How many people will be living in this apartment? How wide is the entry hall? Could a very shallow desk go there? Could the dining table be used for homework instead of the desk? Could you outfit the linen closet with a desk or a drafting board? (You'd have to find someplace else to store the linens.) Do the desk and drafting table need to be close together? Could you get a wireless printer so that the printer could be moved elsewhere, maybe even under the desk, to save more space? What kind of computer do you have? If you have a laptop, could the dining table act as a desk most of the time, with a sideboard or credenza near it to hold office supplies? Then the laptop could easily be stowed away at the end of the day and the table used for dining. I could see this room set up in two ways. One way, I'd take the space labeled "dining" and make that the office area--desk, file cabinets and drafting table. I'd put a small sofa facing the 14 foot window wall and put the dining table right behind it, touching it even, to save space. But that depends on how many people would be eating at that table daily. Then the tv would go in the upper left-hand corner of the living room, and a comfy chair in the right-hand corner, with a coffee table in front of the sofa. That would give you a working area of kitchen and office at one end and a relaxing family area at the other. The second way would be to put the office at the window end of the room. It looks as if you would need to have some access to the windows, as it looks like there's a sliding door there? But you could put the desk in one corner and the drafting table in the other. Then run the dining table long ways across the room, to help separate the work and living areas. The rest of the living room and the dining area would become the living area. You could face the sofa towards the kitchen and put the tv on the wall on the wall around the FAU (whatever that is). Many furniture stores now sell "apartment sized" furniture. It is not just smaller in dimension, but the arms and backs and sides are not as bulky and thick as some regular furniture. Wide rolled arms are nice, but they take up floor space. Look for furniture that is sized to fit your needs, but that has leaner lines that won't take up valuable inches. I'd also recommend posting this question to Apartment Therapy's "Good Questions." There are a lot of people there who are used to living and working in small spaces who might have some useful tips. Even just browsing the site could give you some ideas.

Hi RL, So basically in the revised plan I am happy with everything left of the kitchen (ie the new family room and casual eating area that we will create by combining the former breakfast nook and a small recessed study and its adjoining covered patio). Our main reason for making this change is that the nicest/sunniest/widest part of the backyard spans the left side of the back of the house. We are planning to add a rectangular pool, landscaping and plant landscaping n this part of the yard as well. Creating this new family room/casual eating area will give us a chance to add a big glass door and allow us to take advantage of northern California's indoor/outdoor living style. In contrast, the rest of the backyard is pretty narrow and dark. See below for original floorplan shown in context with existing and proposed patio/pool. So given this new family room/casual eating area, I am struggling with how to re-assign the three remaining "public" rooms to the right of the kitchen (currently labeled "living room", "dining room" and "family room".) I have these three rooms, and I have three room functions (1) formal living room, 2) formal dining room, and 3) office/den), and need to match the space with the function. I am willing to remove/add/change walls as needed. Which of those three rooms is best suited to each function?

I would move the desk to face entry with some art above. Sofa in front of window with 2 chairs across from it, a coffee table between. Facing the fp, if you wanted add’l seating you can look for an upholstered bench which will keep things feeling open when you walk in. Flank the fp with 2 consoles or small chests if you need storage. Place lamps around the room for lots of ambient light

I would get rid of all the current furniture and start new. The whole room can be furnished from Ikea for a reasonable price. First, I would paint the brown wainscot white and the walls a soft grey. I would cover up the ugly brick on the fireplace with fresh white shiplap or a white or grey tile. Add a grey sectional that faces the fireplace with a TV above for education videos and a white board on the wall beside it for lessons. Behind the couch will be storage and a table for school activities. On the empty wall where the book cases are currently go to ikea and get modular desks with butcherblock counter tops for a workstation. The color pallete of the room is going to be cools greys accented with pops of color to create a welcoming learning enviorment. I attatched photos of a rendering of your room down below