I would definitely put an area rug. Make sure it is wide enough go under the front third of the sofa and also the desk so it will stay anchored. A designer once suggested to me a rug so for my 11x13 room the rug is 9x11. Better to fill the room than have it look too small. Have you tried the DR rug in the LR? Then have solid color cut for the DR. Paint the DR walls the darkest color in the rug you have now.

An area carpet will bring some softness, but the issue is the grouping of unrelated furniture. I suppose the sideboard and desk are in the living room because there‘s no room for them elsewhere. Is there another place for a home office/the desk? Could a guest room double as a home office? Could the sideboard function as a media cabinet under a tv? Or as storage in a bedroom or playroom? Wondering if you could reconsider your furnishings and their function and possibly move/swap out some furniture to make everything fit together in a better way.

I was also wondering if that room is the only place for a desk because it would help your layout if the desk were not there. It would be really nice if you could bring in two accent chairs (and maybe a longer sofa) to create a conversation grouping. Here is an article that might be helpful: https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/design-pass-room-reveal-portland-family-room

@Susan I really appreciate that and you're right...it's the furniture that doesn't really fit anywhere else. Our desk is just too big to fit in the guest room/office upstairs and we like the option of seating in the living room as a quieter reading spot than the family room. I've gone round and round with this and haven't come up with any better option, unfortunately. I also know we wouldn't use this as a conversation area since we have that covered in our family room that we use more often for entertaining.

Could you please post the measurements of the sideboard, loveseat, and desk?

As you can see on the scale floor plan, you have room for more furniture in your living room to make it more inviting. Buy a flat weave area rug which shouldn't be a problem in your pass through area (if it worries you, buy special tape to keep it in place, look on Amazon). A few complimentary pieces such as a coffee table, nice lamps, an accent chair and wall art will complete the look.

Ooh…so much better!!

Desk: 64' x32", sideboard 60" x 20", loveseat 69" x 37"

@lisedv great minds 😄. I'd actually tried that with the second upholstered chair we have in the room (it came as a set with the desk chair and I had it just tucked against the railing near the desk).

Once you put anything in the center of the room you block the traffic pattern. It seems good on paper until you look at in the space. It also looks odd in front of the sideboard (I tried that too).

My other photos didn't post:

The cat tower needs to find another spot so that the loveseat/end table lamp can move closer to the front wall and the added chair should be a very small occasional chair, not the extra parson dining

Perhaps you can move your loveseat slightly more towards the front window but mostly I think that it's the height of your chair doesn't work for that space, you need a lower back one. It also seems as though it's not the only access to the dining room so is there so much traffic going though? Unless the measurements on the floor plan are wrong, I've done all the furniture to scale with the measurements you've given me. See the plan below to see the space for a walk through which is sufficient. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to change...

The cat perch is only there for the Christmas season as our tree is in the morning room where it normally would be....so that's temporary.

I moved the loveseat towards the front window but it isn't helping....it's the lack of space width-wise in the room. Even the narrow Parson's chair leaves no walkway (32" with the desk chair pushed in, 16" if someone were sitting in it). An occasional chair would take up more space. The dimensions in the layout aren't matching up.

I angles the Parson's chair (22" wide) a bit which increased the walkway from 32" to 42" (with a hallway bench for a visualization of a coffee table). A larger occasional chair would take up that walkway space again. To my eye this is a lot of furniture in a small room...

I agree with the OP, I can't see where there's room for more furniture in that small space. Wasn't this discussion supposed to be about a rug?

Well perhaps the floor plan you gave me is wrong, I worked with the scaled grid on the plan for the furniture. Sorry this isn't working out for the extra chair but perhaps it can work for a nice coffee table, artwork, a nice larger based lamp on the side table, and perhaps a nice plant close to that table between living and dining room.

So I drew everything to scale…this option switches the loveseat and desk…and you could try it out with your dining room carpet just to get a feel for how it would come together. While it may seem counterintuitive to place the loveseat in the corner, the side table/lamp fit nicely beside it and it fits the bill for a quiet cozy reading corner. The 8 x 10 rug will add some softness underfoot, anchor all of the large furniture pieces and make the room feel more spacious. Worth a try…

Here’s the drawing…

The sideboard needs to go into the dining room. Your dining set is not centered on the rug, maybe the rug is too big? But it looks like there is room on the wall between the kitchen and dining room for the sideboard. Now you have room in the living room for a chair at the window and the love seat, anchored by a rug, with maybe a small oval coffee table. And the walk way is clear.

@Susan Thanks for the idea....we can give it a try! Do you think the sofa would look less awkward in that position? I like the idea of testing it out with our existing rug....sounds like you think a large rug is better than a smaller one.

@ShadyWillowFarm The dining table is centered in the room and on the rug....the photos might show a distorted view if it doesn't look that way. If we had room for the sideboard in the dining room I'd move it there in a heartbeat. We have 33" from the back of the chairs to the wall and the sideboard is 20" deep. If I put it against the windows in the dining room we'd have to move the table off center and the chair near the living would be almost off the rug. I knew the sideboard would end up in the living room when I bought it recently (there was a large dark bookshelf in that room previously and the loveseat was against the windows) but I desperately needed storage for serving pieces as our kitchen is small. Someday in another house maybe they'll fit in the same room....

Yes, I think this layout lets the loveseat be enough on its own…in its own little corner. Everything seems to fit better and keeps the pathways open. A 9 x 11 rug may work even better. Please post a photo if you switch it up…curious to see how it will look.

Lots of great options here. Re-read your original question. Third option might be a sheepskin rug in front of loveseat, real or faux. A double sheepskin is long and slim, whereas a “quad” is about 3’ x 5’:

And maybe one or two square poufs instead of coffee table . . .

I would get a rug, but the sideboard in another room and add a chair by the window to make it more of a conversation area (or at least just look like one). I don’t like the chair by the opening to the dining room. It looks cramped.

Do you use your dining room often? I like @ShadyWillowFarm ideas and it might work if you line three chairs on either side of the table instead of having chairs at the end of the the table. Your sideboard could then go under the dining room window.

I prefer the sofa on the wall where it is now. Good idea if you have room in your dining room to move the sideboard there... I'll be back with a drawing...