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Furniture Design Dilemma living room

Furniture arrangement for living room with bookcase on one wall

5 years ago

We're buying new furniture for this living room - possibly sofa, loveseat, and arm chair with end tables and lamps though specifics are to be determined. See link labelled "Room Measurements." The entrance is top right in the drawing with built in book case immediately to the left as you enter the room and fireplace on angled wall in corner. The wall opposite the entrance is almost fully windows from about 2 feet off floor extending up to 18 foot ceiling, south facing windows. The line at the top of the drawing is actually a carpet line with hardwood on the opposite side in the dining area. The wall on this line extends 188 cm from window; the remaining 353 centimetres is open so that when you enter the room, you can also turn directly right to the dining room.

Room Measurements

The first photo is taken from entrance to room, the second photo is taken from fireplace showing opening to dining area (this is the top line of the drawing), and the final photo is taken from the window showing the fireplace and book case.

Question: What alternative furniture arrangements are possible? The room is used for reading and visiting so we don't really want a sectional. Could we fit a loveseat, sofa, and arm chair? Or other furniture combinations? Thanks for your input!

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Comments (5)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
A corner fireplace is already a PITA and to add a bookcase to one side makes it worse so I would remove the bookcase. As for the furniture I never like matching 3 piece sets but without seeing the whole space with a floor plan with detail it is hard to comment.
Jodi Nickel thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
These photos don't offer enough info to understand the shape of this area. Stand back on the wood floor and take a picture of the TOTAL ROOM.

Is the fireplace on an angle or is it the bookcase? Where is the TV?
Jodi Nickel thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
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Tibbrix is right, the moldings would have to come off of the wall in order for the wall to look right with the bookcases in front of it, unless the bookcases are a bit longer than the wall and you have a way of covering the end - where you would see the wall gap behind the bookshelves. You could place a convenient pedestal and narrow tapestry there, I suppose. The only other non-destructive way of using the bookshelves in the dining room is to use them to create a fourth wall. If the three bookshelves are not as long as the opening into the dining room, you can create a secluded - but sunny - space in your home. Simply place the shelves, book side in, as if there was a fourth wall in the room. If you do not like looking at the back of the bookshelves, consider getting stain-grade plywood to attach to the back and stain it to coordinate with the flooring and put a few coats of polyurethane on it. A hanging rug or tapestry or quilt are also possibilities to cover some of the space, or you could make a montage of family photographs or other artwork. Or do artwork on the wall. If you are into any particular genre of music, you can get album cover art to mount. Or posters. Only lack of imagination limits you. Inside your new room, there is no reason to remove the dining table. You can add a pair of comfortable reading chairs with lamps and a side table, yet still have the dining table on the other end of the room. The room looks plenty long enough for the table to go in the other direction. You can also take a leaf out (if the is one to remove) and put it and a couple of chairs in the basement. You can also set two dining chairs in a little conversation area away from the table, maybe around a tea table. Then you may use the dining table as a dining table, or for doing jigsaw puzzles, playing games, or for some less-messy projects that you don't want to have to put away each day. Add a couple of area rugs to define spaces, raise the chandelier if it is too low, and put it on a dimmer if it is not already dimmable. Now the room is more usable and comfy.
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does it need to touch other bookcases, be in one row with them, as if in a library..or will it be in a different spot? if second-I'd choose a completely different finish..say painted not stained if first-I'd look for the similar bookcase in a different store..maybe even second hand. or maybe try to search Craigslist/other resouces for exactly same one(you can search by brand there), or for one similar, but not exactly matching. pics would help
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Another trick would be to get the same style, but paint or wallpaper the backs (if they have backs) in a combination of colors that unite the pieces. So for example, let's say you have a gray sofa and turquoise pillows and a beige rug. You get some wallpaper with those colors in a fun pattern and put on the backs to brighten and unite.this is just one wallpaper, but your get the idea. Notice how the oranges in the room and gray carpeting are brought into the bookcases. Of course, you could always paint them all a single color.
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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.
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Jodi Nickel
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks Beverly. There is no television in this room because we use it for reading and visiting. Yes, the fireplace is on an angle and the book case is not. The bookcase runs parallel to windows just out of sight in this photo (left). Please see the photo taken from the wood floor as requested.

We also moved the existing furniture around to experiment with furniture layout in these photos. Although the angled arrangement of loveseat and couch before felt cozy, I have to say the L-shaped arrangement makes the room feel much bigger. Wondering if the couch and love seat on make the room feel too heavy on one side. We think we'd like to put an armchair on wall below large painting - ideally two but may not be enough room.
Jodi Nickel
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks Patricia Colwell. We're academics so the book cases are actually really important to us but they do make furniture arrangement difficult. I added new photos in response to Beverly's question showing new arrangement of furniture. A complementary chair or chairs (as opposed to matching set?) may work on the wall under the large tree painting?
suezbell
5 years ago
Liking all that natural light.

Prefer a furniture arrangement that doesn't visually shrink the room.

Would not remove the bookshelves. You can set seating in front of floor to ceiling cabinets/shelving such as yours -- just leave a bit of space between the seating and the cabinets/shelving. Have you tried placing your loveseat there, leaving your full (3 seat) sofa against the exterior window wall -- having the two facing each other.

Consider taller lamps with larger shades with nearly straight vertical lines (sides) on for any/all end tables.
Jodi Nickel thanked suezbell

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