Updated room layout and could use more input
UPDATED: We have rearranged our furniture based upon one of the layouts suggested in one of the comments and we are thrilled! There are so many advantages to the new layout: overall room appearance, traffic flow, and when we swivel our chairs to watch tv we can now read the subtitles (we were definitely too far away from the TV before. Best of all I can now see the mountains from my chair when turned to face the sofa. Besides rearranging the furniture, we replaced the coffee table with an inexpensive round one, removed the ottoman for the corner chair and left the chair as a reading nook. I also moved some art around and rearranged on the wall. I'll add a comment to the end of this thread with new pics of the living room and questions for finishing off the room.
ORIGINAL POST: The living room is our only space for both entertaining and tv viewing. We do have a separate dining room. Currently the tv sits on a console against the largest wall perpendicular to the fireplace wall. We don’t think we want to put the tv over the fireplace, but have considered moving it to sit above cabinets to the left of the fireplace. That would require some rework of the shelves as they are stationary and don’t fit the tv as they are.
So we’re not sure if we should keep the tv where it is, or if we should relocate. We’re also hoping to replace a good bit of our current furniture, and don’t know if we should be shopping for sectional, sofa, loveseat, chairs or what so that we can make the best use of the space. I’m including i pic of the fireplace wall showing the cabinet space (this is a listing photo, so not our stuff), and also a floorplan showing our current furniture arrangement. Any help would be appreciated. We are lost!
Comments (13)
houssaon
last month
Cynthia
last monthRelated Discussions
Swag update...need more input
Comments (4)Would it be possible to simply get some yellow and white gingham ribbon and trim the shade, perhaps down the sides and across the shade above the scallops? I guess you could use some fabric in a gingham to do the same thing. Or you could be funky and stamp on yellow squares with craft paint to make a yellow check pattern on the shade. I think a valance would be too much....See MoreI'm getting there - More Layout Input needed
Comments (6)Briana and LL - thanks. LL - yes - the big X is the frige (and it's about the only thing that I didn't type out with a label - oops.) Mthouse - I actually had it that way originally but we tend to entertain more casually than formally so I envision people hanging out in the keeping room and at the island more than toward th dining room (which currently is a playroom). In my previous designs, this was corner was an L and it just felt too far away from the rest of the kitchen. However, I think you made a GREAT point about unloading groceries. Thanks for the suggestion. I love the 'idea' of a butler's pantry (they are beautiful) but I just don't think it is right for how we live....See MoreAnswers to questions about layout - need more input!
Comments (5)First......What are the full dimensions of your space? All the walls, windows, doorways, etc. Very good reasons for switching. Traffic...OK Architects...yes, they're very good at designing structural elements and adding "interest", but when it comes to functionality, they pretty much get an F. The majority of architects are poor Kitchen Designers. A better idea is to get the general structural setup of the space and then design a very functional kitchen and tweak the architectural items to fit the layout. If you rarely used your kitchen (and yes, there are some people who have kitchens for "show" only), I would say go with what looks "nice" over functionality if that's what you want. But, you do use your kitchen, so I think functionality should be considered. For me, functionality usually trumps form. YMMV "island & range are on axis with the french doors"...is anyone going to notice this one way or the other? If it is noticeable, will it look too symmetrical and/or contrived? Sometimes this type of thing can actually look "too much" and stops being a nice feature and becomes more "show" or "commercial" looking. Aisle widths...if the measurements are cabinet-to-cabinet, then your aisles are actually 3" narrower than you think. Counter edges usually extend approx 1.5" beyond cabinets (to direct spills away from cabinets & doors to protect finishes). This means a 42" aisle is really 39" and 44.5" is really 41.5". With all the traffic you will probably have when you have get togethers, I highly recommend a minimum of 42" and, possibly, 48" aisles. Zone issues... Trash & Recycle...You need the larger trash bin and the recycle bin in the Prep & Cooking Zones more than you need them in the Cleanup Zone. Also, if the small trash bin is under the prep sink, every time someone needs to use it...prepping or cooking...the person at the sink will need to move out of the way. If it were me, I'd put the double-bin trash/recycle pullout in the Prep Zone and either put in a 12" single-bin trash pullout or a trash can under the sink in the Cleanup Zone...assuming the double-bin pullout is not also easily accessed from the Cleanup Zone (ideal setup). Cooking Zone/Range work & landing space if switch w/sink...do you need those shallow walls that flank both the current sink location and the entrance to the new sitting room? If not, you would gain approx 4.5" per wall that could be used for work & landing space. 18" is a little small, especially since both sides are 18" (i.e., there isn't one side w/more to make up for the lack of space on the other side). I suspect they're "architectural interest" items, at least the one b/w the DW & stair area. (This also applies to item #6.) Island orientation...have you also considered turning the island 90o clockwise so the seats back into the new Sitting Room? That might enable you to leave the range, refrigerator, etc. where they all are now. If you can provide the dimensions of the space, I could play with your layout to see how it would work... (Dimensions: overall length & width of the room, doorway/opening/window widths, widths of each section of wall space) If you can also reduce the width of those walls flanking the new Sitting Room, you add inches for the aisle b/w the island and walls. No comments right now. Moving refrigerator...aesthetic as well as function...unless you have a true blank slate and can make any changes you want, you will have to compromise on some things. In this case, ask yourself when is the refrigerator used the most and how can you mitigate the impact of the move (compromise). For example, it was mentioned that you could have a beverage refrigerator for drinks and condiments that is close to the Breakfast area. Generally, drinks and condiments aren't used for cooking but are used for meals and usually all that's needed from a Breakfast area is drinks & condiments! So, perhaps you could make the compromise on the refrigerator location functionally by putting it closer to the island workspace and have a beverage refrigerator for snackers. As to the "symmetry", I actually think moving the refrigerator is better b/c it balances the rather long wall on the Breakfast area end. You have a lot of partial walls cutting up the kitchen space, so work with those walls and use the refrigerator to at least "balance" them....See MoreWould love a little more input on my layout pretty please....
Comments (18)If there is to be no prep sink in the island, I'd do this. It gives you separate zones for clean-up, prep, and cooking without crossing into the other zones. It gives you a landing place from the fridge. You'll notice I made the sink more like a 32" single. The sink in your plan is way too small. With 32", someone can do clean-up on one side of the sink while someone else does prep on the left side. With only one sink, you really need a larger sink that allows for this type of multi-tasking. Even if only one person is working in the kitchen at a time, it's nice to have room for both tasks so you don't have to move things out of the sink continually. If you do what I like to do, which is keeping the DW door open while prepping so I can load items directly into it which makes clean-up a lot faster, your 4-foot aisle is wide enough to walk around the DW to get to the fridge. With 24" cabinets + 15" overhang for seating, the aisles is a bit tight at 42" instead of the recommended 48". This might be OK depending on how often you believe people will be sitting there when people need the bathroom or want to access the fridge without crossing through the work zones. Or it might be really annoying. You would need to consider traffic flow and how your family uses the kitchen to decide if the tighter aisle will be a problem. The sink off-center on the window is fine. You can find many photos of kitchens with sinks not centered on the window and they look fine. Also, this means that you will have plenty of room to prep in front of the window. Since most of us spend more time prepping than any other kitchen task, being in front of a window while prepping can help make things more pleasant. I encourage you to at least consider a prep sink on the island. An area without a sink often isn't used for prep work like people think they'll do because of having to wash, then carry the items across the aisle to prep on the island, and then carrying prepped items across the other aisle to the range to cook. You could always have a cutting board cut to fit into the prep sink so you have more counter space there at times where you need the extra space....See MorePatty C
last monthPatty C
last monthtracefloyd
last monthlast modified: last monthThat's cool! Here's another idea...a sectional with the side next to the fireplacce as a chaise. In other words no backrest or armrest...sit near to the fire or just lounge, etc. Add a coffee table or ottoman. A small side table for the armchairs.
Still thinking...it's hard to tell how big your room is but if the set-up is too far from the TV, you could move everything closer and place a game table and two chairs in front of the French Doors and don't use the middle doors.
StPatty C
last monthAlso, my husband and I both have bad backs and pretty much live in the 2 recliner chairs you see in the pics. They are getting worn and we were thinking of replacing with Stressless recliners. But there is also a 3 seater sofa that would work for us that we could place facing the TV.
tracefloyd
last monthlast modified: last monthWell that's a whole other story. I would stick with your new Stressless recliners idea. I don't know what a Stressless recliner is but they sound wonderful. Comfort is king in your case, right? So you each will want your own chair with your own armrests to ease getting up and down.
So, center the seating and rug on the TV with four chairs, two of them your recliners and two swivels. I still like the game table by the windows for games or tea time with a view to the outdoors, plus just extra seating.
P.S. Remove the little bookcase by the door...you have a whole wall of them. The white armchair/ottoman could go in the window corner where you have a round table. You could then move the TV and seating a little further away from the fireplace if you need more room to get by in front of the fireplace.Patty C
last monthThe 3 seater sofa I pictured is also Stressless and all 3 seats recline. The only thing we'd need to add is something we could rest our feet on. They do have a double ottoman that pulls out with a table in the middle, but something else might work better. The Stressless recliners are wonderful but very bulky. Adding a sample of recliner and the double ottoman.
I do like the game table idea and had originally thought of putting one where the TV and chair are currently if we moved the TV next to the FP. We are in the mountains, so it's all about comfort and casual entertaining. And we do like to play games and do puzzles, which we currently do in the dining room. The chair, ottoman and small bookbase will probably be moved to another room. Not crazy about the console the TV is on, so would eventually like to replace that. We would also need to mount the TV on the wall so it's up higher if we go with your option 1, sofa facing TV and 2 swivel chairs across.
tracefloyd
last monthPatty C
last monthPatty C
last monthNew pics after rearranging. We will be replacing the swivel recliners with new ones and need to pick a color. We would also like to add some small end/drink tables for the sofa. I'd prefer they didn't match. My current selection for the recliners is a honey gold color. I could use some suggestions for tables and input on the recliner color. I'm also adding pics of the area rug and of the recliner in the honey color..
tracefloyd