I find our living room awkward. How can I maximise the space?
This is our first home and my first time really caring about how we decorate. Here is what I am looking for advice on:
furniture: should we add anything else, I realise now the chair may be to big but we are stuck with it. Should we move it around? Also, the TV is staying but not the stand. What should go there instead? We are going to mount the TV. Black Ikea chair is also not staying.
floor: I am planning to have a rug, what colour would go well? The last pic in the album is what I am thinking, and the size 7'8" by 10'3". Would this brighten up the room?
walls: what should we put on the walls?!? We are thinking we definitely need something over the couch, maybe the chair too? What colours would go well??
other: any other suggestions? I think the room looks dark, how can I brighten it? I've been reading up alot on interior design, but I just don't have an eye for it.
Also, I'm not sure what my design style is, maybe a little mid century modern and a little urban chic? I just want to have an Instagram worthy living room on a tight budget!!! ha ha
dimensions:
Comments (20)
Heath
5 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (13)I take it you are a CA tenant as I see your water heater is strapped to the wall. I agree with the other posters that this is an unsafe situation and I am very much concerned for you. You have my condolences as a fellow CA resident. I own, but my young adult daughters are/were tenants to what I call slumlords while paying exorbitant rents. It's rough out there as a tenant these days. One feels they should be happy they only pay $2000+ a month for horrible living conditions and shouldn't make waves in case one gets evicted for having put in a repair request. I say many times a week the world has gone crazy here in CA. Having said that, CA is also a state where photos such as you provided above are of serious interest to the local building code dept and the state attorney general. This is an illegal set-up and a hazard. The landlord, whether he or she likes it or not, is obligated to provide safe living conditions. Your set-up is a disaster waiting to happen. I will take a leap and suggest your rental property is not properly permitted as a rental as this would not pass inspection. Work needs to be done to bring your laundry room up to code. You might want to print this thread out and show it to your landlord when you submit a repair request, for your own safety. You also might want to omit my 2nd paragraph to not give a slumlord ideas for his own gain... Take care...See MoreAwkward underutilized living room space...help please!
Comments (10)You said your needs are a place for your books and a place to work from home. I completely understand why you don't use the desk in it's current place because you're looking at a wall. If you rotate your desk and place it where the sofa table is, you'll be able to look out over your room and even see outside if you keep binoculars in your drawer. :) Place your built-ins on the back wall and leave large open spaces to hang artwork in, then store office supplies like printers, scanners behind cabinet doors. My printer and other unattractive electronics are on slide out trays. Plan ahead and get sufficient electrical and/or HDMI cables to power everything before you put your bookcases in. I like Jinx' idea about wrapping the bookcases around the corner because as much as I love books, they can look like a lot of clutter and there's no way I'm turning the spines to the wall. You can group the books by color or size so they look much more tidy and keep the back wall as an attractive focal point that is also very functional. Lucky you!...See MoreHow should I lay out our new living room?
Comments (8)Sarah, That layout was just a starting point for your room. There is lots of room to entertain different concepts for your room. Here's another possible layout for you to consider. This one has two sofas with 'cuddle' sections at each end facing the TV. I added an upright piano to the plan. Is this something you own or are you considering a baby grand for the room? Not sure this is the right room for a standard wall bookcase to store books. I'm sure you have an office in this house that might be scaled better to receive a standard 84" tall bookcase. Instead, you might want to consider sectionals that have matching bookcases that border the sectional like this example below. The bookcases act as book storage, display space, and console tables all at the same time. That long wall for the TV is 14ft. This photo below illustrates a cleaver use of a long wall that incorporates a TV and some display shelving if that is what you meant by bookcases for the room. Here are a variety of long walls with large TVs mounted on the walls and ways to address all the wall space that comes with this. I'd suggest you start with a rug that at a minimum is 10x14. It can be larger, as you have the room. Rugs this size can be pricey and limited in designs. Also, it's like hauling 2 dead bodies to move them so you'll not want to do that more than once. The plan also shows a long credenza or sideboard with art mounted above on the wall behind the two sectionals. This might be a great spot for placing a food spread if you entertain. Just keep in mind how large the room is and small items will get lost in this room. Also for you ceiling, don't even consider a 54 or 60" size. Start looking at the big fans if you expect any air movement....See MoreHow can I make this space less awkward and more finished?
Comments (6)There are so many things you could do to amp up that wall, I don't even know where to start! (I would completely redo the fireplace though. that white surround is sad and needs to be replaced) One of the first things I'd do is brighten up that wall color. Get a rug. a coffee table or ottoman. How about something like this? here's another one. simple. paint the walls white, add the natural wood mantle, shelving, and bring in an area rug w/some color. Your room has no pattern or color. not even pillows, or art! I gave you a new light, art, the shelves, cabinet, painted the walls white, and a mantle. (do the tv over it, or some other art) Here's another idea. paint that portion of the wall a dark color, the rest of the wall (and niche, white). bring in some natural wood shelves, and a floating cabinet, or even a little desk w/a stool to slide under. you could do something like this in the niche: I could honestly photoshop you 20 diff options. You have a simple wall and nook to redo. w/some easy DIY, you could do it yourself. whatever that fireplace mantle thing you have, I'd get rid of it. Do some tile. There are a million pictures of fireplace surrounds with tile, shiplap, stone, etc. First find something that you like. I just did the shiplap because it was easy to photoshop. you'd have to do a tile or brick right around the firebox, and then shiplap on the entire wall. bring in a reclaimed beam for the mantle. do artwork or whatever above it. For the nook, paint it white and do some white or wood shelving. add a recessed light inside. Or, you could easily inset a bookcase. (look at Ikea or get basic cabinets and paint) (I'm just getting small snippets to photo shop, so use your imagination) on this one, it's a mosaic tile surround, a mantle surround, and shiplap on the entire wall. In the nice, the ship is continued, and natural wood shelving fits inside. you don't have to do the shiplap, obviously. with this next pic, just look at what's done, not so much the colors. I know bright yellow won't work w/your room, but's it's what the picture had! you could do this just about any wall color, paint the inside niche white, and add the accessories. You asked how to finish the space. This is how you do it. bring some life in there! But we also need to see the entire room. I'm just working off this one wall I see What if you did the fireplace something like this, put the tv above it, and turned your sofa so that it faces that direction? ( there is a built in bench in the niche, but ignore the window in it!) so if you like the little bench/nook, then try something like these Look at how cool the fireplace wall is w/some quartz on the surround, art, and the incorporated reading nook in the niche! You don't have to get this dramatic, but it gives you an idea...See MoreHeath
5 years agogreat ideas Kimberly, any opinion on rug colour? I think a salt and pepper like this? Thought that would brighten the room a bit.
Kim Q
5 years ago
Denita
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI agree with moving the TV to the other side of the room and make that area your TV viewing area. You could put it on the 5' wall as indicated above or even the 11'9" wall and move your sofa and chair. Sofa to the 9' wall and chair across. The 8 x 10 rug is an excellent idea to pull together your seating area. You could also have the TV on the 9 ft wall. One of the others here will be able to show you a few options for furniture placement.
I see you have a dining area just steps away from the FP. Consider a secondary seating area with a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace for times where conversation and togetherness is important rather than TV viewing :)
The drapes you have on the bay window need to be changed. They are much too small (short) and hung too low. I have found that https://www.halfpricedrapes.com/ has reasonably inexpensive drapes and almost always has a sale. Plus you can get much longer drapes. Take a look at this sketch so you can see to hang the rod close to your ceiling and much wider than the bay window. Take a color from your new rug (when you get it) to use for your drapes or have them the same color as your wall to blend, but add texture. Your choice.
See how they look so much better when hung from close to the ceiling. You also need more panels than 2. Measure the bay window opening and have enough panels to cover it 2.5 times to 3 times the width of the bay window and the area next to the window where the drapes stack when not covering the window.
Transitional living space · More InfoYour room is beautiful. It just needs to have the accessories added and find the right furniture arrangement that works for you and your lifestyle.
Heath thanked DenitaDenita
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJust a few insp pics to show you how you can also really inject your style with the chairs and lamps and side tables in front of the fireplace and make an entirely separate seating area with your current furniture on the other side of the room around the TV.
Barnsbury Park, N1 · More Info
Organic Living Room · More Info
Contemporary Living Room · More Info
Ashton Heights Renovation · More InfoHad to throw in something with color! I chose too many brown's for you as examples.
Yaletown Condo · More InfoHeath thanked DenitaHeath
5 years agoDenita
5 years agoHeath
5 years agoDenita
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoKim Q
5 years agoDenita
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHeath
5 years agoDenita
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoSo glad you are inspired! Would love to see it as you progress on finishing your beautiful room. Please post pics when you can....it's exciting to see. Here is a quick pic with one of the rugs in your room. You can do this on the esale website too. Select any rug and see it in your room.
- PRO
User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI think I would also move the TV to the 9'3" wall as Barnes Custom Builders suggested. I would then move your couch to the 5'11" wall (pulling it away from the wall so the vent can function). Then, I would flank the chunky chair to the left side of the couch. I would purchase a TV credenza and mount TV above. I would then fill the previous TV location with a credenza with a lamp and a mirror. I would also get a single large piece of artwork for the 11'9" wall. I would get rid of the bent wood chair as you suggested. Here's an option for a rug, credenza, media console, lamp and mirror...
Moroccan Tribal Cross Section Rug
Ripple Ceramic Table Lamp
Hope this helps or inspires!
Heath thanked User 
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI think this layout could work. For this installation I would place the TV over the fireplace and snug a loungy sectional in the corner for a very casual seating area with a round coffee table.
Place art where I have placed the green lines. Area rugs are shown in gray.
You could use a sectional like this one from IKEA
Heath thanked BeverlyFLADezinerHeath
5 years agoHeath
5 years ago- PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years agoAnother pic of that IKEA section in a light color that you could add blue pillows to in order to connect the two areas. Comfy to lounge by the fire like that.
Barnes Custom Builders