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Can you please draw a simple plan of your room with measurements and the size of your sofa? It is really hard to tell from the distortion of these pics what size space you are dealing with. Are you open to a new sofa that is less bulky?

Any thoughts of moving the door? Take a picture of the outside of the house and post it as a comment. We also need measurements as @Kendrah said

Make sure when you post a floor plan you indicate where all those doors and windows are located and the size of your tv.

I think layout with four chairs instead sofa would work better.

A to scale floor plan on graph paper posted here i jpeg format in a comment DO NOT start another post.Show all windows , doorways where those lead. Are you willing to get new fruniture ?

Or put coffee table and sofa perpendicular to front door.

Once you figure out floor plan, an area rug will help anchor the space.
Also, do you need to keep all the furniture?

Honestly, guys, did you see the final photo? This isn't a long room that just needs subdividing -- the couch is about all that's in there, and the door opens right into it!

Is this the only space for a living room on the main floor? Because I don't see a way around the problem. Celery's idea of a grouping of chairs allows for the most unblocked walkways, and probably seats as many or more than your sectional(?). Or maybe a very slim couch/loveseat and a chair or two -- the empy corner by the TV indicates it would be possible to have a chair in a conversational grouping with the couch. How many do you need to be able to seat?

I would try the following layout if it's doable. Also add a large rug to the space to ancor the furniture and make your room look larger.

What are the measurements of the room?

Ok to clear up a few things:

• There is an area rug. These photos were taken while we were cleaning up fall decorations and the rug was being cleaned

• I cannot move the front door. This house is a full cape cod and there is nowhere else that door is going.

• This layout is temporary since we plan on breaking down the wall between this space and the bedroom next to it in the future to create a larger living room.

• I know the TV is stupidly large, it was a gift and I will be replacing it.

• This is a shared space. This is the only room available for a living room.

• I want to have as much seating as possible, at least 6.

• I am more than willing to change all the furniture. I do not care for any of them.

• The style we are aiming for: Traditional Eclectic

Here is the room layout with measurements. The small rectangular box by the front door is a radiator.

Based on what you've shown in the photos, the current placement of furniture seems to be the best and possibly--only way to go. I suggest painting the cabinet that the tv is on top of a nice shade of dark blue, teal, sage green, celery or another color of your choosing. I would also paint the coffee table that same shade and take the runner off of it. I would also paint the wood on the shelves above the tv the same shade of paint. Also I would focus on the two windows next to the door and spare no expense in putting some nice drapes on them.

Honey, it's the size of a kids bedroom but worse.

SIX people are not going to see TV well, no matter where you put that tv, or where they sit.

Buy a half decent couch, a few inexpensive swivel chairs. Get an inexpensive 8 x 10 rug.

Put a smaller tv on a bracket that allows a swing out, and sell the "gift"

Use the cabinet elsewhere, and call thee audio visual guy for a relo of cable box if you have it, and an IR repeater w/ HDMI cable.

You're toast until you expand the space

Suggestions for this space:

--Four small scale swivel chairs centered around a round coffee table, anchored on a rug would work in the middle of this room. Bring in dining chairs when you have six people. The visual spacing between the chairs will hugely open up the room.

--Move TV and console to the wall to the right of the doorway so guests aren't greeted with a black screen when they walk in. Swivel chairs can turn to face TV as needed. This also adds more space at the entry.

--Swivels should be rounded to add even more visual space.-Here's one from West Elm, though prefer warm butterscotch leather for upholstery.

-Get rid of all those bitty wall shelves. They clutter the space. Get a large painting to face the front door, one with a far horizon line to give a sense of distance when someone walks in.

--Drapes should be same color as the walls. Yours break up the space and drag the room down.

--Put two long vertical mirrors by front door with two of your floating shelves beneath them for keys, etc.

The mirrors will give the illusion of being part of the windows and add light to the sides of the front door.

That's all I've got! Celery suggested the same four chair arrangement, so seriously consider that.

If you are going to take down the wall anytime soon, you may only want to declutter and save your money for furnishings that work best in whatever new space you create.

But, if you want to make the current room look much better, the 4 swivel chairs, somewhat streamlined, to me looks great, though needs to be combined with major declutter also. I raised kids, so I get it, you just have to find your own happy place with what’s allowed in the “ front room”. The chair layout looks “ different ” , in a good way, from the usual front door-into-couch -in -the living-room ( you’re not alone in that), more sophisticated and also more welcoming, and has the improved visual impact described by above posters. What can be difficult about the chairs is that, while you can find lots of inspo pics of them, a lot of them are not as comfortable as you might think and a good comfortable swivel can be expensive. Ideally you would shop brick& mortar stores to test them, or friend’s houses, or get input here or elsewhere. If you do expand your room it’s likely you could use at least 2 swivel chairs in some configuration, since they are very versatile.

Jan's layout and suggestions look very workable and comfortable. Before you start breaking down walls - that often creates more challenges to design - speak with a design professional about the best wall to remove to make a better space. Taking down the bedroom wall looks like it may just create a longer but still narrow room. A couple of hundred dollars with a professional could save you thousands in the long run.

It looks like a really nice house. I don’t think you need to tear down walls. You might miss them. :)

It looks like there is a dining room immediately adjacent (?)

How big is the dining room ? A floor plan of that room and the entire first floor would be the most help. I am wondering if the present dining room might be better for a living room - and this front room for the dining room.

But anyway, with the current plan of this front room living room - I would definitely opt out of the sofa backed up to the front door situation. Instead, I would back a sofa up to the current dining room. You can try it with your current sofa. It might work with the current piece, or you may need a more streamlined and/or a bit less length on the sofa. Yes, it will block some of the open flow entry to the dining room and you guys will have to walk around it. But it will be 1,000 per cent better than what you have now. If you have to have a floating sofa - much better to be backed up to a dining room, than to the front door. You could also consider a slim sofa table for the back of the sofa.

My goal, from a Feng Shui perspective, would also be to get the sofa as far away from the entry door as possible; so putting it perpendicular to the window, with back to dining room, would accomplish this. Now you would have a full view of the front door from the sofa, but you are not IN the doorway,

And you can put your current tv on the far wall. The current size of your tv works perfectly with this arrangement.

And I would also suggest a couple of swivel chairs on the wall in front of entry door, maybe with a table for the swivel chairs. And some art on that wall could be nice.

So please excuse my messy mock-up below - but just to give you the general idea, hopefully. I also used a chandelier, which could be nice - as this is your entry room. If no ceiling wiring, you could alternatively use a swag plug/in chandelier, if you like the idea.

@freedomplace1:

I’m really interested in your idea of switching the living room and dining room. How would you set up the dining room being that it’s in front of the front door?

Your idea has been the most practical and comfortable one at the moment so I appreciate that.

I love the suggestions you are getting. Don’t have any about furniture layout but just wanted to mention your curtains look squished at the windows, consider taking them down and getting shades for the windows if you need privacy or sun protection.

imo, the current drapes are really very elegant.

My pleasure, Leeza. I’m glad the ideas are helpful.

As far as dining room in front room: It is really a thing, and can be very gracious. I don’t know the size and layout of your existing dining room; but with what I see of your house style/architecture, so far, I am wondering if this front room is not actually more meant to be a dining room or a large foyer/entry hall.

There are any number of options for setting it up as a dining room. You could put a console or sideboard with art over it, on the wall that is directly in front of the entry door. And you can play around with ideas for where you think the best table placement would be.

And if you want to keep it as a living room, I think the living room layout I gave you could also work. It’s nice to have options! :)

If you don't care for the four-armchair ideas, then next best thing you can do right now is float your sofa with back to dining room and move console and TV to far wall. Then add just two swivel chairs, small table, and an art work on the wall that faces the front door. Let's see how floating the sofa and moving TV and console look. You can do that right now.

FWIW lots of thoughtful (free) advice given in response to your dilemna - just a plug to be appreciative even if the advice doesn’t work given constraints

Draw and measure the dining room please ? As you did the front room?I'm sure you realize by now, that every room is about feet and inches, doors and passages and traffic through the space

Ok guys, I am really leaning towards switching my living room and dining room. How should I execute the dining room? I would like as many seats as possible and would prefer a rectangular table but would like to see everyone’s ideas

I have no sentimentality towards any of my furniture and willing to replace them all. I prefer traditional eclectic styles and would like to place emphasis on accommodating as many people as possible.

Buy a round table with ability to add extensions.

Go online to Lovesac. The only good way to do this and ensure flexibility!!!

Pay attention to noted sizes and clearances!

Mount the tv on the wall,go a little smaller, get a bracket.

The cable box can be anywhere....with HDMI cable and an IR repeater.

A 60 inch round table will comfortably seat 8/ chair size depending and 54 is very comfy for 6

Add a leaf if needed

Jan: thank you!! I was thinking the same thing for the living room layout. I love the dining room layout as well.

Thank you guys so much for the suggestions I appreciate the help. I could have never came to this conclusion by myself.

I’ll post updates when I can!

Good luck : )!

Brilliant! Change the functions of the rooms, follow Jan’s layout idea and get new furniture that fits. Glad you’re going to shop for a new couch. Jan gave you furniture dimensions too.

Keep us posted.

I like the idea of switching rooms if the DR dimensions are better, and especially if you don’t eat all meals there. Mainly because, it can be hard to keep a table cleared if in constant use! Whereas, if it’s used for occasional meals, and especially guests, then, it looks nice in front room, you can have seasonal decor or flowers there, guests enter home via either a tidy , not-in-use DR ( if not serving a meal, OR are greeted by nicely laid table ; visit in LR ( or glom into kitchen, as it happens) move to DR for meal, back to LR ( former DR) for a movie.

I think of myself as traditional eclectic also— part British cottage, part inherited furniture, some florals, some rattan, some other things. In addition to shopping for “ new” traditional furniture,you might cruise any consignment stores , so-called antique malls, and estate sales for some items. Yes, you’ll find a lot of the wrong stuff there, and of course have to be picky with pre- loved upholstery, but you can also find some of the great older-decade North Carolina furniture maker pieces , and some items that help with the “ eclectic “ and collected-over-time look.