Here’s some photos I admire on Pinterest:

Cant help when I see snow and window to think of inside mounted thermal cellular. Top down option for privacy.

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In person does it seem that practical stair tread type on the steps would offer safety measure visually? Possibly a rug on one or both seating areas? Have children?

We have three kids but they’re older.
It would be a nightmare having toddlers here🤣

I like the idea of a stair tread…

Someday when budget allows (ha!) we’d like to lower the floor.

Book area can be nice in a smaller area [is the lower area smaller square footage then the higher?].

But your cases at the far left seem a good place, away from sunlight...

Maybe posting dining room photos would help..

Dining area:

Is soft teal chair part of your colors for the house? can repeat it more.

Rug idea under dining set.

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There's plenty of wall space over the sofa - enough for a fabric tapestry. Large arms on sofa ok, as they don't overwhelm the space.

Temporary. FLOR carpet tile comes in several colors. place 1 color across the mini-bridge // another color where steps are... less frustration about safety etc...?

2 related neutrals - If you were to experiment with towels/ throw rugs of 2 different colors, you could test this out.

I don’t think I mentioned, the existing furniture will not be staying, so a blank slate…

Ideas?

Seriously, spam me with ideas.

Photos, etc…

My style is sort of minimalist but I do want this area to look warm and inviting.

And what about paint?

Would you please post a floor plan with measurements? The listing photos confused me at first because it appeared you had 2 seating areas but the teal sofa is actually the current dining space, correct?

If your style is more minimal than I’d recommend looking at more mid century modern furniture for the living room/ entrance. Your inspiration photos have wildly different styles- what about each of them do you like?

For the living room that’s just off the entrance, you can have beautiful built ins flanking the window, a couple of gorgeous reading chairs (womb chairs are my favorite), a cocktail table and then a narrow armed sofa that backs to the dining space. Put a console table behind the sofa. A beautiful rug for the furniture to sit on (all the legs sit on the rug). An arco lamp or several beautiful table lamps. Do you need the ceiling fans? If not, then get some stellar light fixtures. If you do need the fans, get some more modern ones not the white country style.

One of OP's photos seems like a good start. However, the heating around the outside walls may complicate adding built-ins, and generally it's not a good idea for furniture to block the heating source. I would be inclined to address the 'stage' before decorating, or somehow address the trip hazard.

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Ohhh…the stage.

It’s one of those things that snowballs.

In order to lower it, we’d have to move the radiators.

And we’d have to completely reconfigure the staircase.

PLUS…I feel stuck with the lighting.

We want to re-do all the horrible lighting including the ridiculous chandelier.

But…if and when we lower the stage, I’d like to move my dining table over a bit into the living room area.

But if the new chandelier is already in place, we will be stuck with where the table is, right?

None of the listing furniture OR current furniture is staying.

Previous owners were using the dining area for living room furniture for some reason 🤷🏻‍♀️

I posted how we have it set up now.

For reconfiguring the staircase, would you add a landing and turn 90-degrees with two steps down? It looks like you have a mini-split on the living room wall - could that provide heat and allow you remove the radiators? Still work, but makes furniture and built-in placement easier.

Out of curiosity, has the change in floor height been a problem for you or guests? I've noticed how tv shows of a certain era have lots of sunken rooms. Dick van Dyke tripped a lot, but not Mary Tyler Moore!

And the stage has me so stuck!

Is there anything I can do now without removing the stage?

I feel like everything hinges on everything else in this house.
I don’t have the budget to do it all at once.

@sarah

Thank you!!
I have the floor plan.
I will post as soon as possible 😊

If you keep the stage perhaps you could put low bookcases somewhere along the stairs. I would keep them I would put safety glass as doors and at the back of the bookcases to keep the open feeling going in your space.

You would have to experiment to see where the bookcases would be best placed. Dimensions in your drawing will help decide whether this would be possible.

You can always get an electrician to move or swag your chandelier over to where you want it should you go that route.

If you keep the stage perhaps you could put low bookcases somewhere along the stairs. I would put safety glass as doors and at the back of the bookcases to keep the open feeling going in your space.

You would have to experiment to see where the bookcases would be best placed. Dimensions in your drawing will help decide whether this would be possible.

You can always get an electrician to move or swag your chandelier over to where you want it should you go that route.

"Is there anything I can do now without removing the stage?"

Sure - you can install all the furniture you intend to have once the stage is eliminated. When you post your floor plan, we can draw in the furniture. It would be helpful to see what is opposite the current sofa - my guess is that it is not a natural focal point. Assuming that is the case, I would place a long sofa (or L-shaped sofa) in front of the window, with a narrow console table behind. On the tall wall, I would place a long, low media console (even if you won't have a tv in the room) with large, bold artwork above. A comfortable lounge chair opposite the sofa and along the tall wall, with a pretty good size side table next to to it. Add an area rug that encompasses all those the big pieces, and from there, lighting, accessories, etc. could be added. For window treatment, for the time being, I'd use either a roman shade - possibly patterned for interest, or if the dimensions work, you could use plantation shutters that fold against that deep window ledge.

Okay all, thanks so much for the feedback!

Here’s some more photos and a pic of the room (living/dining area) from the house plans.
I don’t know if it is helpful but it’s better than my drawing would be…

The area is squared in red.

Also, as requested, some additional pics of the other side of the room, which is our foyer/hallway.
As you can see, also currently sparse.

I am posting a picture I just saw on Pinterest that appeals to me.
Thoughts?

That's interesting -- I was thinking of something like this - but with sectional placed under window and on left wall facing the tall wall.

So, the back would be facing the foyer? I like the finishes you posted…trying to picture it.

Yes - the intent being to focus on dining room big windows rather than the foyer. Note my sketch is not drawn to plan, but it appears the room is about 16-ft square. You would want to place furniture to act somewhat as a barrier, except for where stairs are. Just a start...

Thank you!

I found another photo that looks like the furniture is oriented in towrd the room.

Similar windows also!

Thank you!

Those are so pretty❤️

Came here from your other post about window treatments. I can see why they used the dining room for the LR. That light is wonderful! If you use your dining room less than the LR, I'd swap them too, Then the stage makes more sense, "Ta da! Dinner is served." Really tho, it's not that bad. If the entry hall were wood like the rest of the house, it probably wouldn't stand out so much. Maybe. 😊

We use the dining room almost daily .

The kitchen is adjacent, so if I switched the rooms, we would have to carry food through the living room…

When we first bought the house, my youngest son said ’ooh, we could put a grand piano up on this stage!’

Yes, if only one of us played piano…🤣

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Remove small stage section at base of stairs to create a flat floor. Place carpeting there, and if at same time you'd like a matching runner going up the stairs, it'd look cohesive.

The stage would be square-ish, and for safety, for looks - build a low bookcase a few feet long on each side of the corner.

Removing the stage would be great but it isnt in budget righ now!

Trying to focus on furniture and windows 🤷🏻‍♀️

I will check again - did it come across that I meant remove [hard work yes] only the part at base of the stairs [the narrow part]?