skip to main content

Home Decorating Furniture Design Dilemma

Need advice on living room arrangement - corner fireplace & huge wall

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Please bear in mind everything from the light fixtures to the floor is changing in this room. The only thing staying put is the couch.

I'm lost when it comes to decorating my living room. I've tried having 2 sofas (which proved to be too crowded), a sectional (which I really detest, plus it cut off too much of the room), and now I'm back to square one. I just purchased this new sofa and I'm totally redoing the living room, but I don't know if I should back the sofa up against the wall or have it float in the middle of the room. I have a corner fireplace and a closed in living room with a giant wall, so it's been tricky for me to navigate. My husband insists that the couch be in front of the tv, which will be next to the fireplace, but I'm more concerned with how the room flows. If I do float the sofa, what do I do with that massive wall? I think that space is too narrow to fit a pair of 2 chairs. Or should I try an entirely different approach? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

Featured Answer

suezbell

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Like the sofa. Good choice.

Is the tv going over the mantel of the fireplace or will you be putting it on a cabinet where it's sitting now?

Comments (14)

User
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
suezbell, thank you! The tv will be going on a cabinet in the place where the old one is sitting now. We ordered a new tv that's 55 inches.
Related Discussions
Need advice regarding living room wall collage
Q
Comments (22)
I'm not sure how to rearrange the furniture. Unfortunately, this room is our only TV room so we somewhat arranged the furniture to be functional. Ideally, I think the room would look better with 2 sofas facing each other with the shelving unit in the middle of the wall and perhaps a table by the windows but it would be too uncomfortable to watch TV sideways. The room is fairly large so I tried to fill it the best I could. I actually pulled the rug out from underneath the couches so as for it to be closer to the corner sofa couch to include it. If I move the corner couch closer to the couches, it floats in the middle of the room? As for the bench under the window, we use it daily!! The bench by the stairway was an extra that does not have a functional use but rather space filling features:-)
...See More
arranging living room furniture w/ front door opens to living room
Q
Comments (2)
You might consider moving the sofa to be centered in front of the window and put the chair nearer the door adding a pony wall height bookshelf (with its back to the chair), with or without doors on the entry side, between the chair and the door to create an entry; perhaps something like this: http://thegamersforce.com/ikea-glass-door-bookcase/bookshelf-inspiring-low-bookcase-with-doors-bookcase-with-doors-ikea-dark-brown-bookcase-with-glass-glass-door-ikea-bookcase-singapore-ikea-glass-door-bookcase-ikea-billy-bookcase-glass-door-instruc/ A barrister style bookcase could also work. Such a room divider would give you a place to add a lamp to the room.
...See More
Advice arranging furniture and items in the living room in condo
Q
Comments (3)
Have you considered a back to back sofa arrangement? Float your two sofas back to back in the center of the room so each has a similar sized area in front of it. Give each of them a coffee table. Maybe that small clover leaf table can serve as one. They usually arrive 1" above or below the sofa seat. Try the demi-lune one in your foyer. Put your hi-boy desk in the center of the back wall and hang a knock out piece of art above it. Flank it with a pair of chairs, each with its own table and a new lamp. Your floor lamp is a bit small and the table lamp too tall. Move your bar stools to a bar area, perhaps in the kitchen. Add one more chair to the foyer end of the space. Here are some helpful charts for the details.
...See More
Need help arranging furniture in living room with fireplace
Q
Comments (1)
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.
...See More
suezbell
6 years ago
Whether or not you move the sofa out from the wall behind it could depend, in part, upon whether you have enough room to put furnishings against that wall and still walk between that furniture and the back of the sofa; however, you should also, remember that if you place the sofa out from the wall, adding end tables and lamps would be impractical because of the electric cords.
User
Original Author
6 years ago
Some additional images of the floating sofa
suezbell
6 years ago
Sometimes you want lamp light rather than the brighter, usually more glaring, overhead light. Could you put one end of the sofa next to an end table that is against a wall?
suezbell
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Yes, new pics help. You could add an end table with the sofa away from the wall. How much room is there between the sofa and the wall behind it and are there any doorways behind it? Is there room for any kind of cabinet or sideboard or desk or table there?
suezbell
6 years ago
Consider how the traffic would flow around the sofa out from the wall and where you'd put any other chairs -- how many chairs you want/need and do you have room for them (take into consideration the heat from the fireplace) with the sofa away from the wall?
User
Original Author
6 years ago
My living room opens up into my kitchen and my stairway, so there is no wall behind the sofa once I float it. I guess I could put some small chairs against that wall...I would knock it down, but it's load-bearing, plus my laundry room is on the other side :/ I really appreciate your input, it helps a lot
User
Original Author
6 years ago
We don't ever use that fire place (south Texan here), so it just serves as a useless focal point in my opinion. So I could probably put a chair nearby!
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
A 55" TV is only about 48" wide. I really think the sofa should go on the wall and the TV should go above the fireplace. Otherwise, you have to choose between awkward TV viewing or an awkward sofa location.

eta: I just read that you never use the fireplace. You could put the TV on a console in front of the fireplace (gasp) I know. But I think you could make it work if none of the fireplace was visible.
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago
You made a great choice with your sofa. I just got rid of a sectional and didn't like two sofas either. I think one sofa and two chairs is the sweet spot.
User
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for your reply! benjesbride, I've considered putting the tv over the fireplace but, again, the husband is opposed to it. He says it would be too high. He wants a sofa directly in front of an eye level tv. So I'm left back at square one :\
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
My husband is a total av geek so we have a huge tv about 16" above the floor. I understand. Would your dh be opposed to putting the TV in front of the fireplace?
Kim KP
6 years ago
You’re husband is right. TVs above a fireplace are generally frowned upon in design. They cause neck strain and are uncomfortable to watch.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

LIVING ROOMS New This Week: 5 Comfy Living Rooms Arranged Around a Fireplace

By Mitchell Parker

See how designers combine furniture and accessories while celebrating a fiery focal point

FIREPLACES New This Week: 7 Living Rooms That Rethink the Fireplace Wall

By Mitchell Parker

Bold and adorned or streamlined and minimalist — which of these fireplaces would you want warming up your home?

LIVING ROOMS New This Week: 5 Living Rooms Designed Around the Fireplace

By Mitchell Parker

Overcome one of design’s top obstacles with tips and tricks from these living rooms uploaded recently to Houzz

LIVING ROOMS New This Week: 3 Ways to Work Around a Living Room Fireplace

By Mitchell Parker

The size, location and materials of many fireplaces present decorating challenges. Here are a few solutions

REMODELING GUIDES Corner Fireplaces Give Rooms a Design Edge

By The Inman Company

Maximizing unused space, opening a floor plan, creating a focal point ... corner fireplaces offer more advantages than just heat and light

DECORATING GUIDES 13 Ways to Upsize a Small Living Room Without Moving a Wall

By Toronto Interior Design Group

A design pro shows how to use light, colour, layers and focal points to make a compact room look and feel more expansive

COLORFUL HOMES The Best of My Houzz: 10 Living Rooms With Wall Colors to Love

By Laura Gaskill

Jet black, Meyer lemon yellow, mossy green — these spaces make a statement with bold color

NEW THIS WEEK New This Week: 7 Stylish Fireplaces in Transitional Living Rooms

By Mitchell Parker

See how various designers tackle the hearth and surround to create a refreshing focal point

LIVING ROOMS New This Week: 3 Living Rooms Focus on the Fireplace

By Mitchell Parker

Get crackling with inspiration from 3 spaces that center on the hearth

LIVING ROOMS Lay Out Your Living Room: Floor Plan Ideas for Rooms Small to Large

By Charmean Neithart Interiors

Take the guesswork — and backbreaking experimenting — out of furniture arranging with these living room layout concepts

Sponsored

More Discussions

Help choosing fabric

1

Inside Floral and Event Designer Lewis Miller's West Palm Beach Home

10

Board and batten paint color options

1

placement of calendar

7

Home Office Help

2