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Tips for arranging poorly designed living room

3 years ago

Pictures below in comments. This living room is 11' x 20'. The square footage seems like plenty for a living room, but the space is broken up by a large front door with transoms surrounding it, a wide staircase, a double width doorway into the dining room, two radiators, and a fireplace that for some reason is in the corner of the room, taking up the maximum amount of space possible. The only place I can reasonably fit a sofa is against the far wall (across from the fireplace), but there's no room for any other seating across from it, besides a long arm chair stuck awkwardly on the other side of the radiator that's under the window. The way this room is designed means we have about an eleven by seven space of actual functional living room, aside from the dining room entrance that makes half of even that space unusable. I can't block the front door because, although we don't use it, other people use it all the time as the GPS takes people to the front, and our mail is out there. Help!

Featured Answer

mrykbee

3 years ago

I notice you have a booster seat in your dining room indicating at least one small kid. Because of this, I would keep the sofa where it is. Put a kid friendly ottoman or train table or LEGO or art table in front of it with 2 tiny stools/chairs tucked underneath. Put a shelf on the wall between the radiator and door with baskets or doors to hide books, toys, etc. key word HIDE. Then put great artwork that is both fun and that you want to see as an adult above it. This becomes an awesome place to sit and cuddle and read with baby QP.

Get wood radiator covers to match your woodwork. On the other side of the room by the fireplace I’d get some kind of comfy big chair with ottoman, or chaise lounge, something like that. Put it on the left of the fireplace and the little desk between the door and radiator, with a desk chair. It could be a mail drop.

I would leave the middle of the room pretty open.

Can’t see your ceiling or light but it looks like an opportunity to take it to a higher level from what I can see.

See http://www.woodenradiatorcabinet.com/products/prairie etc. I have these in my house and they make living with radiators in the way feel pretty good.

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Comments (13)

Quentin Parker
Original Author
3 years ago
Quentin Parker
Original Author
3 years ago
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I need tips on furniture arrangement in my living room!
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Please give dimensions of the space. Two things off the top: Skip the loveseats. They are nothing but oversized chairs for one. You can get two chairs in the space of a single loveseat and seat more people. I would probably not mix pure white with cream. It's going to look like a mistake. You can go all neutral, but choose neutrals that aren't so close in value.
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The room is looking a bit bare....curtains floor to ceiling and roman woven wood blind in the window are a possibility or just beefing up the wood trim around the window as is to give it more presence. A pair of end tables and lamps on either end of the sofa. Another chair in an accent color, maybe a pattern, to the right of the fireplace. Tree in the corner art work in the room. Here is an inspiration room......lamps to balance the TV, round objects in room to soften the square areas, art work on the wall, end tables that match each other but not the cocktail table, lamps on either end of sofa.....if not using curtains at window then finishing the windows out with wide molding to add interest, a paint that contrasts with the furnishing a bit, chair in pattern on a diagonal to sofa adds interest, fills the room, helps to balance the furniture arrangement.....a room takes a lot of stuff and the sofa and chairs you have are a great start. You just need to plan the rest of the room, and shop and fill in where needed.
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Morgan, that looks so nice. How do you feel about it? I'm sure it's the angle, but I might bring the chair on the left a little further into the room. Same angle, but put the back chair leg even with the front of the hearth tile and have the other chair equally into the room. Can the sectional move toward the fireplace a little more, or will the art on the wall then be of center. Just trying to cozy up the conversation area. Any thoughts to the suggestion of moving the TV to the wall the sectional used to be on?
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IMO too soon to be buying furniture . When renovating all kinds of issues come up that need a rethink of plans sometimes so I would wait until at least the drywall is up then come back with a to scale floor plan and you will get lots of free help here. BTW why are you not asking your designer these questions . Please never put a TV above a fireplace if at all possible and before designing built ins please think about what you own that needs to be displayed. In my experience most builtins are just filled with stuff that requires no display and if there is space enough on either side of the FP 2 matching low cabinets one on each side with the TV wall mounted above one and a piece of art above the other saves the cluttered look of bookshelves and the TV on an articulating arm allows a lot of freedom with furniture arrangement. My choice is almost always a sofa and 2 chairs
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tcufrog
3 years ago
What do you want to use the space for? Can you post a floorplan with dimensions?
acm
3 years ago
ouch.

I think I'd put an arm chair and a lamp in the small space by the fireplace and stairs. then I'd focus my mail sitting area, such as it is, at the opposite end of the room. I think I'd do a small couch on the window wall (measure to keep it safely away from the radiator) with a coffee table and a couple of arm chairs floated out into the room to complete a conversational grouping -- one tucked into the corner by the stairs, and the other just off the opposite wall.

if you need to watch TV in here... the mind reels. I think you might have to consider switching the dining and living rooms in that case, putting the DR table in the same part of the room I'm suggesting for the couch. would need to see more of the DR to guess how best to arrange seating and place a TV. or finish a zone in the basement as a family room. sorry!
houssaon
3 years ago
How about all chairs?
Quentin Parker thanked houssaon
Quentin Parker
Original Author
3 years ago
No need for a TV in there. With all this remodeling we don't have time for that sort of thing anyway. The basement is finished if you like 60s paneling and red asbestos tile. 🙄 I tried staging with old furniture (not what we'll have in here later) and everything looks terrible. Sofa fits against the one wall and could possibly have skinny end tables. But the chairs just look awkward no matter what.

Just have to look past the ugly furniture.
acm
3 years ago
Looks ok to me -- could converse at that distance. Would help if you had a larger rug -- front feet of all the seating should be on it, rather than gathered around it. You can probably pull each chair a little off its side wall, and give the one by the front door a narrow side table and maybe a lamp. (Lamp by the couch too and a vertical piece of art to balance the window.) Slipper chairs could make the space feel more open, but depends on how much you want to hang out there. Or you could try the suggestion to have four chairs around a table, but I'm not sure that really helps you.

Plus, part of what looks silly is that it's all clustered at one end. You add an entry rug in front of the door, a skinny table on the wall to the right of the door, and a chair or two down by the fireplace, and some art to humanize the walls, and it won't be so barren, although the middle just has to be wasted because of walkway needs.

It's just a bad space. I imagine that the "don't buy this house" ship has sailed, so suggesting how you can make the best of it!
Quentin Parker thanked acm
mrykbee
3 years ago
http://www.woodenradiatorcabinet.com/ not sure why my link wouldn’t click open. Key with these is they look very built in if you match your woodwork.
Olychick
3 years ago
Hard to say without seeing the dining room, but I'd seriously consider switching the rooms, as ACM suggests. That front room would work great for a dining room and you'd just have to pass through it most of the time to get to the new living room in the former dining room.
decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
You'll have to scale things down but you can do this...
Beach Style Living Room · More Info

or this by the fireplace.

Front Room · More Info

A small scale round foyer table centered in front of the door with a chandelier above it.

Alameda Residence · More Info

A smaller settee, coffee table and your two chairs at the end by the dining room door.
Hearth Room · More Info

Or try a backless settee and two chairs similar to this. Just scale things for your space.
Portfolio 1 · More Info
Quentin Parker
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
The dining room is a lot smaller, but has wall space. I love those radiator covers. Wife wants to paint 125 yr old woodwork. 😱
decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
I think you need to get a sectional out of your head. Chairs or smaller scale sofas are best here. If you are handy, you can build your own rad covers a lot cheaper.

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