skip to main content

Home Decorating Design Dilemma living room

Help with Family Room Furniture Layout

3 years ago

We just moved into our new forever home, it used to belong to my inlaws and it's the house my husband grew up in so it's super special to us.

There are a few quirks - and one of them is that the family room is very awkward because the sliding glass wall angles out. (They did this because they put an addition on but were restricted by how far they could build out due to the pool in the backyard and so the solution was to angle the wall)

We are trying to figure out the best layout for the furniture - This is our TV watching room, we have a formal living room elsewhere. We're a family of 4 and love to lie down and cuddle up watching shows/movies in the evening. This room wraps around to a big eat in kitchen so it's sort of open but there's a little half wall that divides the space. Ideally we have seating for at least 6 people if the kids are ever allowed to have friends over again.

The only furniture we feel strongly about keeping is the coffee table and side tables. The chairs and couch are temporary and going elsewhere, we just needed a stopgap. This is really the basement TV, we have an 85inch one for this space that I think we will wallmount. At some point in the future I want to bulk up the fireplace surround with a chunkier mantle.

Here is a picture of the room, I have a few layouts that we are considering. Do any of these work? Any other ideas?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Katie R
Original Author
3 years ago
Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4
anj_p
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Not a pro. Generally, I wouldn't use poufs in a TV room, which is how you're planning on using this room. Those are better in conversation spaces, IMO. No one wants to sit on a pouf and watch TV. Also your french doors open the other way, so you could encroach on that space with furniture a bit. Maybe even keep the door away from the TV locked closed.

You're too far from the TV in all of these. If you have 1080p, recommended distance for a 70" TV is 9'. Everything else is closer. If you have 4K it's even closer than that (we have 4k 85" TV and we sit about 8 feet from ours). Of course you can sit farther away, but it just starts to feel like watching TV from across the room. I would reconsider a coffee table (sorry I know you said you want to keep it) and instead use the C shaped tables that can move/slide under a sofa for drinks etc. For additional TV seating you could do a sofa table bar with stools. Then you might have space in the back of the room to use as a small game area.
Katie R thanked anj_p
Related Discussions
Help: Family room furniture layout with off centered fireplace
Q
Comments (22)
Thank you for all your suggestions! All were great ideas! So this is what Im going to try. Leave the current setup in front of the TV and just bring the sofa in a bit more to make space for sofa table and then creating another seating area with 2 chairs flanking the fireplace. Also move the chaise near the bar with a floor lamp. Perfect! One last question, should i place a small rug in front of the fireplace area( maybe a round one) or leave it?
...See More
help with furniture layout for really oddly shaped family room
Q
Comments (4)
The stove is gas and we've never used it. I would love to tear out all the brickwork but the original chimney is walled off behind it so it would be a huge, expensive project if it's even structurally feasible. This house has a lot of projects and the main level is my priority so the wet bar will have to wait even though it would be great to have that done. Maybe I can find a slide to attach to the wet bar...they climb on it anyway...and then put the climber on the back deck if it will fit. My boys play outside a ton when we have snow, but 2/3 of the winter we have no snow and apparently it's not so much fun to play outside when it's cold, windy, and dry. We did have the room open for a playroom when we first moved in but then DH insisted on getting that sectional. I would have preferred just a couch and more open space. Maybe if I split the sectional up I can make the room more open again.
...See More
HELP! Layout and furniture ideas for family room
Q
Comments (9)
How many people watch tv in this room? I would put the TV where the chair is first. Then I would take one of the couches out and put two swivel chairs in its place. A table with lamp on it could be between the two chairs. Or put a couch facing the TV with two chairs in front of the window. A floor lamp at the end of your couch would be useful. With TV on the longer wall, you could get a longer TV console and put a tall plant on the side next to the door, If you use a recliner couch, you really can't use a coffee table or ottoman and since your room is smallish, I would use only end tables and keep the center of the room open since it has two entryways. The chair you have could be where the TV was in the picture....a good place for the floor lamp beside it. If you wanted to watch TV comfortably from the couch and two swivel chairs, you could get a corner console and put your TV there. Lots of possibilities,
...See More
two focal points in the family room…need furniture and layout help
Q
Comments (5)
Hi. Lot's of potential here! 1) TV console is fine, as long as you like that style. Lower the tv. Center should be at about 48" from floor. 2) The arrangement previous owners had was perfect. Buy a 3 seater sofa and 2 swivel chairs, flanking the tv. The sofa should be pulled forward. 3) Large coffee table centered on the fireplace. 4) Grouping above fireplace is too small and dainty. I'd use art instead. add art with a black frame and then move those plants in toward it to soften the space betwee the art and the windows.
...See More
freedomplace1
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I agree with anj_p in terms of foregoing the poufs. You could do some small benches instead, but it is sort of the same concept and could clutter the space. An ottoman styled coffee table could also serve as extra seating. C tables and/or nesting tables can come in handy.

I think all of your layouts except for number 3 look good. The angle of the sofa on number 3 does not work from my perspective. Good that you are using sofa tables with all the floating sofa arrangements.

With Option 4, swivel chairs might be a nice style to consider.

https://m.zgallerie.com/p-23390-aria-channeled-swivel-chair.aspx?sku=010658485&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpvT716Oz6gIVmZOzCh0ibwWEEAQYGyABEgLBJfD_BwE

And I also agree that you want to adjust your arrangements with tv viewing distance in mind.

TBH, I see that angled wall as an advantage for the way you intend to use the space. Sort of like a side section in a theatre, that offers a good vantage point.
Katie R thanked freedomplace1
Katie R
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes, I agree that poufs don't work here. My husband is anti-pouf and I think he's right. My only (small) defense of the pouf is that they can be used for footstools if you are sitting in the chairs.

LOVE the idea of swivel chairs along the wall. I think my emerging favourite is the sectional in option 1, with the side seating in option 4. I think the side table beside the sectional might need to move to between the chairs to give the "walkway" a little more space.

Those french doors open into my husbands office so I'm not worried about a pathway there as we don't want the kids walking that way anyways.

Related Stories

UNIVERSAL DESIGN My Houzz: Universal Design Helps an 8-Year-Old Feel at Home

By Becki Peckham

An innovative sensory room, wide doors and hallways, and other thoughtful design moves make this Canadian home work for the whole family

DECLUTTERING Downsizing Help: Choosing What Furniture to Leave Behind

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

What to take, what to buy, how to make your favorite furniture fit ... get some answers from a homeowner who scaled way down

BATHROOM WORKBOOK Standard Fixture Dimensions and Measurements for a Primary Bath

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Create a luxe bathroom that functions well with these key measurements and layout tips

DECORATING GUIDES Downsizing Help: Color and Scale Ideas for Comfy Compact Spaces

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

White walls and bitsy furniture aren’t your only options for tight spaces. Let’s revisit some decorating ‘rules’

STANDARD MEASUREMENTS Key Measurements to Help You Design Your Home

Architect Steven Randel has taken the measure of each room of the house and its contents. You’ll find everything here

DECORATING GUIDES Decorate With Intention: Helping Your TV Blend In

By Laura Gaskill

Somewhere between hiding the tube in a cabinet and letting it rule the room are these 11 creative solutions

DECORATING GUIDES The Most Helpful Furniture Piece You May Ever Own

By Mike Dietrich

Use it as a table, a seat, a display space, a footrest ... and indoors or out. Meet the ever-versatile Chinese garden stool

LIGHTING Help! I Need a Light!

MOST POPULAR 7 Ways to Design Your Kitchen to Help You Lose Weight

By Mitchell Parker

In his new book, Slim by Design, eating-behavior expert Brian Wansink shows us how to get our kitchens working better

Storage Help for Small Bedrooms: Beautiful Built-ins

By Becky Harris

Squeezed for space? Consider built-in cabinets, shelves and niches that hold all you need and look great too

Sponsored

More Discussions

Need help with this wall

12

Is there such a thing as a “dark academia” garden?

27

How to salvage too many shades of neutral in lounge and dining room?

21

What to do with fireplace wall in kitchen

4

kitchen mixing metals

8