Living room layout, 11 x 12
Hi all,
I recently bought a cute (small!) 1200 sq ft house built in 1948. It has a dainty living room with a fireplace and large window. The room is 11 x 12 - it's actually larger, but the back part of the room is actually more a walk way from the front door to the back of the house (see drawing below).
Here is a photo of the empty living room (the 11x12 part)
I am buying all new furniture, but am agonizing about scale and arrangement. Right now I have my old furniture in there, and it is comically large in the space (see photo below). The current arrangement really blocks the room, and when I played around with furniture placement, I think it makes more sense to have a sofa along the wall, and 2 chairs facing the sofa (one at either side of the large window). Does this make sense? Am I missing a more creative arrangement? I ask because I read some blog that said a rookie mistake is to place a sofa against a wall...
FWIW, I'm considering smaller scale furniture like this sofa (80 inches wide, 35 inches deep), and these chairs, not sure if leather or fabric (but haven't made any decisions yet). Side note: shopping for furniture is exhausting!
Thanks for your input on furniture arrangement and layout! And yes, I will be getting all new window treatments and moving the TV elsewhere :)
Comments (19)
AMS
6 years agoRelated Discussions
12x12 or 8 1/2x11 ? Whats the best?
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Comments (6)There are also shades that roll up and roll down that are kinda cool, but pricey. If glare is a problem, curtains are the solution!!! Denita says to hang them close to the ceiling. I always use thermal or backed curtains because we live in Indiana, and it gets cold!! Great idea about the bookcases....See MoreLayout of 12 x 20 living room...help!!
Comments (8)No fire place...oddly enough the fireplace is in the ground level/basement. The TV will be opposite the couch on the right smaller wall. Only picture I have right now as I am not phone....See More12x14 Living Room Layout
Comments (8)IMO you just have too much stuff you are trying to fit , start with the sofa and the chair and if you must the piano thats it add a coffee table and some end tables or floor lamps .Is there going to be a TV in this space ? in spaces where it feels tight with furniture I find keeping everything low works better than tall pieces so I would look for a better place for the bookcase if it is truly needed . It could go in the DR since that spot is actually larger . There is no way that sofa can float in the space once you add lamps there is no place to walk it really only has one spot and that is on the wall where you have it. I can’t honestly see a better layout in the space unless you put the sofa in front of the windows and it would have to be pushed intot he corner to make the space accessible from the front door. I think you were doing well just move the bookcase or get something like the Sapien for some books This way you have space for a coffee table an end table between the chair and the sofa on one end and another end table at the other end they can each have a good sized lamp on them and then add a piano light . When the time comes to get new furniture think smaller scaled for the space Hang some large pieces of art on the sofa wall and something interesting for the piano wall. I am not sure of your style but just find pieces you love...See More
My3dogs ME zone 5A
6 years agoAMS
6 years agoThanks everyone for the feedback and ideas, I appreciate it!
Bluebell and ElleN - I will try your suggestions, and I like the idea of a tufted ottoman doubling as seating/table.
My3dogs - thank you for the link! It's so helpful to visualize. Looking at those arrangements makes me think I should look for a sofa with a bench seat. That way the furniture doesn't 'suggest' how many people can fit (I'd really like my sofa to hold 3 in a pinch and worry that if it's a 2 cushion, people wouldn't squeeze together).
Anglophilia - thank you for the suggestion for even smaller scale. Is there a design rule of proportion I can follow? 72" seems very small to me, but I trust your judgement. My current (bloated) sofa is 86" wide and is definitely too large; but I had thought (without doing any real research) that 80" might be OK. Is the rationale behind going even smaller that the extra space is needed to allow for side tables, or to allow visual breathing room? I'm truly curious! This is a cute 75" sofa with a bench cushion, but I wonder if it's too deep at 40". My distance from the side walls to the fireplace and hearth is 36".
AMS
6 years agoAMS
6 years agoThanks ElleN and Shari13! Yes, good point about proximity to fire. I think going with a shorter sofa as recommended by Anglophilia would certainly help in that regard. FYI, here is a photo with my cartoonish furniture in the layout I'm thinking of using (with smaller sofa and 2 chairs [instead of TV and chair and a half]).
Elle
6 years agowritersblock (9b/10a)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoHere's a house near me that was built in 1937, I think, but it's very similar.
Here's how it looked when the current owners first bought it:
What they first did with furnishing/renovating it:
and by the time they sold it:
They had enlarged the doorway to the next room, but you can see in the second photo that it worked fine to put a small sofa with its back to the traffic lane, especially with a console table to act as a landing place for people entering the house.
AMS thanked writersblock (9b/10a)AMS
6 years agoAMS
6 years agoAMS
5 years agoSo I've made some headway - I plan to buy this sofa (76" wide by 36" deep), and am struggling with chairs to face it.
Sofa:
I am looking for small scale, comfortable chairs. I don't really like armless chairs. In my hunting, I came across this, which was VERY comfortable. I think it is very attractive, and the footprint is small: 29" wide, 31" deep. However, I wonder if it's too blocky looking - e.g., should I look for something leggier? Honestly though I love them and they're SO comfy. Thoughts?
Elle
5 years agoAMS
5 years ago
Anglophilia