I really like the idea of comfy chairs, except I like them for both of the sections of the room and I'm not sure which way to go with it. If I put them in front of the fireplace I can create a sort of semi circle with them and I like that idea. But I need to have a bigger couch (loveseat at least) somewhere in the room for my 16 yr old as she is physically disabled and can't sit in a comfy chair, she needs a couch to lay on in the room. I think part of her chair is in one of my pictures :) My biggest complaint about the loveseats facing eachother is that it wouldn't allow me to put anything on either side of the fireplace. I really need bookshelves for storage, books and toys. So for the back of the room where the tree is now, how does this sound? Brown bookcase on the wall with the screen door. Two comfy chairs, maybe something like these? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49932547/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40300431/#/30305617 and a table in between them. Or, should I do a small loveseat back there? http://www.worldmarket.com/product/erin-cute-as-a-button-loveseat.do?&from=fn And then for the space in front of the fireplace. Loveseat and chair? Or 3 chairs? One more side note, I plan to paint the room green and finish the trim in white. Does all my furniture need to be the same color? Is it OK to mix white and brown stuff? They were in different rooms in my last home.

Hey Jillius! I believe the ceiling height (where you pointed) is the same as the kitchen, but I'll double check when I get into the house. Good point about the head space remaining the same due to the design of the staircases.. duh, I should've known that. :) I'm struggling to wrap my head around what I'd do here though.. level the floor, add 2 steps (up) from the basement, move the kitchen doorway over, and add 2 steps (down) from the kitchen to the great room? The benefit is that this increases the 7' width to 8'. However, since the stairs and exterior walls constrain any more opening, changing the back stairs area probably isn't enough for a U or L-shape, huh? I just hate facing walls while I'm in the kitchen (cooking, cleaning, and/or prepping). But I know galley makes the most sense.. Here are actual measurements I took (red are walls I'm contemplating removing). Here is another view of the backstair case area, while standing on the basement steps: The brown skinny door on the left next to the kitchen steps is a closet/pantry thing. View from standing in the great room looking toward kitchen: View in kitchen:

I’m digging the 3rd one! My style is contemporary and/modern. Do You think I need it to to be big enough for all the furniture to go on? I’d probably need a 9x12 or even 10x13 to fit it all. Or should it just be big enough for the front legs of each piece to rest on? Like an 8x10.

This is totally a room where 3-4 small scale, but very comfortable arm chairs, with a couple on swivels for TV watching, would work great. Add a round coffee table (a hassock as shown below for putting feet up) in the middle with an interesting light--arc lamp or pendant--centered on coffee table. These chairs are too high , but you can see how well floating several comfortable armchairs work. Measure carefully before you choose furniture so that you have clear walkway. Three chairs might work best. If you get a couple upholstered dining chairs for a round dining table in the corner, you can pull them into the living room space as needed. Definitely consider some great pendant lighting and a rug to anchor living area to define the spaces.