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Design Dilemma Home Decorating

oddly shaped family room

29 days ago

I’m having a tough time designing my family room. I have another living space for watching TV and lounging so I was thinking this room could work well as a moody library since it’s in a darker area of the house. I don’t want to do built ins and am not loving the white shelves I put in here. Its hard to get symmetry with this room. I bought these tall dark bookshelves a ago and debating if I move them into this room. They would fit and I would have one on each side. Other design ideas would be great as well.

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Comments (9)

ShadyWillowFarm
29 days ago
Need a floorplan first. The fireplace looks a bit stunted under what looks to be nice high ceilings. Can you take more pics from farther away? Might be cool to ditch the brick and do a dramatic tile up to the ceiling.🙂
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SeDa
Original Author
29 days ago
Here is a another view
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The stove is gas and we've never used it. I would love to tear out all the brickwork but the original chimney is walled off behind it so it would be a huge, expensive project if it's even structurally feasible. This house has a lot of projects and the main level is my priority so the wet bar will have to wait even though it would be great to have that done. Maybe I can find a slide to attach to the wet bar...they climb on it anyway...and then put the climber on the back deck if it will fit. My boys play outside a ton when we have snow, but 2/3 of the winter we have no snow and apparently it's not so much fun to play outside when it's cold, windy, and dry. We did have the room open for a playroom when we first moved in but then DH insisted on getting that sectional. I would have preferred just a couch and more open space. Maybe if I split the sectional up I can make the room more open again.
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So as not to have furniture in entry path, I would do a well sized L sectional in this placement. Or a sofa + chair - and a swivel chair could be a good option for this arrangenent. Sofa placed where red marking is, chair placed approximately where purple marking is. With tv mounted, or placed on stand, on wall to left of fireplace. And I see there is an outlet right there. If there is little room for a tv console, a stand like this could also be used. Plus, a mobile tv stand like this can be helpful - to adjust for tv viewing distances. From your one photo, it is hard to get a sense of the available space for a tv in that spot there. But that is where I would place the tv. If you have a dining room, another option could possibly be switching living room and dining room. So the dining room would be in front room by the fireplace. If you are able to have a flexible dining room setup, you could use a round table and folding chairs, and when not having guests over for dinner, could set front room up as entry foyer. If you needed the space to be set up as dining room all the time, that works, also. But would need pics of dining room and/or any other rooms that might possibly work - in order to determine the feasibility of making a switch.
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I'd start with a sofa facing fireplace and 4 chairs/coffee table. The chairs do not have to match and I would choose swivels for the two on the t v side.
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Not familiar with thta company but I would strongly discourage the purchase of any sectional . IMO sectionals are the most expensive way to have 2 comfy seats. Armrests = comfort so 2 arm rests = 2 seats that fill first then everyone else is seated in the same as a the middle seat of a sofa . Sectionals are also very site specific so usually never work in the next house you buy, Get a sofa and 2 chairs 4 comfy seats one guy in the middle of the sofa . The big bonus you can almost always reconfigure those pieces no matter where you go. BTW IMO you never buy seating without a test drive.
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PRO
SeDa
Original Author
29 days ago
View from kitchen
freedomplace1
29 days ago
You could just paint the fireplace wall, It will give you a ”moody” feeling, and won’t close in the space.

Is it a working fireplace? If not you could use an electric fireplace insert or electric log kit.
PRO
SeDa
Original Author
29 days ago
Ooh I like that but wondering if that would work with the high ceilings? And yes it’s a working gas fireplace.
freedomplace1
29 days ago
Yes, it will work with the high, slanted ceilings. Just paint the fireplace wall, only. That’s great that it’s a working gas fireplace! .
chispa
28 days ago
You have to be very neat and organized if you are going to have open shelving. If you are going to have all those toys in the room for several more years, then I would look for some closed storage.
doods
28 days ago
Yes ^^^
tracefloyd
28 days ago
last modified: 28 days ago
What does the wall look like that the sofa faces..the wall on the left? It looks like a vertical soffet and there is light coming from a window.

I can't quite picture the whole room. When deciding on what to do with one element, consider the context of the entire space. Please provide more photos, like of the wall on the left you don't show.

And think about sheetrock to fill in the gap between the pillars over the fireplace. And I don't like shelves on each side of the fireplace in this room...they make the fireplace feel squeezed in and squashed somehow.

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