I'm not good at furniture arranging from photo's either, but my first thought was the seating pieces seem to be spread out too much and are not in a nice, cozy configuration. I don't know if it's the angle of the camera but it appears the TV cabinet is very far away from the rest of the furniture. Have you tried moving the furniture around? I think the sofa needs to come away from the wall, but because I can't judge size and distance from a photo I'm not sure where else it might fit. In place of the folding screen have you considered installing a glass french door? It would keep the kitties out, but give a more open look and feel. I hope Les sees this post. She's good at rearranging furniture from photo's. BTW you have some real pretty pieces.

hi yaya...yes, we had the sofa positioned in that orientation originally (purchased a very uncomfortable small sofa for that reason)....my husband really didn't like it because he likes to stretch out and lounge, and the 78 inch sofa (with the big rolled arms) just doesn't allow for that in this space...i think i will need at least an 82 inch sofa...if i purchase that length and float it, it leaves no room for end tables or lamps....so i think floating isn't a really good option (though i liked how it looked!) i'm not too concerned about the current configuration in the living room...i've had the sofa on either side and floated, and frankly from a utilitarian pov, positioning it against the wall seems to work best... not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but right now the dining table is centered in the middle of the room (and the living room opening), and for some reason this just looks awkward....but it seem more functional than pushing it closer to the wall, if that makes sense... i have to make a decision about the positioning of the table soon because i need to replace (and move) the chandelier ... i'll probably mount a large drum pendant over the table...right now the room looks extremely traditional with the egg and dart trim and crown moulding, crystal chandy, etc....and i want a more transitional look... i plan to buy upholstered chairs for the dining table, but i think those need to wait until i pick out the living room sofa and chairs as they relate so directly to each other visually any other suggestions about decor is much appreciated! really struggling with the space and how to furnish!

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 would take down that counter with the stools that is blocking the walkway and then take the wall down from the frig over and put an island between your sink area and where your table is sitting. Then I would use the room by the front door as a dining room and the back room with the fire place as a living room (or reversed depending on which one is bigger).