RTRM: Furniture layout for MB, LR, Dining
The consensus from “[We bought our first home, now what?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/rtrm-we-bought-our-first-house-now-what-dsvw-vd~5436515)” was 1. Not Rush to fill my new home 2. Plan, plan, plan 3. Add to my Houzz ideabooks. 4. Hunt for deals…. So here I am sharing dimensions and some photos.
As a reminder, because we are now financially invested in this, please be kind. I have thought of my first home for longer than I thought of my dream wedding. I used to by home plan magazines instead of wedding magazines as pre-teen. Because we knew we wanted a home very badly, my husband and I decided to do a City Hall wedding. We celebrated our 1st anniversary in May. 6 weeks later, we had moved half way across the country to TX, my DH transferred through his company, I left an amazing company, I started my own business, and the because we wanted a home ASAP, we made the (extreme/crazy/brilliant) decision to move into a 40 ft 5th wheel RV my husband had, and to live in my grandparents driveway which sits up next to about 100 acres of Texas prairie. We have dealt with 110 degree temps in the summer, and digits reaching in the low teens during the winter. We have made extraordinary sacrifices to buy a home we feel like is the best we could do. Our “want” list was incredibly long and specific (No range on island, range on outside wall if not properly vented, pool- but not a pool that is 6 feet from your back porch, not open concept, large pantry, oversize garage, RV/Boat parking, not west facing back yard, natural light, distance to airport. I could go on and on and on, but won’t). After lurking, reading, commenting and posting on houzz, I like to think I was more prepared than the typical first time home buyer—but I know I got wrapped up in the excitement it at least a little.
Could we have done “Better?” ALL things considered? I know some of you will feel that way, but honestly, I think the best way to look at it is “We could have done different.” Please be kind with your comments when you notice the flaws. There are for sure things I don’t love/ would not have picked (Like the stone/brick combo… and especially the stone- I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it! Fortunately, it’s one of the “better” looking executions I have seen, but it’s not my favorite part of the home for sure).
The only furniture we have:
King size Adjustable base bed (No footboard no headboard)
Bedroom Set: 2 night stands, tall dresser, wide dresser ( this is old but decent quality, simple lines and eventually I will restain/paint and use in the guest bedroom or kids rooms)
What I would like:
MB: We have a large walk in closet. We don’t need much in terms clothing storage in the bedroom. The wall at the foot of the bed has a wall mounted TV. We aren’t huge TV people but may or may not want a TV here.
LR: I would love to be able to sit 6 people comfortably. I’m open to sectional, sofa, chairs.. but a majority of the seats need to recline. Our families like to put our feet up, and nothing says comfort to me like reclining. And I don’t want feet on the coffee table. I know the debate of TV above fire place is a heated on. I don’t really see another option. I DO want to find a mount to lower it to a better viewing angle AND a way to hide the TV either behind a mirror, or art or something. Current furniture layout has you walking through the room to get to the MB. I’m okay with this, as I know if we pull the sofa off the wall of windows, it greatly reduces the seating. But who knows… surprise me!
Dining: I’d like to be able to sit 6 very comfortably, or 8 a little tight when needed. I’ve loved round dining tables forever, but not sure if it would work in the space. Kitchen has many cabinets so I don’t need a huge hutch to store things, but a buffet table or the likes would be nice.
Currently, it is just the two of us. But we love to entertain. Usually we host 2-4 additional people at a time. Holiday’s would be more (10-15).
I’m excited to start seeing it come together (even if I can’t buy anything until we get moved in sometime between late Sept and late Oct).
I’m leaning on Houzz, because I know what I am good at. I am great at hosting guests, planning menus for parties, and baking/cooking. I enjoy the design aspect of a home design/layoubut I am no where near qualified to go it alone! Thank you! If you want to follow our journey, look for RTRM in the subject line. I'll be posting something about it soon.
I put dimensions on anything I had hard numbers on.
Photos of the areas shown above:
And a few more who are just here to see the rest of the house:
Cheers!
-L
Comments (30)
Lindsey B
5 years ago
junco East Georgia zone 8a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
which is a better LR layout?
Comments (6)Good thought on the lighting, robin. I think we can light the art table well enough. I am getting attached to the idea of the oval table at the window... Hollysprings, this is a Florida coastal place, so we do expect to have midwest and New England friends and family visitors frequently. We can sleep 8 and I want to plan to feed 8 very comfortably. Meals are central in my life. I am OK devoting space to that in the main living area - especially if the table can shrink to a pleasant spot for just us two for cofee, newspapers, puzzles.... We won't be renovating the kitchen. Tearing out 5 year old granite and tile isn't in the cards or the budget, though I agree the space could be laid out better. DH and guests can visit at the penninsula when I cook, doubt we will eat there. Not sure whether to use the breakfast area for eating or office or some combo. Interesting idea on the V shape. Something like this? I considered a V earlier, but that was before I had short sofas, so it didn't fit well. A family member has a LR set up in a V, but theirs doesn't work well. Too contrived? And their V just drops off into space. Odd. This V would have orientation toward the media and could be squared off with a DH chair and pulling over an art table chair or two for a crowd. Hmmmm. Interesting. I'm trying to work out the layout since I have started refinishing, reupholstering, etc. Need to firm up my fabrics/colors plan. Here is one of the CL 'art chairs' in progress....See MoreTime for new LR furniture... and how do you determine style?
Comments (12)Wow thanks for all the great ideas and suggestions! I admit I hadn't thought so much about the lighting. We replaced a "boob light" over the dining table with that fixture when we moved in and you're right it does look a bit kitcheny, though it lights the table very well. Do you think the drum shade we have now in the LR would look good there (on a built in fixture)? I do see how a round table would work better visually but DH hates round tables and this is one of those areas I am OK with that - we do play a lot of board games there and the rectangular tables seem to work best. We hung the pendant light because we did not have enough lighting in the room there is no overhead light and with our furniture placement there was no way to plug in a floor or table lamp in the middle of the room where it's needed for reading and general light. For ambiance we have 3 table lamps in there and the bookshelf accent lighting, but we need something closer to the ceiling to get better lighting. I thought about running a cord under the rug but it would still be exposed part of the way, and that's considered a major fire hazard so I am reluctant to do that. Maybe we need to install an overhead light, but then the question is placement and style. I admit I know nothing about lighting as a decor component but I love it when I see it well done! I really need help on that one, clearly. Regarding the idea of opening up the stairway, that is definitely on my wish list! It would bring more light downstairs too because we have balconies on both upstairs windows (off each bedroom) that shade the downstairs windows. However that's further down our list, after this project, then kitchen reno and then some bathroom TLC. As part of the kitchen reno later this year we plan to open up that wall section from the pass-through on over to the hallway, and to the ceiling creating a breakfast bar area on that countertop, to open up that area. One thing that I'm trying to think ahead about is how to light the kitchen and peninsula when it's so close to the dining area. I was thinking can LEDs in the kitchen and over peninsula. I think we could fit in 2 full size sofas but I expect it would look a little crowded. We're just 2 of us (hoping to expect a third soon) and we don't really entertain a lot, so we don't need a ton of seating. DH and I really want to able to snuggle up comfortably on the sofa together - we've never done that on this one something about the size and shape just doesn't work! It is a Jennifer Convertibles - our first "real" furniture - and I was very disappointed that it didn't hold up structurally, we've had it for 5 years and the cushions lost support a couple years ago and it was sold as "genuine" leather but was clearly bonded. Normally I sit on the chaise by the window and he sits on the sofa, we feel too far apart. I'm thinking maybe a full size sofa with chaise on the fireplace side, and then a chair on the dining room side, either the existing one or a new one... and get rid of the chaise by the window since there would be a chaise on the sofa. A large potted plant would look nice but so far I haven't had luck with plants in here as the LR windows are all NE facing and overhung by a balcony so not enough light for most. Maybe right up by the window they would be OK. If not, I'm sure I can find an interesting item to put there. The fireplace wall does look dark in these pics, I think it's the contrast with the sun coming in the windows and of course it is the darkest wall, but we have electric candles on the mantel and hearth that come on in the evening, and the table lamp and accent lighting on the bookcases light that area pretty well. If we don't have the table and chaise by the window, I may put a floor lamp there. Maybe we should purchase the furniture first, then decide on lighting once we see how it ends up? We're planning to go shopping this weekend. Color and fabric is something we haven't decided yet, we were not happy with the leather and we'd have to pay a lot more to get good quality real leather, and DH says it's cold and he'd prefer fabric. With fabric I like slipcovers because I have allergies and dust sofas are awful - being able to wash the cover intermittently is helpful. I'm thinking a lighter color since the current stuff is very dark, but I'm pretty flexible on that, going to select the next sofa based on comfort and practicality more than appearance....See MoreLR/DR layout advice please
Comments (12)Here's one idea, I drew this on my phone if you couldn't tell. Dining area in pink: if you want a sideboard/hutch for dining room I have placed to the left. I don't really like the idea of coming up the stairs to view the side of a sideboard, but you don't really have clearance to spare to place storage on the bottom wall (I'll call it South) because you only have 12 feet between the head of the stairs and the South wall to fit in a substantial dining table and walkway from the kitchen to the living room. I guess if you knew you wanted a sideboard where I've indicated, you could get a contractor to build a nook for it which would keep the look a bit cleaner but less open from the stairs. Music nook in green: window D kind of had me constrained in that I would've liked to of put a sideboard right in front of it for your music gear. As it is perhaps a full height built-in in the corner if the windows don't extend right to the corner. I put a couple of chairs there for additional seating and music selection. Another potential place for a sideboard is along the back of the couch, but because the couch is likely going to be placed quite close to the dining table, a sideboard behind couch would possibly impinge a bit too much on the circulation route to glass doors. If the stair railing is glass, you probably don't want to back the sideboard onto it, so your options for placement are a little limited in my opinion. But I may just have no imagination. seating area in blue: I think there may be a pinch point between the dining table and the seating area in the living room. I've tried to solve that a bit by using a sectional instead of the long couch and additional chairs. Not sure if it's successful....See MoreConfusion on LR layout.. open floor plan
Comments (12)If you choose not to use your current tv stand ( cabinet )as a tv stand, consider using it as a base for a hutch -- cabinet with shelves with glass doors that could be used as a china cabinet and/or bookcase and/or curio cabinet. Sometimes you can find a bargain on a good used one at a Habitat for Humanity Restore Store or other thrift stores or used furniture/antique stores. https://www.etsy.com/listing/741268602/sold-sold-sold-hutch-top-show-case-china?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hutch+top&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&frs=1&cns=1...See More
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5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoUser
5 years agoackcx3
5 years agoLindsey B
5 years ago@ACKCX3 Thank you! I should mention I'm 32 and DH is 30... so I guess when typically people get married at 20/22 we have some life on them! We wanted to skip over the "starter" home and didn't want to move because we bought a 3/2 and outgrew it quickly. And we believe a lot in Dave Ramsey so it took some time for that 20% down + we paid off a car!
We are soul partners.. lol. I was thinking the same thing about the pantry to hook up to the laundry and making it a HUGE space! It's on my "explore the option and figure out a cost!" list.. but not something we can do in the first year. I just need to figure out what's behind the bump out in the pantry (I THINK it's a water heater from the garage). The laundry room has an area where I think people would typically install cabinets on the wall next to the pantry-- but there is definitely some lost space there. Not sure if plumbing or HVAC is there... but I love the way you think!
Something like this = <3!!! but more food storage.. I got plenty of cabinets!
Lindsey B
5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoAlright, I put pen to paper and came up with some things. I even found a sectional I like and it even reclines. Not sure if it's a high enough back, but I may have to compromise on that. La-Z-Boy doesn't list dimensions so I took a guess. I love the look of stationary furniture, but I can't give up comfort. I don't like ottomans. They don't support your legs fully. Actually, in looking at it more the handle to recline is on the outside of the sofa, which makes access tricky with tables, and it can only have the edge pieces recline. I think what I like about the sectional is the rolled arms, and a single pillow back, where most reclining pieces have orthogonal lines for padding. I checked flexsteel with no luck.
Rug size for the living room is shown as 12' x 9" - no clue on if that's the right size.
I'm happen I could get a 6 ft table in the dining. 8 people no problem... and probably 10 cramped.
I still have no clue what to do in the master.User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoIt’s not bad. I’ll keep an eye on it! Thank you! DH said he wouldn’t mind going to look at a few sofas this weekend.
He was balking at the 4-5k price ranges.... so I asked him what he was expecting. He said 1k...... I had to laugh a little. Maybe 1k for a non reclining lower end 3 seater. But throw in 6 seats and reclining and up the quality and while I don’t like.... i understand the price. I saw my parents spend like 5k on 2 leather rocker recliners and a reclining sofa from flex steel 20 years ago and it’s just starting to show it’s age.
To appease my husband... what do you think of Nebraska furniture mart? I told him we could get cheaper brand for the upstairs media / game room.
He thinks that a love seat and sofa would be better. I am wondering if we could fit 2 sofas in an L shape. Backs would be taller.
I swear every time I went to his moms house she had moved the furniture around... I’m not like that. I wanna pick the best layout and leave it for 10 years. Haha call me lazy but I also don’t think the room has more than 1 or 2 ideal layouts. But yes ... no sectional would be better for flexibility. Since we plan to be in this house for a long time. I figure why not!
Lindsey B
5 years agoI tried 2 sofas... thoughts on if it would work? Seems like I would need a huge side table between the 2.
User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLindsey B
5 years agoUser
5 years agoLindsey B
5 years ago@Penny, I'm not sure why I'm not getting notifications on this thread! My notifications are "on" and it's working for other posts.
I did not know about the balloon festival! I looked online and it looked pretty sweet. I put in about 60 hours of work this week, and my brain was just fried. I barely managed a grocery list.
Saturday is our get out of the house and run errands day. DH "surprised" me with going to Nebraska furniture mart. That place is HUGE. It's like the size of 6 costcos, split on 2 floors. The only name brands that I noticed were Flexsteel and Ashley. Oh they had Stickley, but I didn't even walk in the "special" show room as my guess is it's gonna be mad expensive. But they had other brands too.
We saw this Flexsteel sofa, and I don't think it's bad. It was comfortable. A weird grey/brown that I think could work really well.. or be horrible.
DH got sticker shock. I may be sitting on the floor for a long time ;)
I saw some parson ( I think that's what they are called) chairs I liked for the dining room-- but couldn't do much with out knowing the table dimensions. Also need to decide how many I want to purchase. I don't want to buy only 4... and then need 2-4 more and not be able to find the exact ones. or different dye lots.
What do you think of "storing" the extra 2 chairs in our master as a small seating area by the windows? I doubt we would ever sit there to "ponder life" but putting on shoes on waiting may be nice.
I think 8 is the max chairs I would want to match. Beyond that, I think it would be less of a formal sit down 5 course meal... more of a buffet/ casual situation OR more than 1 table would be needed anyway.
I hope you are having a nice weekend!User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLindsey B
5 years ago@Junco -- The plan for table and chairs "immediately" is a plastic set of Lifetime chairs and table that we can use for parties, and out side for years to come. Maybe it's worth it to get a round table instead of square /regtangle to live in the space first. This will do exactly what you say with by allowing us to live in the home for a bit. I agree, the potential to use the corner of the dining room as a walkway is there-- that's what I am hoping to really make the narrow walkway to the living room remain unblocked. Current owners have an ottoman that sticks out into the area.
Another thread: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/what-size-dining-tables-work-well-in-a-12x12-dining-room-round-recta-dsvw-vd~921263
Suggests that I do a rectangle table at 72x54 as the ideal shape, or a 60" round instead of the 72" I currently have drawn in. I think I am leaning towards round because it's what I have always wanted... but just because I want it doesn't mean it's the right/best option for that room - and I'm willing to go rectangle if it's the "right" choice. For the record, the top left L wall with the long leg doesn't stick THAT far out from what I remember but maybe I am wrong.
Here is the layout from GN Builders. I'm 100% on board with that clearances around the table. But don't see why I just can't make the "littlest" person sit in the corner bottom right seat 0:) OR just put my husband there so he is the only one that HAS to suffer. (don't worry, other wise I take good care of him :D )
Where I am struggling with my inspiration rooms -- nearly every room I see has 1. Non reclining sofas 2. White/ very light materials 3. Low backs on the sofa 4. Large rooms where everything floats instead of being on the walls. I'll try to be more specific with my comments on the books.
We have only been to 1 furniture store thus far-- and I am planning on going to several more in the next few weeks. I was hoping to have an idea on what sizes I should go with so I don't get a giant piece of furniture that is impossible to work around.
Your contributions are VERY appreciated and are going to help me make the right decisions! Thanks!Lindsey B
5 years agoUser
5 years agosofikbr
5 years agoDidn't have chance to read all comments, but was looking for furniture recently and known how painful it is... I like more modern style so it was even harder to find something in reasonable budget. As result I got perfect leather sofa.
It is so comfortable. Here is link for all Macys colection https://www.macys.com/shop/furniture/couches-sofas?id=35419&cm_sp=mew_navigation_shop--home_furniture_livingroomfurniture--35419_couchessofas
junco East Georgia zone 8a