sofa in front of stair case great room??

11 years ago

Hi. I am redecorating a guest/party house that has a staircase right smack dab in the middle of the entire room. It's my mother in law's guest house that has been used over the past 2 decades by her children that weren't quite ready to leave the nest. They are all out now, so she's ready to renovate a little and redecorate. She wants to have a closet built beneath the staircase. How should I arrange the furniture? Here's a pic of the house now. Please note that EVERYTHING is being taken out - starting with the TV that is literally IN the fireplace! We are getting new rugs, furniture, appliances, backsplashes, and accessories. She wants to go with a blue and white theme and throw in a little yellow for a pop of color.

Anyway, there will be a wall beneath the stairs now to create an enclosed closet. Will putting a sofa in front of that wall look funny? Would 2 matching chairs look better? A bench?

I will post what's opposite in the next post. i don't know how to post 2 pics in the same post.

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Comments (10)

bridget helm
Original Author
11 years ago
the fireplace is directly opposite the staircase. I'm thinking two matching chairs opposite the fireplace and 2 large sofas perpindicular to the chairs with a cocktail table in the center and maybe some chinese garden stools and or an ottoman somewhere
bridget helm
Original Author
11 years ago
another view of the space
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bridget helm
Original Author
11 years ago
bump
ogrose_tx
11 years ago
What a neat house! I don't have too many ideas, but do wonder about that window behind the stairs - is that where the closet will go? What do you plan to do about that? Also, could you do away with that many couches and do with just more chairs?

Really do like it, and think those with more imagination than me could do wonders with this, and am sure you'll get a lot of good input.
Olychick
11 years ago
What a gorgeous home! I think that it's brilliant to fill in under the stairs with a closet. It will really make the living room area feel more cozy, plus provide some storage.

I like the idea of the chairs facing the fireplace with the couches on each side. Think it will be lovely.

Or even just one chair..

Thought these were nice little poufs for extra seating, too.

{{!gwi}}
geokid
11 years ago
Where will the TV go, or is that leaving the room permanently?

If the TV is leaving, I'd do as the pics olychick posted.

If it's staying, I'd place it opposite the fireplace on the new wall under the stairs. Maybe you could steal some space from the closet under the stairs and make a built-in spot for the TV so it doesn't take up floor space. I would also arrange the furniture as olychick suggested, but use two loveseats and chairs that can swivel.

[Traditional Media Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-home-theater-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_719~s_2107) by Montauk Kitchen And Bath Kitchens & Baths, Linda Burkhardt
marcolo
11 years ago
The key thing is to pull the furniture away from the staircase, making it a clear pathway and avoiding the odd juxtaposition of a short sofa in front of a vaulting staircase.

The closet is such a bad idea. It's going to obstruct the window and ruin the floating staircase, making it into a big heavy lump.
bridget helm
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm a little nervous about the closet too, but the owner is really wants it for storage. I think it's smart for storage, but I don't want to block the French doors. It will literally be only the width of the stairs, so the French doors won't physically be blocked out completely, but their light won't make it into the living area. I'll get some more pics to help you understand.

But if she insists on going forward with the closet, then I think I like only chicks first pic for furniture placement and marcolos suggestion to pull away from wall.

There is another area where the TV will go. I think you can see it in the 3rd picture in one of my original posts. We will have a surround built around the TV so that it's not floating out as you see in the pic. Her son that what there previously had one tv in the fireplace and one tv in the other sitting area. The tv in the 3rd pic will stay.
Olychick
11 years ago
It looks like a light filled space even without the french doors, but if it's a concern, maybe you could have the closet built so it doesn't fill to the peak under the stairs. You could leave the top area open and trim it out for a display niche so the light from the door could make it to the living room.
bridget helm
Original Author
11 years ago
Display niche is a great idea!!

sofa in front of stair case great room??

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sofa in front of stair case great room??

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