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Furniture Design Dilemma living room

Long. narrow, entrance heavy living room furniture arrangement advice?

5 years ago

Not too long ago I moved into a beautiful house with a confounding puzzle of a "living room". Trying to arrange furniture in it to allow good movement, facilitate comfortable conversation spots, and still allow us a small amount of space to act as a entry/mudroom has been... challenging.

It very well might be that what I want is not possible... but I stand in the room and I feel like there's a configuration here that would do it that I'm just not seeing. It just feels like two awkward spots with a gulf of a space between the focal point of a fireplace.

Do any of you pros see a better way to arrange things in here? Thank you for your time in advance!

Previous owners had one loveseat, perpendicular to the door (room to walk on either side). Felt like that would just waste the space all around it.

Benches work double duty as prep area and shoe storage.

We typically put our christmas tree to the right hand side of the fireplace (since it looks awesome there), which means that navy blue chair floats around.

I know, I know... it's greige on white on wood on greige on tan. Accents are forthcoming.

Previous owners had a sofa here (vs my two chairs)

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Comments (3)

partim
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Do you have enough room to make the traffic path go around the outside of the room, rather than across the fireplace? I've shown the traffic paths in blue. Furniture would be centered on the fireplace. If space is tight, replace the end tables with one coffee table.
cross_hatch thanked partim
cross_hatch
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Thanks partim!

There is totally enough space if I downsize to a love seat (and probably less chunky chairs) and completely do away with any entry prep space. That's similar to how the original owners had it so it might actually be one of the only other ways to go versus what I have now.

My main hesitation with that is that it always felt so cramped squishing everything into that box in front of the fireplace, but I might not be imagining it as others would.
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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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As usual I agree with groveraxle. Making a natural walkway behind the sofa allowing traffic to flow outside the main living area is always preferable to placing furniture against the wall. Longest tv console possible gives more storage for toys too. The tv between the windows eliminates some of the glare while giving someone sitting on the couch a view outside along with viewing the tv. If you were to use a sectional or more seating I would form the L so that the other side faces the front of the house. That will shield to a point the play area from the front door hiding kids clutter as the first thing you see When you walk in the door.
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Have you tried the orange settee and the two chairs facing each other, perpendicular to the fireplace? With the pouf or the round table in the middle? Or the small round table between the chairs? That makes a cozy destination at the end, worth walking through the living room.
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Marie13100, I mentioned in the beginning we are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and we needed to move the dining table into our living room temporarily and cover everything from the dust. Lynn G, you’re right. Having to look at the wall would be a bit depressing. The most recent floor plan I posted that had the sectional along the window and long wall would be perfect because we can view directly outside the patio door which is in the dining room.
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partim
5 years ago
For now, slot your sofa right up against the wall beside the fireplace and put the 2 chairs side by side without a table in between, to test it out before you buy anything new. Use your end table(s) as a coffee table. You don't want to buy new stuff and find that you don't like the new traffic paths!

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