrix
10 years ago
Another thing you might consider doing ,but is a bit more involved, would be to build a, maybe 5-foot, partition wall coming out from the wall between the windows and the front door, with a nice ledge and maybe sliding doors underneath with shelving or cubbies behind it where you can store stuff. This would also create a useful small wall on the other side, and create more of a feel of a separate living space from the entry space, as well as giving you some practical storage space.
djsaw
10 years ago
I think the problem is scale and lack of color. I would put the couch on the wall facing the TV. I would get a new cushion and lumbar pillow for the large chair and place it either in front of the window or with its back to the kitchen. I'm assuming that the TV and kid's computer table are over there because that's where the outlets are, if not then I would move the kids table in front of the window to get rid of the visual clutter on that wall. If there are no physical difficulties I would get a large area rug, and I mean large. I would have it extend to almost the end of the window. The floor lamp, mirror, and coffee table are WAY too small. If you need a mirror then I would hang a small one above the drawers next to the door and I would upgrade that drawer piece to something more substantial, something a little bit taller and a little bit wider than what you have now. The clear table lamp is doing you no favors by offering no color and visual clutter by seeing it's innards and I would replace that as well.

As for the wall behind the sofa I would get a large piece of artwork or do a gallery wall. If you do the large piece of art, whether 1 piece or a 2-3 piece series, make sure it visually covers at least 2/3 the length of the sofa. The gallery wall is a much cheaper solution than art that large but I would carry that to maybe 6-12" from the end of the sofa.

Sorry this is so long, but as for color I would choose colors from the rug, art, or curtain fabric. If you are doing curtains please don't buy premade curtains. I hate them so much because they are so generic. Just go into your nearest fabric store, they have such beautiful fabrics and they WILL cut your fabric to the length you need. All you have to do is ask. Then just get some iron on hemming tape, if you don't sew, iron it then clip that sucker onto the curtain rod. Anyway I hope this helps you out.
Holly- Kay
10 years ago
Post this on the home decorating forum. There are so many talented people there who can help!

Help me choose and arrange living room furniture!

Comments (6)

rach4136
Original Author

rach4136
Original Author

Related Discussions

tibbrix

tibbrix

djsaw

Holly- Kay

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Help me choose and arrange living room furniture!

Comments (6)

rach4136Original Author

rach4136Original Author

Related Discussions

tibbrix

tibbrix

djsaw

Holly- Kay

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

rach4136
Original Author

rach4136
Original Author