It is not actually a dining room. We just happen to have a table in there. I feel like if I put the couches against the window, won't it be too far from the TV? Like 20 feet. And then they would have to watch the TV across whoever is sitting at the table? I do not mind getting rid of the entertainment center or the table and we probably need a new couch because the dog has torn it up. I definitely like the shelves in the alcove idea.

And thank you soooooo much.

Thank you Patricia! The DR table isn't actually a DR table. We just put it there. In the 4th picture you can see the kitchen in the background. I don't mind getting rid of the table or the entertainment center. I can try and push the sofa back for sure. Do the curtains not fit the window? The one that seems too long is actually a roman shade that is just down too far. And thank you so very much for your input.

You have nice rooms and good taste. But it's hard to see behind all the piles. The space will look much more spacious and polished if you store away your stacks of bags and papers and boxes and edit your small decor items. If you pick up all the "stuff" and remove the entertainment center, the space will really open up.

Once you get rid of your clutter then you can start on more complicated things like the alcove. The pink patterned shade behind the sofa is not helping the space, curtain panels would be a much better choice for that spot.

You don’t have a narrow or small room! But this is coming from someone whose LR narrows to 8 ft, so... :)

Other than watching TV, how do you use the room? How much seating do you need in the TV area?

Your sofa is too long to fit where the entertainment center is, yes? I wonder if you got a loveseat and put one there, and then the TV in then alcove, mounted, with the other sofa against the wall. Then you’d open up the space.

OR, if you don’t need the table or both sofas, I’d move the table out and put one sofa in the area where the table is now. Add some low bookcases and make it into a little library, if that would be useful to your family.

I like your taste and room!

Although my personal preference would be to put the TV in the niche on top of a credenza, I think in your case, you need to put shelves behind doors there so you have a place to store the clutter that you can't part with. Since it is not a dining table, what is it used for? Perhaps it and the entertainment center are candidates for Craig's List.

I think that overall, you are on the right track with the layout. For the age of your kids, it makes a ton of sense to have a table at one end for games, puzzles, crafts, projects, and school work. There are a few things I’d recommend changing, as well. Here is an idea I drew up for you:

On the wall where the tv cabinet was, you could put in approximately 6’ of bookshelves. This will give you a spot to contain the books and random items that life throws at a busy family. You can store a mixture of pictures, books, and the globe. Baskets can be gathered to hold fabric swatches and legos, puzzles (I like removing these from their boxes and storing them in zippered bags inside a basket, if possible.) I recommend getting a circular end table for the end of the couch nearest the doorway. It will make that walkway/doorway feel more spacious and the furniture like less of a hip banger.

At the table end, I like the idea of the storage unit with the fabric bins. I know that for our family, the bins need to be labeled in order for them to be used properly and not become catchalls. You could tie tags on the handles, or hot glue labels on the sides of the bins. Then it’s just a matter of training the household to regularly put things away in them. : )

Your windows are gorgeous, but I can understand why you want to obscure the view. How about some top down shades or sheers instead of what is there now? Then you would have quite a bit more light coming into the space while still retaining a sense of privacy. The windows would be pretty with curtains hung high and outside the window frames.

I like your couches, and the rugs and pillows all work very well with each other in addition to the furniture.

You might like to check out the YouTube channel by Clutterbug. Her organizing solutions are very realistic and down to earth, doable without breaking the bank. “At Home with Nikki” and “Alejandra” have some great organizing ideas on YouTube, too. These have been helpful for our family when our things started to feel like they were taking over our home. I love Josh Becker’s Minimalist blog posts and the blog “Nourishing Minimalism,” too. I couldn’t really make our house any bigger, so I found I had to simplify our stuff instead....well, still working on it.

Hope this helps!

I like laughablemoments idea for reorganizing the layout. I will borrow his (her?) initial layout and provide an alternate iteration (thanks moments). While we're spit-balling, please consider this layout. The entertainment hutch will divide the space a bit allowing the young folks to play and entertain themselves without getting rid of the furniture but also allow for your work space. The scale of the furniture I am unsure of with this drawing but it's just an idea. The heavy red line is circulation and the thin red line is build-in shelving (and cabinets?).

Are you able to get rid of the entertainment system? If so then mounting the TV on the wall with a TV console below would be a nice start. Then you could move the sofa back a little and it would be a nice layout.

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rather than filling in the alcove you might be able to tear it out. There could be hidden utilities inside, or it could just be empty dead space.

I agree that the furniture is too big and the entertainment center is really big.

Don't you wonder what the architect was thinking? I have to think it was supposed to be a built-in of some sort that the builder nixed. When the room is empty that alcove is begging for floating shelves. THAT should be your "entertainment" area. ONce the entertainment center is gone you would free up some space for a new furniture arrangement.

The "dining room (that is not a dining room)" looks so much larger than the alcove room. If it is, have you considered switching the two? You could place the t.v. on the half wall.

Thank you for all of the insightful comments and for taking the time to think about my space and comment!! I am so appreciative. Definitely a recurring theme with furniture and entertainment center that is too large for the room. Also about too much clutter (which I def know but such is my life). The thoughts on overhauling the floor plan were great - the one with the skteched out layout that had the TV in the middle of the space definitely is making us think (William Roberts). Also the entry from Nicola Interiors with the photograph really helped to see what you were all saying about a TV on a credenza in the alcove area and smaller furniture. I will post later after I incorporate your changes! Thank you awesome people of Houzz.

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