These programs are really great to use. My problem is that I need a program to tell me what furniture to use and then tell me where to put it.

My husband and I are done remodeling and finally ready to purchase long-term furniture. Exciting, but the great room is giving us such a hard time! As you can see from the floor plan, we only have one wall to the right of the fireplace to anchor furniture, or at least that's the only design we're coming up with. As of now, we don't see any other place for the TV except that wall. We toyed with the idea of hanging it over the fireplace, but our mantle is way too high so that option is out. Keeping the TV on that wall means we have to float all our seating. My dream is a standard sectional with a chaise on one end. Looking at our dimensions, you'd think we have the room, but after taking into account the brick hearth, 3-4' walkway we'd like to leave next to the stairs, AND that small 2' wall next to the stairs that eats into the walkway itself...the room closes in quite a bit. A large sectional seems overwhelming at that point, especially hanging out in the middle of the room. We also have a coat closet at the end of the "walkway." Again, making our large room, not so large after all. We measured off the sectional and it really does seem to swallow the room. (Pics below - and disclaimer - we've since updated our banister and whitewashed our fireplace!) We're expecting our first and only child in May. Again, I'd love a sectional that the 3 of us could snuggle on, but I fear there won't be any room for accent tables, or any room for our baby to crawl around and play. Plus, factor in all the baby gear, although temporary, we'll be pretty cramped for a while. So our next thought was to float a double chaise sofa facing the TV at 129" long with the chaises coming out to 64" each. (Possibly adding a long sofa table behind it depending on the dining table we choose.) We would then float 2 accent chairs just in front of the TV console, facing the sofa. This will leave us with dead corners at the windows, but I can always fill them with blanket baskets, etc. (We have a very spoiled cat, so he'll end up with one corner I'm sure!) And I was thinking once the baby gear days are said and done, we could even do a slim sofa table along the stair wall. At 129" it will still be just as long as the measured off sectional in the photos below, but I'm hoping due to coming out only 64" and remaining low profile, as opposed to a full back 96" along the stair wall side, the room will still feel open. I know how some people feel about the chaises...that they're wasted space and ottomans are more versatile. I agree, however, we're using ottomans now with a standard sofa and I don't care that much for the set up. We do entertain, but I want to design more for our family on a daily basis and I think the double chaise might be a nice way to get my comfy sectional feel without entirely enveloping the room. Thanks so much for reading. I am desperate for thoughts!! If you see an arrangement I haven't thought of, or think what we're planning might be terrible, great, etc...I'd love the feedback!!!

Thanks everyone for this latest batch of comments! Amazing chandelier suggestions, I think I said "ooohhh, ahhhhh" for each and every one. I think my next steps will be: - Establish a strong visual line around the room to help humanize the proportions, as per House Vixen. The sconces feel a tad too low if I'm using that height around the whole room (they're actually only 6 feet off the ground) but I hung the portrait of my Nana so the top of the frame is at 7 feet, and that seems like it would be a good height, still not competing with the doors or insanely tall window frame. - Roll up and remove the rug for a while, see how it looks, possibly replace. I like the suggestion from ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 to consider a tribal style oriental rug. I've seen some that still look very contemporary. - Lower the chandelier (that seems unanimous) and consider replacing with one of the stunning styles above. Question for everyone: if I replaced the chandelier with something in a burst style (I'm leaning toward urchin or sputnik at the moment), what should I do with the sconces? Any other easy lighting adjustments you can think of? The current chandelier and sconces are on dimmers which helps a lot, but I wouldn't mind having a few other lamps in the room for balance. - Another question: How does everyone feel about plants? A ZZ or snake plant are probably my best options given the light in this room, and I have a few cool planters, but I'm curious about size and placement. Or skip altogether, since it's a dining room? Besides trying to strike the right balance between modern and traditional, I'm also trying to be realistic about the function of this room, which is as a major thoroughfare in a family home without much extra space. In other words, while I would love for this room to look like it does in this photo much of the time, realistically I'll spend much more time using the table for arts and crafts with my toddler, sorting mail on it with my husband, and throwing board games, blocks, and other toys into the storage than actually dining there (thankfully we have a bright and lovely breakfast room at the end of our kitchen where we eat our everyday meals). Oh yeah, a few more quick questions: - Still paint the radiator to match the walls, even though I have 10 inch high white baseboards? Wouldn't that look a bit odd, to have a gray radiator in front of a white baseboard? - Some other ideas for family photo displays? Honestly, I'm hoping that once I put a big piece of art above the sideboard, I can keep the frames there (below the art) and they'll blend in a bit better instead of standing out so much and looking cluttered. But if that doesn't work, it'd be nice to have other options (besides, as Elaine Wilson said) hanging them in an odd little arrangement on the wall. Thanks everyone!

Is there any way you could still make a change in the construction? I would like to see the master bedroom entrance moved to near the powder room. This way, you could move the tv and tv furniture area closer to the fireplace area. If you cannot, then I'd leave the loveseat where it is, but eliminate the sofa. Instead of the sofa, add a couple of chairs that people can scoot behind. Otherwise, all foot traffic to the powder room has to walk in front of the tv. Awkward. I realize you don't entertain a lot, but when you do, this is not ideal. I'd think about where the dogs like to sit. Mine like to face us. Would they be happy in a corner?