Pretty room!

How about shifting the wine cabinet to the blank corner. Add more black-and-white photos -- and create a small gallery there.

THEN move the loveseat up and closer to the fireplace -- to form an L-shape with the sofa. This may take a bit of shifting with the exact placement of the sofa and loveseat! LOL!

Then move the recliner slightly up -- and closer to the new arrangement. These moves should create a closer warmer seating arrangement -- then add a patterned area rug.

MEANWHILE -- on the newly-blank wall under the stairs (your new walk-through to the stair area) -- add a thin dark bookshelf with some overhead "bookshelf" lighting. ((check Ikea.com for examples of the lighting))

On the wall facing the bottom of the staircase -- add two artworks -- hung vertically -- to add color and texture.

Hope this makes sense! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

First of I want to congratulate you Mary Elizabeth on your new home. It's beautiful. I think you have a good start and only see one thing that really might make a big difference to your how your room feels and functions. I'd try switching the sofa and love seat around which would allow you to bring the sofa into the room enough for a walkway behind it instead of in front of the loveseat as you have it now.
Once that is done you should be able to tell if the recliner and table need to be pulled in a bit more.

As for the bare corner, I like both your ideas. It would also make a nice place for a couple chairs and small game table for chess, checkers backgammon and the like.

Since the fireplace is always a focal point in the room, you always put your largest piece of furniture directly across the room. You have already done this with your full size couch. Next I would move the love seat to the other side of the room where the recliner is to open up your walkway. The idea for your family room is to have a U shape pattern - meaning sofa in the middle and two chairs, one on each side. Then I would try and center the bookcase/wine rack as much as possible and add some art work or a mirror directly above it. As for the coffee table I believe you said you were going to buy a new one - an larger ottoman style which would fit the room perfectly. As for the other end table, make sure each seating area has a place to set down a drink or snack. The empty space can be filled with artificial green plants, another wall style table with lighting, candles, pictures, plates etc. Artwork or a nice clock would be beautiful as well. Hope this helps!!

I love your glass-door cabinet and think it deserves a spot that doesnâÂÂt compete with the fireplace, such as in your âÂÂemptyâ corner (facing fireplace). Any chance that the coffee table or open console could be moved to the corner and re-purposed to hold DVD player, etc.? It could then act as an end table for whatever seating is nearby. As suggested by others, I would try reversing the sofa and loveseat to improve the traffic flow through the room. Since the sofa is higher than the windowsill, I would pull it away from the window and place a high console table behind. Hopefully there is enough room along staircase wall to relocate the recliner. The room is lovely, but to me sees a little heavy on wood. I would consider switching the wooden side table for one with a glass top, and perhaps a substantial glass coffee table that could still function as an ottoman.

I'd try the loveseat where the recliner and end table now sit. Buy something else for the A/V equipment and move the glass-front case to the corner wall area behind the sofa. Move the recliner to the opposite side of the room. Keep the bar along the staircase, but nothing else.

Thank you for the great ideas! We are going to try moving furniture around tonight. I have a question about moving the furniture in closer together, though. If I move the loveseat in toward the center of the room, should there still be a walkway through between it and the couch, or will we need to walk around the loveseat to sit down?

Would the chair fit on this side of the fp?

{{!gwi}}

Thank you, squirrel for giving a great visual! The recliner is hubby's "nest" for watching TV so I'm not sure he'll go for putting it in that particular spot :( I'll post pics after our re-arranging session tonight.

I had a feeling that was hubby's TV viewing chair. You can't move that out of TV range and keep the hubs happy, can you? LOL. To tell the truth, I have my own recliner now after being hospitalized awhile back for a severe blood infection. My wonderful hubby was so kind as to give his up for me while I had to keep my legs raised that I searched and bought one for myself. I find they are the only way to watch TV now. Well other than if we had a loveseat that reclined.

I totally missed the tv! thinking this was the formal living room. My body woke up before my mind ; )

Check out Room #4 in this link, for the ultimate video viewing arrangement.

Here is a link that might be useful: Room #4 - Home Theater

If you move the loveseat closer into the seating area -- you could add an end table or a square-shaped end table at the corner to form a true L-shape seating area.

Meanwhile there could be enough room to walk between them -- just depends on your arrangement!

In design and decor -- its all about mere inches! LOL! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Here's another idea, moving the tv to the stair wall, above the, or a, chest. Then you could have a beautiful painting over the fp. Would be easier tv viewing than looking up, I would think, also.

I think there's a lot of visual weight and interest with the staircase, and you could even do some gallery pics going up the stairs to bring that area into play more.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}