I don't mind the bench, but not right up next to the sofa. Even in the first photo, it looks a little cramped. Do you have room to swing the table the other direction, and put the bench on the same wall as the fireplace?

Well, I'm not loving the bench that close to the sofa.

I'm really trying, but I can't see loving that bench in any form.

Sorry Bella. You know I adore your style but maybe your DH's...not so much. :)

Another vote to move the bench. I do not think it works in that room. Can you move the formal chairs back into the dining room? I love your window treatment!

Ideefixe: There is no room to put it the other way. The fireplace's location really make it difficult to do this room. I wish the fireplace is a bit more to the left :-D

Parma: I'm so glad you are on my side. If you find me in the divorce court one day, you know the reason why LOL ;-D

Is it possible to flip the rooms? Have the bench on the wall where the TV is now? You don't show all the walls with doors and windows so I realize that this may not work with moving the TV to a new spot.

The dining table would look cute in front of the higher, shuttered window, and make it easier to use the shutters than having then behind the sofa swinging over it while knelling on it. The sofas around the fireplace would be cozy. Is there another wall that would work for the TV?

If you only entertain formally a couple times a year having the dining room further from the cooking area may not be inconvenient.

I prefer your original arrangement.

I like the original better but it does look terribly cramped. It would look less cramped moved away from the sofa. I'd take off center from the fireplace over cramped any day myself. Sometimes features aren't where they should be...but if you let that dictate the decor you end up...well cramped :)

Another vote for the original. I really think it just works nicely in your space!

I like the original chairs too, but if you go with the bench could you scooch the leather couch a little further into the living room? That way the dining room area could still be symmetrical without bumping into the sofa.

I LOVE those slipcovers and the original although is is a bit cramped. Being overly concerned with symmetry myself (trying to get over it at 57!) I would probably move the table away from the FP or flip the arrangement.

It's a beautiful light and airy room.

Men and kids....no votes IMHO. :)

Since the table and 6 chairs in the original arrangement work so well with the seating in the other part of the room, I say keep the original arrangement. As far as the fireplace goes, how much room is there to move the table much further to the left of the fireplace? I'm thinking that would make the fireplace much easier to see and enjoy by both seating areas. It appears to be hidden by the table now.

Maybe a circular table instead of a rectangular one? There does seem to be space to push to the left in the picture, and with a circular table you might be able to use the fp to divide the room into the two uses visually. Just a thought.

The back to back sofa arrangement is a difficult concentration of "mass" for a room to take. It works best in a very balanced arrangement when the sofas are identical pairs.

I think you would be better off balancing the table in the side of the room opposite the seating arrangement, rather than on the fireplace...in other words further off to the left so that the mass of the table is balanced with the negative space in the seating area between the sofas.

It takes the fireplace from being the typical center of an arrangement, but it feels somewhat blocked by trying to center on it with all that furniture.

I moved the bench back to the garage. Feel so much better now that they are gone. I tried the dining table more toward the left (i.e. off center from the fireplace) and it feels a bit weird to me. I have OCD when it comes to symmetry & things lined up properly :-) It does feel a lot more spacious. I would take some pics of the new off-centered arrangement but my kids are busy eating potstickers on that dining table so maybe tomorrow...

I'm thinking a good solution would be to remove the little window on the right side of the room, and have the TV cabinet on that wall instead. I'll just have to figure whether it's easier to divorce DH then get it done, or to get it done when he's out of town and get divorce after. :-D He doesn't like it when my decorating involves a sledgehammer :-)

Jant: You are right. men should not have any opinion when it comes to decorating. Except for Magnaverde and Pal-- ;-D They can have an opinion anytime..

Why would you remove a window? I do not see the benefit. The cost would be astronomical to make things match up on both the inside and the outside of the house. If the window is causing glare on the CRT just get some Romans to replace the use of cumbersome shutters.

dd,I think she was joking about the window.

bella, you have a lovely home, but I'll wait for photos of the rest of the room before I do an virtuals if needed by then. Could you take one from the corner to the right of the TV as it is in the first photo while you're at it? I'd like to see the far end of the room. Any other photos that would help show the layout of the room, windows and doors would help too. Also, where is your kitchen in relation to this room?

I think the whole problem is those Chip chairs. You should not have them anywhere in your house. Send them to me and everything will be fine... :-)

I like the slip covered chairs best. Is there room to turn the table the other way?

Glad to see you went back to your original arrangement. BTW, I just love that table. I have a bench ottoman that I use sometimes with my kitchen table for overflow seating. Then after the holidays the ottoman goes back in the coffee table location. The bench looks like it is meant to be up against a wall. Nice idea, but not the right location for an open floorplan.

"dd,I think she was joking about the window."

OK. I guess I didn't 'get it'. Not enough coffee today.

I read that you have put the bench back in the garage. Not sure, but did you try the arrangement with the bench against the window at the end of the room (the wall opposite the tv wall at the other end of the room)?

Certainly there is no reason to try and line the DR table up with the fireplace. That only points out even more the imbalance in the two areas of the room. If you are seeking more of a symmetrical feel, then putting the furniture more to the end window wall would help that. I would leave the fireplace area as open as I could, almost as a natural divider between the LR and DR areas.

dilly: that would be like going out for some underwear and ended up getting boob job & liposuction, you know :-D - I gotta accept that there is no panties in the world that can turn me into Gisele, and no simple rearrangement can make this room looks like the cover of Elle decor :-D

amy: I love those chairs too. I need to have them lacquered & reupholstered soon! If only I can decide on the color & fabric.

here's another view of the room -- that whole windows wall will hopefully be converted into folding glass doors someday. I think the leather sofa is too fat & bulky & dark. It needs to be gone with the bench. :-)

{{!gwi}}

thanks again for all your input. DH just laughed at me when he came home from work and the benches are gone :-D He told me I should not ask him for decorating advices if I'm not going to heed them anyway LOL :-D

This may be a mute suggestion because you probably tried it before, but what about switching the LR and DR around.
In order to to do that though I think you would have to get rid of one couch, IMO the leather one. I think it would look better to have LR seating around the fireplace. To me the dining room table hides your fireplace.

Well after seeing this last photo I was going to write just what Les did....try the bench against the window by the door though how she knew there was a window there I have no clue. She's not only good she's psychic!
Oh and cover it with the same fabric as the chairs in this last photo or a solid from one of the stripes would be pergect in my opinion. If you feel you need something behind the leather sofa then a sofa table with photos would be something to think about.

I think it looks much better in your original arrangement. I'd leave the bench for special occasions when you need lots of seating.

"........how she knew there was a window there I have no clue."

It's how the light falls and where the shadows are. One can surmise where the windows are in rooms even when the other walls are not photographed by looking for the patterns of light and shadows. Of course when someone posts a photo taken at night with only incandescent lighting there are no clues as to where the windows are although sometimes you will see windows reflected in wall art.

My pick was the original arrangement as well...love those slipcovered chairs.

Your whole room is beatiiful...lucky you to have all those nice, large windows for all the natural light!

Just throwing this out there...but if you did want to use the bench, maybe it would work better on the far side of the table (not back to back w/ your sofa). I could see it slipcovered in a fabric that would complement those chairs. (3 would still back on the sofa)

The other charis are great too; I could see them lacquered and upholstered in a funky/modern fabric.

Glass doors at far end of room...wow! That would be beautiful too! Love the look...

Wonderful room!!

I like the original.... the chairs are great.... a bench might not be bad, if upholstered in the same fabric and it would maybe need to be higher?
The "new" set of chairs don't seem to fit your room, sorry

I have been following this post with interest. The last picture you posted gives a better feel for the overall layout of the room. But could you take just one more picture? Standing back from the end of the table, could you capture the area from the dark sofa to the window wall? This will show how much actual room there is between the table and the window and if there would be room to shift the table more that direction.

My first instinct on seeing your original picture was to move the table more to the left, toward the windows and have the fireplace open, sort of between the DR and LR. As my thoughts were expressed by several others, I hesitated to post earlier.

I would love to see your fireplace opened up and more visible.

I'm following this post with a great deal of interest. My DH and I worked with an architect a year ago to draw a homeplan and after several iterations the FP ended up on a back wall between the open LR and DR. We have not gotten around to building the home (long story) but I've waffled back and forth on whether or not I love this feature. Personally, I think it is cozy and interesting to have a FP near the eating area, but I also appreciate that it can be unconventional in a smaller or suburban style home. I can't wait to see where this goes!

The reason I can't have the bench next to the large window is because we have plantation shutters there and I won't be able to open the shutters if the bench is in front of it. We need enough clearance for the shutters to swing open.

I suppose my problem is trying to fit a large dining table. We just have too many kids LOL :-D This room is actually quite flexible and I have seen it used in many different ways by different families in our neighborhood.

(1) similar arrangement to mine -- except for those nice doors to the back yard (which we will put in). They change the supporting wall for a column which helps open up the space a lot.

{{!gwi}}

(2) smaller round dining table (this doesn't work for us because we need to sit at least 7 at dinner every night). They also have a sectional instead of 2 sofas. Also replace the large window w/ French door (on left, where the draperies are)

{{!gwi}}

(3) no dining area -- but they have another sitting group in front of fireplace. Keep the window & smaller door which we currently have (it's the same room but reverse) There is a sofa behind the console on the left -- same position as my leather sofa.

{{!gwi}}

To be honest, we've tried all the above arrangement! We had the 4 armchairs in front of the fireplace for a while (and I love this) but the kids missed the dining table for craft & homework. We also tried the sectional w/ the smaller dining table but since we have our niece & nephew move in, we need larger dining table & more sittings. I never like sectional anyway. :-) I suppose we just end up w/ what serve our current needs the best.

Thanks Dilly Dally! I thought Jan was psychic, which wouldn't really surprise me. Jan is good, but I wasn't sure if somehow her thread and the next one of Bellaflora were posted backwards as been happening on a YUKU group I belong to lately where questions are answered before they were asked. LOL.

bellaflora, I wondered where you found so many homes with the same layout as yours until I read they were from your neighborhood. It's fun to see how others do the same layout, but you have to do what works for your family and your home. Your WTs seem to pose the problem with furniture placement at that window, but I really like them. In fact so much I wouldn't change to them to french doors if it were our home. You'll rarely open both doors if you're like us. You already have the view and light with the windows you have. But like I said, you have to do what's best for "your" family.

You have a lovely open floorspace to work with.

I love the big farm table paired with the fireplace.

One thing that strikes me about your room that is different than your neighbors is that everything is all lined up at right angles to one another.

I'd like to see you mix it up a bit. Try swapping the arm chairs with one of the sofas and then angling the arm chairs slightly to one another with the corner round table between

Can you rotate your farm table so the long way runs parallel to the fireplace? Then use the lacquered chairs as host chairs at the head and foot of the farm table. I'd like to see how those chairs work with the Parson's chairs in your first pic. That would give you seating for 8.