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Seeking Advice for Furniture Placement for a Difficult Living Room

sam yu
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

Hello,

I'm seeking advice on how to place furniture for our living room. Our front door opens to the middle of the living room and I would like an entryway where our guests wouldn't feel cramped once stepping in and to drop our bags.

Some pieces I currently own are a sofa, loveseat, coffee table, tv, and side table. It would work out if there was a wall adjacent to the front door for a natural drop area where a table or bench can be placed but there isn't, adjacent to the door is a corner which leads to the dining area. There is a wall on the other side of the front door but is hidden behind the door when opened.

Any advice would be very appreciated. Thank you!





Featured Answer
  • hamamelis
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Yes, such a common problem. Imo, your space is so limited you should consider solving your problem outside the box. Outside the house box by putting the area where you first greet guests and make them feel they've arrived outside that thin, 3" thick front door instead of inside.

    To do this, of course, an outside "foyer" has to be created.

    Most homes front to public street, and their front yards are also completely open to the street, to windows across the street, etc., so that the thin front wall and door are very often the first and only transition from public to private space. Very undesirable, and no good architect-designed homes fail to make a much more emotionally satisfying transition from public to private.

    That's why people want an indoor foyer. It's a transition between truly public to truly private that makes finally arriving in the sheltered living area feel right. You can't have one, but you could damage the appearance and functionality of what could be a very inviting room by devoting a space that tries and fails transition guests... From it to itself.

    That's why I suggest creating a separation from the street and public yard outside. Presuming you don't already have one that can be further developed, of course. Think of, for instance, a gracious, paved outdoor landing or porch that guests arrive at by passing through a gate and/or under a tree or arbor to reach. Imagine a delicate tree perhaps, like a birch, that creates a gentle see-through privacy screen between this area and the street to increase the feeling of separation from public . It might be surrounded by low shrubs or a fence to define it an give a sense of separation. Planted pots or sculpture, a bench or pair of chairs. You now have a transitional middle space from public to private, a transition(foyer/entry area) that doesn't feel at all public from which guests can then move to a very inviting sheltered inner living space.

    If you google, you'lll find many landscapes that do this. They're very common in neighborhoods of what were once small homes that have become very expensive. People who pay $750k or $1,750K for an 1100 square foot home often bring in designers to fix their foyer problem, and this is a common technique. It's all about meeting emotional needs, and of course looking great, without cannibalizing those living rooms that need all their space for living in them.

    Comments (9)

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