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Home Decorating Design Dilemma living room

Living / Dining Room layout advice needed

last year

Hi guys - I was wondering what is the best furniture layout for this space, which will be used as a living/dining room. We have to fit in a 4-6 dining table (extendable) in the living room. The radiator will be moved under the window and the carpets replaced with a wooden floor. Our mood board is japandi style. Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Featured Answer

elcieg

last year

The picture window is the focal point, so I suggest you hang draperies; float a sofa facing the window; put the dining table behind the sofa.

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Comments (16)

Chris
last year
Hi. You may want to include a few more pictures of the area and some measurements.
Pamela G
Original Author
last year
Hey, thanks for your reply! It’s an empty room, I’ve taken a photo from each side. The measurements are on the third photo - its a 4.70m x 3.94m room. Hope this helps
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I have a split style home with a planned layout similar to your last one on 3/31. Looks similar except I have about an extra 6' in the length (kitchen to DR) as well as no door to the garage on that side. I think ideagirl2 has good ideas. You will want an opening on either end for easy access into the kitchen or DR side. If the basement is unfinished, then swapping the steps might be a practical solution. A contractor can order a prefabricated set of steps to put in. If the closet in the hall is basically useless then this might be a good idea. Since its a ranch, then you should be able to flip it since there isn't another set of steps going up to a second story where then it would be impossible to flip them. However, this would mean you could not overlay another staircase on top of this one to expand for a second floor one day. You then would have to add another staircase somewhere else in the house and loose space. Moving the utilities can be expensive and it can affect headroom or remodeling plans for the basement. It depends where the waste lines are located in the home more then anything, since they need pitch from the sink to the waste stack. If that waste stack is located where the steps are then the pipe will have to drop below the floor joists below, since they will run front to back, and you will loose headroom. Not a big deal if this ends up in a utility area. Does the garage run all the way front to back? If so I would do the following to the plan noted above. 1) Move the garage doorway more to where the table is on the LR side. Thus, the door would start roughly where the table ends need the opening between the LR & DR. You then will be flipping the DR table and the door. This way when you come in from the garage you can enter into the LR or walk through the kitchen with Groceries. I would make the back window a sliding door. So the table is looking out the sliding door. It will make the room feel much bigger. I am putting in a nice 10' 4 panel sliding glass door for this very reason. If in fact no furniture could be placed between the right side of the fireplace and the wall as you drew it, my last recommendation is more structural and one I am grappling with now in my own home. That would be to make the opening even wider between the LR and DR table area. If you look at your pic you posted of the fireplace. I would take that opening and open the fireplace side all the way to the wall. This will make it more open and feel less cramped. You could even have them cut the ceiling joists and put the beam up so that you have a flat ceiling in the opening. This is what I am contemplating now. You then can see the fireplace for the DR table and the kitchen area, when facing the peninsula. You also can extend a table out into the LR if you have larger company at holiday times.
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Agree with lynartist get someone knowledgeable in to look at the walls. Shifting the color used makes a huge difference. I would not have the walls smoothed or made shiny. But there are all sorts of ways to approach this and end up with a great looking home. Consider moving the functions of the two spaces. A modern dining area with a fireplace, even such an ornate one, could be spectacular and marry well with a more intimate USED space for conversations, drinks, and even just solo book readin'! Making the switch would also de-emphasize the fireplace and allow it to look its very best. A bit of a paradox but look at many old European houses and you'll see it again and again. My other preference would be to have a wood refinisher take down the shine on the floor. Congratulations and I hope you let us know how this progresses.
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I would use the den as TV area with TV between the built-in bookcases. Then do a back-to-back arrangement with two sofas (they don't have to match) and a rolling sofa table between them. The one in the den would be the guest bed. When you have guests, simply roll the sofa table under a window and close the sliding door. As an office, place a desk facing the window if you need good light for online conferences, or put it on the wall if you don't do that. A rolling desk chair can move out of the way for the sofa to be opened. In the living room side, use a round dining table in the corner right of the fireplace. A coffee table 12-18" from the sofa and perhaps a pair of small scale upholstered armchairs in an "L" with the sofa, their backs to the window. Art, not TV, above the mantel.
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Pamela G
Original Author
last year
Forgot to mention, I don’t have full access to the property just yet so unfortunately can’t provide more photos.
Chris
last year
Is the kitchen near the door?
Pamela G
Original Author
last year
No, its across the hallway
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
I need a floor plan IMO the DR needs to be as close as possible to the kitchen so start there . This is not a huge space so as much info as possible about your needs for both spaces would be helpful. Will you havs TV in the space ? How many seats in the LR on a daily basis . Waht is yur style? IMO wait until the floors are done and you are in . Then post some pics of the things you are bringing with you too.At least post the mood board here in a comment. To me Japandi style can be many things even MCM would be IMO close in style.
User
last year
Yes I like Judianna's idea and photo of the dining table near the wall away from the window. It would give easy access to the door for carrying plates and serving dishes. The living room seating would be near the window...good idea. With this concept the bones of the layout are set and all you need to do is tweak the furniture a little once you move in. Good luck!
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
This is scale sketch. Door should swing against other wall. Reverse if possible. Small space for two areas, living and dining. A 48” round table will fit for 4. With leaf it could extend a foot for possible seating for six. But for everyday just 4. What do you need? Sofa size must be at or less than 84” long x 36” deep. Long sofa table behind with a couple lamps. A 30” x 30” chair and floor lamp finishes space. A couple small C tables and a console for a TV completes the space. Large dramatic art on dining wall would be great. Guest chair that swivels would be great so you could turn to views out windows from time to time. TV and console goes on wall as shown.
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Flo Mangan
last year
All this depends on your budget. An area rug to anchor seating area will be important. What color palette do you want?
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
You could do something like this.
PRO
Flo Mangan
last year
I estimated ceiling light spots. I love the lighting in these pictures! Lighting makes spaces sing!
decoenthusiaste
last year
last modified: last year
My thought is to wall mount TV (blue) in the corner, float a sofa (yellow) and sofa table/lamp (red) perpendicular to the window, and place the dining table opposite the door to the hallway/kitchen. Agree that door swing should be reversed if possible.
Pamela G
Original Author
last year
Thanks for all the ideas guys!
more ideas are welcomed 🤍
Pamela G
Original Author
last year
thanks for taking the time to reply everyone - some very useful sketches and ideas any other opinions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated of course 🤍
PRO
lisedv
last year
last modified: last year
It would probably be ideal to remove the entrance door to the room completely but on my plan I show it reversed. Here is one option for your floorplan...

PS Just saw your post today!

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