Living Room Furniture Arrangement (was Interior decorator on a budget)

We have two of these tables that we couldn't live without: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/mobile/metal-edge-laptop-desk.do?sortby=bestMatchesDescend&from=Search

They're super versatile and we move them around all the time to suit our needs. Typically my wife and I put one on each side of our chaise when we're sipping beverages and watching tv. And they're great for entertaining and working. Just this weekend, my six year old and his grandpa played chess on one of these tables while on the couch and a chair.

Somethingz_Fishy said:

In that layout, in the corner where the chair and the ottoman is, I wonder if you can out a settee or small loveseat, perhaps with a table behind it for lighting or surfaces to put drinks, etc. on. It might help with the amount of seating and the balance of the room, though I don't know for sure.

Like http://www.worldmarket.com/product/caribbean+blue+quincy+loveseat.do?&from=fn or http://www.worldmarket.com/product/erin-cute-as-a-button-loveseat.do?&from=fn


I like the "Quincy" loveseat a lot. But, my first instinct is that it would be too big for the space, certainly with a table behind it. It seems like it would really eat into the traffic flow. The layout @pmartinezv drew probably has more generous dimensions than our space, though I'm not home to measure. But where she has about 6' of wall space, we have more like 2' - 3' there. The doorways are very wide, so that wall is more of a corner. Here's the picture again since it was many posts ago!

In the room's past life, the wall that corner shares with the dining room held our sideboard, which is about 4' long max. Those two corners are funny little spaces!


amie said:

Your house is the mirror image of our old SO house! I miss those pocket doors.

I really like Emily Henderson's vibe, and she had a great post a while back about the horrors of generic sofas and a round up of stylish, affordable ones.

http://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/design-mistake-1-the-generic-sofa/


Oh, the pocket doors!! We have not opened the wall up to see if they are still intact but I have wondered. That certainly must have been the use for them!

@amie, out of curiosity, did you have a setup similar to ours, in terms of function? Do you recall the type of furniture arrangement you used? If you have any old pictures I'd love to see them!!

It shows my lack of design knowledge that some of the posts she includes in the "generic" section seem similar to me to some of the others she recommends. LOL oh oh

Also, since this is a "blog" now, please feel free to share any pictures!! As you can probably tell, I'm a very visual person, and it really helps me to see things. So I'd love to see suggestions of real photos, whether in your houses or otherwise!

I don't. We have lots and lots of books so it was lined in bookcases.

HOWEVER, you could look at the staged photos when we listed and sold our house. It wasn't a very warm inviting layout, but it did sell the place!

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/466-Academy-St-South-Orange-NJ-07079/38733960_zpid/

Saw this on Pinterest. It seems a similar layout. Much like what afa mentioned before:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/19281104627999197/

It actually looks really nice.

That does look nice! Thanks for the visual.

But then, what becomes of the big long wall? The radiator can't be the focal point there...

Maybe something like this. I think @afa mentioned comfy chairs there before. But I wonder... could we do that and still have our existing chairs in the corners where they are? Or tuck them in a bit? Otherwise we're not doing much about adding seating to the room.

I still feel like that underutilizes the bay window a bit, as opposed to a window seat. But, it's definitely an idea to toss around. Maybe I'll play with moving the furniture around a little bit tonight.

And again I ask the question - where is that lamp plugged in?!? oh oh Is it battery operated?

I think you have it, right there, for your window alcove! I'm loving this blog! great ideas!

and tarheels, I love your house pix! such a lovely older home. Definitely, I would agree, you should float furniture. Your floors are gorgeous!

I wouldn't get too stuck on having the chairs in the corners, honestly. The way the traffic flow will end up being in the room will cut off the corners for those areas to be any natural seating arrangement, is my guess.

We used to have our living room with two super comfy chairs by the built-in cabinets (i don't know if we had the baby zone there when you were here??) and no one EVER sat in those chairs. They were too far away from the couch (where people naturally went to sit) and the path from the foyer to the Maplewood room really cut it off from the rest of the room.

The sad faces are where the abandoned chairs sat. Seriously, every time we had company people would just sit on the floor around the couch. Strategic ottomans and chairs brought in from the dining room helped, but those super comfy chairs were NEVER used, even by super pregnant people who should have been sitting in them. They sat on the floor and then couldn't get up.

I also can't emphasize enough how nice it is to have a warm butt, so don't worry too much about the radiator being exposed. Maybe get a nice custom cover built... It could even have a couple of bookends on either side of you want it to look more substantial. J literally spends most of her day sitting on or standing next to the radiators. Warm butts, all day every day.

LOL, @afa! Your living room is a LOT bigger than ours though. Sitting in the chairs now doesn't feel far from the couch to me at all, but perhaps you have to be in the room. That's not to say I'm opposed to tucking them all in closer; with a slimmer profile couch it will be even easier, whether that's on the radiator wall or in the bay window.

I would love to see your 2 chairs in the bay window, with a table between (hopefully, a little reading-type storage in the table, and a lamp on it). Maybe the current art table could go in one of the corners where the chairs are now? Otherwise, maybe a backless "sofa" (what are these called??) with arms, where 2 people could sit when there's company, or one person could stretch out and read. The chairs could move aside somewhere for the Christmas tree: at that time of year things just have to scooch around a little, right?

And wrt to where to plug in a lamp that's in the middle of the room, at our house DH would drill a hole through the floor and plug it somewhere in the basement. Also I've seen nice-looking brass outlets wired in on the floor.

Finally, you have all my sympathy regarding the "no walls" situation! Our SO house living room had 4 doorways (2 of them wide), plus the stairs going up. Almost everything had to "float," all the time.

eta: and yes, your home looks lovely already, and when you find the right tweaks you will like it even more.

Thanks @mjc! The art table can totally go somewhere else. We have a little room off the dining room that has no purpose and I keep trying to get my son to use it for his art but he won't cheese

If the chairs moved into the bay, and a sofa stays where is... won't that make the other half of the room feel empty? It still doesn't address the issue of more seating. Unless I add two more chairs opposite the couch somehow. Or @truegrid's idea of another sofa but I'm afraid I might not have the depth for that. Hmm....

TarheelsInNj said:

That does look nice! Thanks for the visual.

But then, what becomes of the big long wall? The radiator can't be the focal point there...

Maybe something like this. I think @afa mentioned comfy chairs there before. But I wonder... could we do that and still have our existing chairs in the corners where they are? Or tuck them in a bit? Otherwise we're not doing much about adding seating to the room.

I still feel like that underutilizes the bay window a bit, as opposed to a window seat. But, it's definitely an idea to toss around. Maybe I'll play with moving the furniture around a little bit tonight.

And again I ask the question - where is that lamp plugged in?!? oh oh Is it battery operated?


I would totally do this on the radiator side or even below the window itself if you have the space. And you can still keep the chair in the opposite corner so you will add some additional seating.

I don't think the chairs in the corner being far away are an issue. As long as they allow enough room to walk by, as they appear to be, they will help you fill the space, and they will provide additional sitting when you have company which I think is the biggest issues. We have two chairs on each side of the fireplace that are only used when we have company since we just sit on the couch to watch TV. So they don't get used much but they are there a) for decoration and b) to provide additional seating.

TarheelsInNj said:



Maybe something like this. I think @afa mentioned comfy chairs there before. But I wonder... could we do that and still have our existing chairs in the corners where they are? Or tuck them in a bit? Otherwise we're not doing much about adding seating to the room.

I still feel like that underutilizes the bay window a bit, as opposed to a window seat. But, it's definitely an idea to toss around. Maybe I'll play with moving the furniture around a little bit tonight.

And again I ask the question - where is that lamp plugged in?!? oh oh Is it battery operated?


This is what I was suggesting in an earlier post. You need arm chairs of this scale to match your existing sofas. I like the proportions of your existing armless chairs, but not with the current sofa. If you go with something like this, I would move your current chairs to the dining room on either side of the window. You can get them to the living room when you have more guests. If you leave your chairs in the living room and add two substantial chairs, it will be too crowded. For the corner between the foyer and dining room, you could put a mid century 60" - 70" glass fronted cabinet or an armchair with an ottoman.



TarheelsInNj said:

Somethingz_Fishy said:

In that layout, in the corner where the chair and the ottoman is, I wonder if you can out a settee or small loveseat, perhaps with a table behind it for lighting or surfaces to put drinks, etc. on. It might help with the amount of seating and the balance of the room, though I don't know for sure.

Like http://www.worldmarket.com/product/caribbean+blue+quincy+loveseat.do?&from=fn or http://www.worldmarket.com/product/erin-cute-as-a-button-loveseat.do?&from=fn


I like the "Quincy" loveseat a lot. But, my first instinct is that it would be too big for the space, certainly with a table behind it. It seems like it would really eat into the traffic flow. The layout @pmartinezv drew probably has more generous dimensions than our space, though I'm not home to measure. But where she has about 6' of wall space, we have more like 2' - 3' there. The doorways are very wide, so that wall is more of a corner. Here's the picture again since it was many posts ago!

In the room's past life, the wall that corner shares with the dining room held our sideboard, which is about 4' long max. Those two corners are funny little spaces!


I bet you could fit your two chairs and a small tulip shaped table between them in that corner. You'll have to move them out a little bit and there'll be a little overhang into the doorways, but I bet it won't be obtrusive. That could go a long way to making the room feel bigger, soften the edges of it and make it feel more cohesive. Don't let that corner dictate the rules... You dictate the corner!

That said, I haven't given up Quincy in that corner; it might worth measuring molding to molding. It might fit there pulled out a bit with a little overhang and a triangle shaped table behind it. But the Quincy couch might also look good in the bay window.

Either of these options would give you the ability to increase seating without feeling claustrophobic.

Molding-to-molding, that corner is about 5' wide. The foyer side of the wall is about 3', and the dining room side is about 4'.

Just for a sense of scale I put the coffee table there. It's about 4' deep, so would simulate a small armchair/ottoman situation.

Played around with the furniture a bit tonight to try out some of these ideas. I measured the couch and it's over 3' deep- the reason it's so comfy!!- but the next one will definitely be smaller. I used the little art table as a placeholder for an ottoman or small coffee table.

Here it is with the chairs pulled in to more of a "conversation area." Is anyone bothered that the view from the foyer is the back of the chairs? I thought I would be but I don't mind it.

In this layout it seems it would still work well to have something in the bay like a small bench or maybe a window seat.

(The dog would like to state for the record that she is not amused)

After moving it into this arrangement, I moved dining chairs as placeholders for something in the bay window. I think the room is too small to have separate "zones" really. Whatever's in the bay needs to be an extension of the conversation area, which is why I'm liking the idea of a lower-profile bench or something. Otherwise those two areas seem to compete.


I also tried the idea of moving the chairs into the bay, and the above-pictured coffee table as a seating option in the foyer/dining corner wall.

This arrangement doesn't feel as good to me. It feels like half the room is empty, and if you're sitting on the couch you lack any focal point. Plus, I find the conversation flow awkward; you're always turning sideways to someone instead of facing them.


I like the chairs with their back to the foyer. It creates intimacy and sense of space. It's looks 20 times better than before. Don't worry about their backs. It's fine!

I do think a smaller loveseat or settee could work nicely in the bay window with that setup!

Yes!!! Chairs out in that first pic looks great and seems so cozy. Does the chair on the left hinder traffic flow from the foyer into the dining room? If not, I'd say go for it.

Oh man, isn't moving furniture satisfying?

My son decided he wanted to rearrange too. What do you think? cheese


TarheelsInNj said:

My son decided he wanted to rearrange too. What do you think? cheese



It looks great as a fort... not sure for entertaining, unless you are entertaining little kids. I agree that the first one you posted looks really great! And don't worry about the back of the chairs!! We have the back of our sofa facing the entrance in the middle of the room!

I love your son's arrangement! You can get in your daily workout as you leap over the chair to go back and forth between rooms. No need to hit the gym!

I like the photo with the chair backs to the foyer... don't let the backs of the chairs worry you. That arrangement looks good to me, as long as the chair on the left side of the photo doesn't block the flow of traffic. That's the only possible problem, to me.

TarheelsInNj said:

Played around with the furniture a bit tonight to try out some of these ideas. I measured the couch and it's over 3' deep- the reason it's so comfy!!- but the next one will definitely be smaller. I used the little art table as a placeholder for an ottoman or small coffee table.

Here it is with the chairs pulled in to more of a "conversation area." Is anyone bothered that the view from the foyer is the back of the chairs? I thought I would be but I don't mind it.

In this layout it seems it would still work well to have something in the bay like a small bench or maybe a window seat.


This looks good. Is it possible to pull the chairs back a little? It seems from your other photo that they may be about 5 ft. away from the couch, which may too close.

TarheelsInNj said:

I also tried the idea of moving the chairs into the bay, and the above-pictured coffee table as a seating option in the foyer/dining corner wall.

This arrangement doesn't feel as good to me. It feels like half the room is empty, and if you're sitting on the couch you lack any focal point. Plus, I find the conversation flow awkward; you're always turning sideways to someone instead of facing them.



Agree with you that this one looks sparse. But if you added a large armchair with an ottoman in the corner between the foyer and the bay window, you would get more seating and a cozier feel. Three chairs would be the max I would keep in that room besides the couch. I would add a piece of cabinetry and round out all the square and rectangular furniture with an oval or round coffee table or ottoman.

Another option for you is to do a 60" loveseat in the bay window and an armchair and ottoman in one of the corners near the entry from the foyer. During Christmas, you could move the loveseat into corner near the dining room, so you have space for the tree.


Also, you shouldn't feel the need to angle the chairs. I would line them up with a small, low side table between them. *symmetry is important for me and my OCD* Then I would put two cube shaped ottomans in the window. This will act as a window seat, but you would be able to move them into the space for seating (separate or together). They will also be easy to move out of the way come Christmas.

Here's a really affordable armchair that can be paired with an ottoman.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=25589581a&parentid=A_FURN_SALE#/

Also check out the sofas at Urban Outfitters. Many are smaller in size. The sale section has a couple of very affordable sofa beds among other things.

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