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Design Dilemma living room Remodeling

Need help for optimizing the living room, lounge area, and office

8 months ago

last modified: 8 months ago

We recently bought a house that checked most our boxes but has some challenge in the use of spaces. I am hoping to get some help here. Thank you in advance for the advices and ideas!

First dilemma:

Currently, the lounge are and the so-called office are in a hight traffic open space where the previous owner has a small tv. It really doesn't look like a great place for TV watching with limited space between couch and TV. From the floor plan, we might be able to open up a bit. Nevertheless, I am still not sure what are the options to utilize the area of the lounge plus the office into a nice place to hang out either by just us or by guests.

Floor plan

Current photos of Lounge:

The office:

Second dilemma:

We plan to put our current sectional sofa and TV in the living room. However, I can't figure out the best way layout for sectional sofa, and TV while remaining the openness in front of the window. (Putting couch against the window is not my cup of tea)

Sectional sofa

Living room photos:

Featured Answer

Denise Marchand

8 months ago

Beautiful home!

Consider switching rooms for a more cohesive and comfortable space. Here's a plan you may want to try. The good thing about furniture is that it can be moved around. The bar at the existing display area sounds like a good idea!

Looking into Living Room with large art or a series of prints. Use your existing lounge chairs with backs facing entrance. Add a cabinet off center of window.

New TV Room: Back wall with simple TV/Cabinet. Back sectional seating with demi lune sofa table. Add small scale lounge chair and ottoman.

Simple Dining Room Table. Consider an oval, but any table style you like would work.

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Comments (8)

Denise Marchand
8 months ago
following
Rachel Lee
8 months ago
Take out the built ins and install an electric fireplace. Furnish as a hangout family space.
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Your spouse needs to provide input on how he uses his office space, wherever it is. In the posted pictures, I see all those beautiful tables in the middle of an "office", and they don't look at all like real life. In my office, I have my laptop, monitor (some people have two monitors), docking station, charger for my phone and the cords for all of those. And pads of paper, pens, pencils, a couple of file folders, coffee cup, water bottle, post-its, etc. And envision the cords off the back of those beautiful tables, and all my stuff accidently getting pushed (by me) off the back of the tables. How will your spouse use his space? In my home office (which I'm using about 90% more than I thought I would be), I have an adjustable-height desk with the long side against what would be the long side wall in your pictures, with the short end of the L in the front corner. My monitor is in the corner, and my laptop to the side. I can work relatively undisturbed, but look left and have a nice view out my front window. (My office is square, but I do have a wall of built-in shelves against my "back" wall, the same place your short wall is in your house.)
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eyecu980
Original Author
8 months ago
Thank you! I thought about that. My husband wants to turn into a dry bar and I’m on the fence.
ShadyWillowFarm
8 months ago
The high traffic open space is too small to serve three different functions. I love your husbands idea for a bar, and having a pair of chairs in the “office” space is way more functional. No one will ever get any work done there.
eyecu980
Original Author
8 months ago
@ShadyWillowFarm "No one will ever get any work done there" is very said!
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
I really dislike TV in my LR and usually we are the only ones to watch TV so I would do what the old owners did and have the TV away from the main living room where conversation is happening at least in my home. From what I can see I would do the TV in the DR so like a media room and have my DR where the breakfast/ lounge area is . I think before making major decisions in a new to you home let the house tell you how it functions . Often a house functions much differently than you planned. For instance traffic patterns are often dictated by the house no matter what you planned..IMO an office needs to be in a dedicated space so that a door can shut it away.
eyecu980
Original Author
8 months ago
Thak you for the suggestions, Danise and Patricia! I wish we could turn the lounge area into the dining area but the space would not be enough. I think we still enjoy the idea of having a designated area for DR especially when we have friends over. I also wish we did not need to put TV in the LR but there's not much choice for us given the current floor plan until one day we are capable to reno for a different floor plan I guess.

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