skip to main content

Home Decorating Furniture Design Dilemma

Looking for furniture placement ideas.

last year

This is our family room newly painted. Hardwood floor will be throughout. TV will stay where it is. I'm looking for furniture placement ideas, We love our couches for TV watching but also want to be able to seat more people when company comes. Is a smaller couch on either side too much? Long wall is 16ft long, window wall is 9 ft. Any ideas would be appreciated, thank you!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Lyn Nielson
last year
last modified: last year
I'd make an L with the couches on the long wall, end table at the corner.

a slim sofa table behind the smaller sofa with a few decor pieces?

Leave the window open to walk up to. Id mount the TV on the wall for a cleaner look.
KW PNW Z8
last year
Is the room wide enough to place the love seat at right angle to the couch? Will the opening on left of love seat be wide enough to walk through comfortably? When the flooring replaced & “hardwood throughout” you’ll gain advantage of not being restricted by the curved edge where carpet & kitchen flooring meet. Would need to see more of space to know if you have room to pull FR pieces towards kitchen - can’t tell if that wooden chair is sitting at a bar or a movable table. Assumiing the L formation works, you might have space to add 1 or 2 small chairs & side table by the window for added seating. Swivel chairs would be great.
Related Discussions
Ideas for accent colors, furniture placement?
Q
Comments (11)
Since you are not focusing everyone on a TV, I would suggest not thinking of arranging one rigid furniture group focused on one anything. Instead, think of more varied furniture pieces and looser arrangements that turn different directions, focus inside and outside, include lighter weight pieces that can move to join others, and in general and specific serve those different functions. The fact is, the living ("family") room arrangement has been contracting for some time. For more and more of us there's no need for a reading or sewing lamp if 95% of everything we read is on an iPad and many of us don't read or sew anyway. Less need for a dining table for those who often eat in their favorite chairs facing the TV, messier kids maybe kneeling at a coffee table. Of course absolutely no need for a table to spread a newspaper out because we don't take newspapers. Once-important desks have become strictly decorative objects now that we pay our bills, write friends and chat on our cell phones from easy chairs. No need for a game table when the games are in our laps and we're playing by ourselves with one eye on the TV. The classic little sewing table? Gone, with its lamp. Fact is, the standard living room arrangement these days needs to provide one favorite sitting place per person, equipped with one place to set a drink, from which the entire weeks' home leisure can be lived and many chores performed. In most homes at least a couple of those seats recline, and almost all are pointed at a television screen. The "window treatments" typically frame one view--of a standard back yard (not several views out over 52 acres). The typical family is not there most daylight hours anyway, and the seating typically ignores it to focus on a TV plus fireplace. This trend does not reflect every family's life, of course, but it has profoundly influenced what furniture is found in the typical living room these days (fewer and fewer pieces) and how they're typically arranged. (And, no, I don't admire this lifestyle contracture. I love, love, love my computer, and my own favorite chair, but hate that a beautiful, once-important old desk mainly gathers dust.) In any case, it doesn't sound as if you live your lives quite that way, You even knit, and with no TV you all presumably require other light and surfaces for leisure tasks. So maybe turn away from current standard arrangements to decide what pieces your lifestyle needs and where? You might try looking at pictures in old, pre-computer decorating books and magazines. Back when people typically turned the TV on to catch a favorite show, then turned it off.
...See More
Looking for input on furniture placement, layout
Q
Comments (8)
Thank you Rosie and Mtnrd for looking at this layout. Rosie, you bring up some good points, and you've made me realize that I can treat that French door wall as if it were solid window. I had to go back to the architect 3 times to get the door from the bfst room to the porch, since she'd originally envisioned that as a window and didn't seem to want to change it out to a door, since she kept "forgetting" to change it. I envision using that door to the porch most of the time, but I think, because we're in the South Carolina Low Country, that I want the option to open the room up as much as possible when the weather is nice. What you can't see is that at the end of that 8' wide run of porch is a round gazebo type room on the porch that is where we will actually have our main porch furniture and spend our time. We're on a large lot on a river and look out to Live Oaks hung with spanish moss and a small pond. I'll post a pic of the whole plan so you have a feel for the rest of the space. Re the built-ins. The built in on the north end is a wet bar, and on the south end is a bookcase. I gave our KD/cabinet guy my inspiration pics, which are all balanced built-ins, and he's a genius. He came up with a plan that beautifully balances the different functions of the sides and makes it beautiful. this is one of my inspiration pics [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/formal-living-area-traditional-living-room-chicago-phvw-vp~151875) [Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Rockford Interior Designers & Decorators KannCept Design, Inc. - the space is very similar re the upstairs - and I note that the window wall is solid. I will take that under consideration. This was one of the other pics. We are ending up with a darker blue cabinet design going it. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/cherry-hills-transitional-living-room-denver-phvw-vp~572005) [Transitional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2112) by Denver Kitchen & Bath Designers Exquisite Kitchen Design Mtnrd, the two objects are a small table and one of my extra dining chairs. The other is against the wall in the dining room. I think I misspoke about the trays defining space too. There is a tray in the dining room, dropped headers and posts around the kitchen area, a "balcony' upstairs that overlooks the living room space which actually has a vaulted ceiling broken up by a windowed dormer to bring in some natural light into the living room. It does all serve to define rooms, although if you followed all that I give you kudos! It was easier just to say trays. :) This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Tue, Oct 29, 13 at 22:29
...See More
looking for furniture placement ideas...
Q
Comments (1)
Get a carpenter's tape measure and measure the length of each wall. Write down all the measurements. Measure how wide each doorway is and how far the edge is from the closest corner. Measure the windows and where they are located on the wall. Take a large piece of paper or tape a couple together and draw the room outlines so that one foot equals one inch on the paper. Draw the layout as accurate as possible, though it does not have to be perfect. Make a note on this floor plan of things like outlets and TV connections. Measure the length and width of furniture you plan to keep. On a separate piece of paper draw the outlines using the same 1 foot equals 1 inch. Label each piece and cut them out. Now you can move the furniture around until you find a suitable layout.
...See More
Living room furniture placement ideas
Q
Comments (5)
That's a difficult space. I would recommend it be broken up into two separate sitting areas, and you define that space with two smaller carpets. Otherwise you wind up with everything spread out and it will feel awkward to have any kind of conversation area (as the prior owner's layout attests to). I would use a loveseat / small sofa in front of the fireplace (facing it) as the anchor for one seating area, and then two chairs (probably swivels) in the corners by the fireplace. In the second space, by the bookcases, a pair of wing chairs with a table/lamp between them facing the bookcases. Get a loveseat or small sofa with a pretty back on it, such as the Hancock and Moore Redford sofa if you feel you can accommodate an 82" width piece in that spot. This looks terrific from the back. - Duane Collie, owner of The Keeping Room
...See More
HU-828609519
Original Author
last year
thank you so much for the comments, I had the furniture in an L shape originally, might go back to that with some new furniture. Yes the hardwood (light brown) will not restrict me so much. TV stand will be new and a little higher with a ladder shelf in corner, new modern wood 3 blade fan. Another question, it has been suggested to paint my brick the same as the walls, does anyone have experience with this look? I'm just worried it will look too DIY, but the thought of lightening up that corner is appealing. Any suggestions would be appreciated! thank you :)
KW PNW Z8
last year
@HU-828609519 You know what? I would wait until you make all of your changes so that decision of painting the brick is the very last decsion. That’s such a permanent change that cannot be undone. The room needs to be treated as a whole not each piece that’s changing. The look will change dramatically when flooring changed. The fan change will be huge too. I would add art over the FP that would light up & add interest to that corner. Do you have any large art looking for a home? If not, start looking. Not a masterpiece $$ just something that makes you smile & has the colors you love. Just wait on painting FP!
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year

I would go with L-shape sofas and couple chairs or pouffs.
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
Some kind of

or you can turn it on 90 degrees both sides and check what is convenient to you.
Connecticut Yankeeeee
last year
Hello HU…9519. You’ve gotten some good ideas. I’m wondering if you really love your fireplace? Do you use it? I actually removed mine (not very $$) and it completely changed the look and purpose of my room. Just a thought.
KW PNW Z8
last year
@HU-828609519 What @Connecticut Yankeeeee is suggesting is really something worth thinking about. Removing the FP would sure open up your living space in that room. Of course, you’ll need to make that decision before your new flooring is installed. But, think of the possibilities! We opted out of having a FP in our current home when it was being built. We had 2 in our last home, both gas. We rarely used either of them. Our current home is a down size from our last one, has an open plan so has fewer walls. We opted to use the space the FP would occupy for a beloved cabinet that was making the move with us. Not one person has ever said OMG where’s your FP! And, I’m in PNW so we do have seasons & cold in winters. We’ve never regretted our decision to nix FP. If we need the ambiance of flame, there’s always the FP option on cable TV & we have used that during holidays. It’s sort of cool with even the crackling sound of wood logs burning. I’d give that removal of FP suggestion very serious thought.
PRO
Joy Street Design
8 months ago
Here are a few different layout ideas for your space. Are you getting new furniture? You current furniture looks a little bulky.
The Urban Tree House · More Info

Valley View Rd · More Info

Barnaby Street · More Info

Related Stories

WORLD OF DESIGN Trend Watch: New Looks for Furniture and Accessories

By Leonora Sartori

Global design trade fairs have been canceled or postponed, but manufacturers are still delivering fresh ideas to market

EVENTS Where Pros Go to Discover Outdoor Furniture Ideas

By Stacy Briscoe

Casual Market Chicago: Learn about trends in outdoor furniture and accessories

BUDGET DECORATING Budget Decorator: 8 Ways to Make Old Furniture Look Brand New

By Laura Gaskill

Learn stripping, staining, painting and reupholstering basics to make bargain-basement furniture worthy of center stage at home

REMODELING GUIDES Houzz Tour: Urban Remodel Looks to Sweden for Bright Ideas

By Joanna Tovia

Once a dowdy rental in need of a revamp, this Sydney home now has a fresh and inviting Swedish summer-house feel

BATHROOM DESIGN A Furniture Look for Your Bathroom Vanity

By KitchenLab Interiors

Give your vanity custom style with carved legs, molding and furniture details

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING How to Keep Your Outdoor Furniture Looking New

By Christine Tusher

Give cushions and wicker, teak or metal frames a little regular TLC to help them last

DECORATING GUIDES Idea of the Week: Give Old Furniture a Delightful Dip

By Lily Gahagan

Update a Set of Chairs with a Top Band of Crisp White Paint

FURNITURE Looking for a Bold New Furniture Arrangement? Super-Size It

By Kelly Porter

Go big with a special piece of furniture for a cozy, dramatic feel

CEILINGS Things Are Looking Up: 10 Ideas for Decorating Your Ceiling

By Orlov Design Co.

Whether you wrap it in silver leaf or stencil on your favorite design, your ceiling is ready for its close-up

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Concrete Ideas for Patios and Decks

By Urban Gardens

Look to lightweight fiber cement for functional outdoor furniture and accessories that are heavy on style

Sponsored

More Discussions

Pillows selection for a chartreuse sofa.

135

Living Room Setup

7

Need help with sitting room/lounge room furniture

11

help, what should we do with our fireplace/tv wall?

9

Any recommendations for a low profile subwoofer, wireless maybe?

2