step one is to pull this room back rug and all

step two take you current sofa and face it to the fireplace, about a foot back from where the chair is now. then try one chair on either side.

I would put consoles on either side of the FP

A larger rug

remove the pic. over the fireplace

RL, I really appreciate this, but don't think it would work. If I center a sofa in front of the fireplace like your mock up (even if I move it back), it will sit far too close to the adjacent entryway and middle of the walkway. I don't want to enter the living room from my foyer and feel like I'm walking into a sofa?

Is there a floor plan to use?

Beverly, good thought. I think there might be. We didn't build the house but do have a binder from the previous owners. I'll check and follow up.

Hi Beverly,

Here is a floor plan. I'm not sure if any changes were made between this and final construction, but maybe it will be helpful. We've steadily been updating this home for the past decade and don't intend to make structural changes, so I'd like to find the best way of working with the living room as is :) Thanks for any help!

Anyone? Please? I'd love to know if there are other options I can consider. I like RL's idea with the opposing chairs, but don't think I can realistically center a sofa in front of the fireplace and pull it back far enough without it looking obtrusive/congested in the walkway and foyer entry. In addition to the builder sketch above, I drew a layout of the room that is pretty close to scale (but I am not an artist, lol!) and includes the measurements and position of current furniture. Thanks so much.

I think step one is to move your current sofa and let us see, it also might just be something you need to try for a couple of weeks, sometimes something seems awkward but its really just an adjustment.

Move your TV to the short wall. Use an L shaped sofa. Not one with a high back. It's a pity that your opening to the foyer isn't closer to the kitchen, and maybe a little smaller. It would give you more room to work with.

Shaped like this one from Ikea. Each side is 115" so I think it's about the right size.

Thanks all. Keep the ideas coming! Some feedback:

1) Per my initial post, furniture is definitely going to be replaced. That was the impetus for this convo. I know what we have now is overstuffed and ugly.

2) Some variation of a sofa is required.

3) I previously have moved the current sofa in front of the fireplace, and further back. It definitely did not work. But I'll try it again and maybe use painters tape to sample different potential footprints.

4) The sectional suggestion is interesting. I don't love the idea of sitting and facing the foyer vs. the lovely view out our windows. But obviously options are limited. Yes. I wish that wall was longer/entry more narrow too! It can't be fixed without creating new problems.

5) I appreciate the suggestion of consoles (create more symmetry). I'm mulling it over. I hesitate because the fireplace has pillars and the mantle sticks so far out (its depth is 15" on the ends). I worry about adding visual weight in those corners. I'll keep an open mind about it.

6) I definitely have a furniture aesthetic in mind. It's a matter of determining what configuration can work, first. I like tight backs and roll arms. Love the look of English roll arms, but don't want such low arms it affects comfort. I like track or swoop arms too, if the rest of the style isn't overly MCM (which does not work in our home). Those white chairs in the Woodvale drive photo posted above are gorgeous!

When I get around to moving the current furniture, I'll post some more photos... Thanks again!

Painter's tape is a good way to start, but once you've done that , you'll get a better idea of how it "lives" by moving existing furniture into that position. For example in the L-shaped sofa option, put existing sofa and chairs where the ends of the unit would be. You don't want surprises on the day of delivery.

What size is your family? How many typically sit here to watch TV?

Decoenthusiaste poses good questions.... another one is do you and your family prefer to sit on a couch to watch tv or lie down on the couch? I haven’t figured it out yet, but I would like to see some of the space in the bay window used in the layout.

If you designate the sofa for tv watching and the chairs for window gazing, then you could put a couch in the bay window. TV would go on an arm on the short wall across from the couch. You'd have room for 2 chairs, a coffee table and an upholstered bench for extra seating.

I used your measurements to mock up a pic:

82618572_awkward_lr_first_floor_first_design_20200730231035.png (960×720) · More Info

b458614750a1387c6d72854f0ed5909dfc2b6070.jpg (960×540) · More Info

And you could still have an additional armchair

These are great suggestions You all are giving me fresh ideas to think about, which is what I need. Jennifer K, those are great, thought-provoking mock ups!

Decoenthusiaste, to answer your questions: We are a family of four. It's not unusual for us all to be spread out on the furniture: two on the sofa and two on the other chairs. Our elementary-age children also love to pile on the sofa with us. The latter is why I really want a three-cushion sofa (though smaller scale), because someone always ends up in the crack of our current two-cushion.

I keep wondering... do any of you have thoughts on a chaise sofa in front of the fireplace (possibly shifted a bit off center toward the window) with the chaise near the window? And a couple of smaller scale chairs slightly angled toward eachother on the short wall?

Chaise are difficult. No one wants to sit on the backless part. And if you get comfy with your feet up on the extension, you'll need a crane to get out! Footstools and ottomans are much more functional in that they aren't there when you don't want them. If you want to go L shaped, you could get a sectional-- the short arm would fit in the window bay and the long arm would be across from the fireplace. But you'll really only have room for one extra chair. And the tv would really need to be mounted above the fireplace-- if you put it on an arm, you could lower it to viewing height when you wanted.

82618572_awkward_lr_first_floor_first_design_20200731023054.png (960×720) · More Info

add1ecabbc553f9ad142f7aeb33768814ec40b93.jpg (960×540) · More Info

By the way, Floorplanner is free and pretty easy to use. You might want to play too.

How about a 3-seat sofa with its back to, but not inside, the bay window, two swivel chairs perpendicular to the sofa, opposite the FP, with TV on the short wall? You can do a "practice" layout with the current furniture to see how it will work for watching TV. Once you scale down the pieces, I don't think the chairs will block traffic flow.

Thanks again. All good suggestions/comments. It's so darned difficult not being able to experiment with new furniture, lol. I've been considering furniture for this space a solid two years now. I'm so ready to be done with the process, but don't want to make an expensive mistake.

Jennifer K - I will check out floor planner! Thanks for that tip.

my only thought on the tv moving is you may need to add window coverings for day time watching if need be bc the glare there will be bad.

Or use this as an excuse to get a larger and glare free TV!

RL, yes. That is a concern of mine as well. I plan to eventually get window coverings (Roman shades, probably), but only for use at night since we have cold winters. I would never use them during the day.
Decoenthusiaste, lol! My husband would love your suggestion, but I cannot stand huge TVs. And, we have a larger one in the basement.

Hopefully I will experiment with arrangements and get more photos this wkd.

following

I'm back and am sorry to have deserted this post after receiving such great feedback. Our family was out of town for a bit, and then we had school prep for kids, etc. I finally managed to rearrange furniture and have posted some photos here with my comments below them. As always, I *really* appreciate feedback. I'm ready for new furniture so I can post "after" photos! Thanks in advance.

Current sofa - centered in front of fireplace. I DO love the symmetry this provides. It's a little more cramped near the entry than I'd like (see next photo), but might be okay. Still not sure how I would configure other furniture though.

Space between centered sofa and corner as you walk in through foyer. Disregard furniture in the background. :)

View of entry from great room.

Sofa in the window. Nice to use that space, but I'm not a fan. It exacerbates the asymmetrical shape of the room, blocks the view, and isn't very functional.

Centered sofa and chair and a half in front of window. The chair is too close to TV here, but this configuration might work with smaller, cleaner-lined furniture. Or possibly a sectional with short section in front of the window?

From foyer. Sofa is pulled back as far as I would want without making the walkway behind it too narrow (see previous photos).

View of chair on short wall with centered sofa. Note: I can't have two chairs opposing each other, because even if this chair was moved all the way to the edge of the wall behind it, the opposite chair near window sit right next to the TV corner.

This would be better using furniture with narrower armrests so that you get more seating relative to the width of the sofa or chair. I would remove the black cabinet because it impinges on the entry to the room. And any end table should be on the other side of the chair. A round or oval coffee table would be better.

I would put the TV where you have the 3 pictures, and put 2 more compact chairs facing it. Swivel tub chairs are practical and very comfortable because of the curved back. Sofa facing the fireplace.

With a pair of chairs, one could be tucked nicely close to the fireplace which would be a popular place to sit when the fireplace is going. My family would like the ability to lie on the sofa to watch the TV.

The TV on that wall, wall-hung over a very shallow cabinet, would also leave more space to enter the room, compared to having a chair there.

Hi Partim,

Please refer to my original post, which is about the purchase of new furniture. The photos I posted are only general configurations with current furniture (which will not remain), per the request of previous comments - just to see general place and space. The end table in that photo is just stuck there temporarily for now.

Although I'm not usually a fan of sectionals, I think that in this case, you could actually get away with a longer (but less bulky) sofa with a chaise on the window side. You can get them with a movable chaise so it can be a bit more versatile. Then add a chair under the 3 pictures-a swivel chair as mentioned would work for both conversation and t.v. watching.

I'm thinking something like this with taller legs to feel more open. Not posting for color, just style.

Katinparadise, thanks. I'm not a big fan of sectionals/chaise sofas either, but keep going back to the idea as a potential option. I just feel like a chaise or short end of a sectional in front of the window could help balance out the funky spacing in the room. Because if I try to center a sofa in front of the fireplace and use a separate piece of furniture by the window, it doesn't look good. And yes, I'm thinking a separate chair on the short wall with the photos - though possibly a chair and a half size (but not bulky or overstuffed). I also agree about having some "legs"or good bun feet on the sofa. It's time to check out furniture stores again. Hopefully it's not like finding a unicorn, since I also was hoping for a tightback.

well that looks great like that, much more open, even tho it may seem a bit cramped at the entry, might just have to shuffle some things around.

what if you took the black bookshelf by the doorway and put it to the right of the fireplace and possibly just put a larger picture on that wall. (or get to white ones to flank the fp)

I think it will grow on you. a sofa with a chaise might be nice in here as well.

Update: I ordered new furniture several weeks ago. It's not in yet, but we opted for a sleeker, tight back sofa and loveseat (the loveseat is about the same width as our overstuffed chair and a half) and a cocktail ottoman. We also purchased a small, low-back, swivel chair. My goal is to place the sofa and ottoman in front of the fireplace as was discussed in this thread. The loveseat will go against the wall where our current sofa is located. Due to its shorter width, there will be a lot more breathing room. The accent swivel will go nearer to the TV in front of the window. We're still a few weeks out from receiving the new furniture, but it should be an improvement. Thanks again for all the feedback.