Awkward Living Room Layout. How to Furnish?
This is a house that we are moving into and the living room is really awkward with the fireplace in the middle of the room. Across from the fireplace is a small door/opening into the kitchen area. Right now, it feels like this room can only be used as a sitting room, but I want to actually use it to watch movies and play games. How can I furnish this room and make it usable?
Comments (13)
Ray L
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Help with layout in awkward living room space
Comments (16)So you want to use the living room for children's play, TV watching, piano playing and entertaining guests? That's a lot of function for a small room. I'm wondering, do you have a dining room and what do you use it for? If you have a dining room, but mostly eat in the kitchen, you could easily turn the dining room into a piano room and play room for the next couple of years, until the kids don't need a play room anymore. Then you could have a living room with furniture that can float away from the walls. You could have adequate seating for guests, without cramming toys and a piano in there. Your options would be greatly expanded. Maybe you don't have an eat-in kitchen and this idea simply wouldn't work in your house. But it just seems to me that you are trying to fit so many different functions into this one room, and if there's any place in the house you can move one or two functions, you would have a much easier time decorating this room. Don't lock yourself into what the name of the room is; look at each space in your house in terms of what functions it can best support....See MoreHow to place sofa/TV w/ awkward layout of kitchen-living-dining room!
Comments (25)Sofa on long window wall will look and feel the best and make the room inviting when you walk into it from the front entry. TV on the short wall opposite the sofa; pay to have the wiring redone and move on......you cannot make the space bigger but you can make work well....PS what and where do the stairs go? Do you have an upstairs? What are the dimensions of the living/dining room and kitchen....See MoreNeed help furnishing awkward living room!
Comments (4)Why not put a pair of comfy armchairs flanking the fireplace? Style the shelves with 1/3 books, 1/3 large decor items and 1/3 open space. Are there any outlets there for lighting? Put TV on the long wall where the black chair is. Set it on a credenza 25% wider than the TV. Float a small scale sofa perpendicular to the stair and fireplace with a coffee table in front of it. Put a console or sofa table on the wall behind the sofa with two lamps and art. Leave a 30" traffic path between sofa and table if possible. Art 5" above the mantle no wider than the firebox opening. No need for a ceiling fixture; just upgrade lighting to 4000K LEDs for daylight feeling night or day. Is there lighting in the stairwell? It needs some. Straight leg chairs will be best because splayed legs will block the traffic path and be hazardous. Not sure an egg chair will work there but its fun. Too tall and big I think. Go for a low profile like the green one and you can fit a pair of them in....See MoreAwkward Living room Layout!! HELP
Comments (8)I can understand why you would want two sectionals. It makes sense with the tv above the fireplace. I think any seating you put directly across from the tv would be a strain to look up at for any length of time (unless you get a reclining couch/sectional). @Beverly s idea to open the room would solve many problems if the space above isn't being used. Otherwise I might try to leave the sectional ends open to each other so one side isn't rejecting the other. Or give the left side some light armchairs that can be moved around the space when needed...See More
PROBeth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agois this stretched?
looks a lot smaller when shown next to this one. so is that the front door on the right?closet doors next, and then going to the kitchen?
where would you like the tv?Ray L thanked Beth H. :Ray L
2 years agoRay L
2 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agothe pro taken photos are meant to capture as much of the room into one shot. the problem is, it exaggerates the size of the room.
can you stand over by your stairs and shoot into the room?
try opening the front door, stand in the doorway, and shoot another pic from that angle.
would you like the TV over the fireplace or against one of the walls?
do you have any plans for that fireplace?
could you do something like this?
or what about like this? 2 sofas facing each other, two chairs in the middle. those shouldn't block the walkway to the kitchen. you could do smaller chairs
instead of two sofas, one sofa facing two chairs, tv above mantle
sofa against front door wall, coffee table, large recliner or two other chairs,, maybe some smaller ottomans on the kitchen door opening side.this is what beverly suggested: sofa/chairs coffee table
imagine this is the far wall to the right of the FP. set up the sofa w/back to the front door. you could position the chairs differently. you'd have that whole wall for console for tv, gaming. maybe a sofa w/a chaise. stick a chair over in the corner by window
below, front door would be behind the gray sofa. (or, you could reverse this on put tv on the front door wall)
sofa w/chaise like this:
Ray L thanked Beth H. : 
decoenthusiaste
2 years agoRay L
2 years agoRay L
2 years agodecoenthusiaste
2 years agoIt won't be easy to watch TV or play video games if no one is actually facing the TV. Since you have a "jump in" living room and no foyer, I would float a sofa perpendicular to the fireplace with its back to the front door. Put a sofa table behind it that fills in as a "foyer" piece. In the corner where the floor lamp is, I would place a small armchair, side table and lamp to serve as a spot for getting on the Kindle or texting friends. The TV and a credenza 25% wider than the TV should go at the far end from the front door. Opposite the sofa and perpendicular to the fireplace, add a pair of swivel chairs that can turn to TV, fireplace or to converse with sofa sitters. This would be very similar to Beth's pic taken from overhead with the two wire chandeliers, except the chairs would move opposite the sofa and would swivel. Here's the idea in a scale that may be more like your place. TV would be on the wall where the photographer is standing. Note the padded bench serving as a coffee table. That would be great extra seating and could open to store all the game gear.
Heather Garrett Design · More InfoRay L
2 years ago
BeverlyFLADeziner