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Need help arranging furniture in a weird living room!

6 years ago

I have a living room - about 12' X 24' but here's why it's "weird": It's a multi-level house so this living space is a half-level up - 6 stairs from the first floor. And, is wide open so that there are wood railings and so from the first floor, you see up into the space. 90 degrees, there is another staircase that goes up another 7 steps to a second floor. Fireplace at one end and a picture window perpendicular to that - I would like to use the picture window as the focal point.... I will post a picture and then if anyone can think of any creative ideas, I would be grateful!

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Comments (10)

wellsgr
Original Author
6 years ago
Here are a couple pictures: 1) from the first floor looking up into the room, 2) after walking up the stairs and 3) opposite corner of the room
eld6161
6 years ago
You have a typical high ranch. Once upstairs you have a nice size room to work with.

IMHO, I would use the fireplace as the focal point. Have the sofa facing it with a nice sofa table behind it. I would then get two club chairs to face the sofa and flank the fireplace.

If you want the window to be the focal point, then leave sofa where it is and put the club chairs facing the sofa on the window wall side.
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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.
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Can you "float" your coach in the room, facing the patio doors, maybe with a sofa table behind it? You could then put the TV on the wall across from the fireplace, maybe a chair in the corner next to the fireplace. That might not be optimal TV viewing from the couch, however. But the arrangement doesn't look great where the TV is now.
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For your space, yes you need a bigger rug with all the furniture on the rug. If the rusty red pillows are your accent color, maybe find a neutral rug with that also as an accent. You can keep this layout and add two chairs under the window with a table in between. Or you could move the love seat under the window and add a chair diagonally across as an accent chair. You need some artwork or photos or something above the sofa. Is this room just for reading/ conversation or is there a TV? Do you need any shelving for books or storage or display items? Good luck!
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wellsgr
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you! We've never used this fireplace which is why we thought to use the window as focal. But would consider switching that up...
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years ago
Right now the stairs are all too visible and in the last picture one gets the feeling of being able to slide right out of that room. Having a large object such as the sofa blocking that sight line somewhat should give a cozier feeling.
wellsgr
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you - meaning, a sofa with its back parallel to the stairs with railings on either side? I do have a sofa table picked out which could fact those stairs....
wellsgr
Original Author
6 years ago
and also - everything is very visible because it's very unfurnished and undecorated at the moment...
elohbee
6 years ago
I would slide the rug closer to the fireplace, treat the stairs end of the room more like a hallway rather than trying to center things in the whole space.
eld6161
6 years ago
Yes, as you walk up the stairs you see the back of the sofa. The sofa is then facing the fireplace. You have a sofa table picked out so give this arrangement a try.
Mary E
6 years ago
Just echoing what others have said. I would face the couch to the fireplace, then have two accent chairs in front of the book cases on either side of the fireplace. Pull the rug closer to the fireplace and it will all be cozier and feel more connected as one room. Absolutely love your rug! Beautiful room, too. :)
elohbee
6 years ago
I like the suggestions of others, but if you'd rather keep things facing the window (prefer the view or would rather have a more open traffic pattern or whatever), you can totally make that work too. I think the picture window is a centered in the whole space, and you want your living space centered closer to the fireplace, so it may work better to have just one chair or unmatched chairs, so you're not trying to create a symmetrical arrangement in an assymetrical space.

Also, it looks like you have a reasonable sized space where the keyboard (?) is. I would consider treating that as a separate little nook (not really connected to the living room) maybe with a cozy chair and side table, or a small desk or the keyboard, or whatever is useful to you.

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