Awkward living room, need help with furniture and artwork placement

9 years ago

The room is 27' x 14'. The doors on the sides of the fireplace make it difficult to place furniture. I would like suggestions on placement of furniture and artwork.

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User

9 years ago

I really think your sofa and chair are to large for this space. I would not have the furniture in the doorways.

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PRO
Bepa Studio
9 years ago
If you're looking for unique artwork, check out BepaStudio.com Sizes are customizable and can be shipped framed or unframed.
Cathy
9 years ago
The couch and chair cannot be on the wall. Put the chair on one side of the fp and the couch on the other, facing each other.

Put the office area where the floor lamp is now.
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Laura Sauls
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the input Cathy. Do you think it's a problem if the couch and chair are slightly in the way of the doors on sides of fireplace?
asquithoatley
9 years ago
Have to agree with Margo- your furniture , very nice that it is, is far too big for the space. That is why you can not place it properly in the room.
John Smithh
9 years ago
A rug would be suitable in this spacing as you have hard flooring so therefor to soften your look a soft rug would look great! ;)
PRO
Shelley Scales Design Associates
9 years ago
I agree with the other comments. I would like to suggest that you pull together an intimate grouping. The scale of the fireplace is throwing you off. It needs to be made to look smaller. Close one of the doors if they both go to the same kitchen area. Paint the fireplace white to match the wood work . Place a 9 x 12 bright area carpet under the furniture. A comfy 34" height sectional would work against the wall. Neutral coloured with lots of overstuffed throw cushions. Office can be under the windows on the left end. Should be a freestanding table table turned to face the grouping.
Art work will fall into place after a better layout has been invested in. Hope that helps.
PRO
Suzanne Powers
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I like your living room it is inviting and classic. I would first try pulling the sofa up closer to the fireplace so there is enough room to walk behind it and add the chair at one end for a cozy arrangement. For your classic space I suggest framed and matted black and white photography or prints on the walls. Here are a few from my gallery.
Laura Sauls
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm going to pitch the furniture and change to small loveseat and two chairs. Also going to move the desk to wall opposite of fireplace or try to face it toward grouping. Unsure of painting fireplace, we wanted to when we painted the trim but we decided against it because you can't take paint off the fireplace. Do you feel that painting the fireplace will turn off people if we ever sell our house?
User
9 years ago
Laura- when you go out shopping look for *small scale* furniture. Macy's often shows examples in their ads.
Are you talking about painting the brick on the fireplace? The mantel? both? whitewash the brick?
PRO
Gray & Walter, Ltd.
9 years ago
Unfortunately your furniture is too big. You need smaller furniture. Have a local pro draw up a furniture plan for you (to scale). Have them suggest proper sizes for the pieces. This can be fixed.
Mary Dillon
9 years ago
I sure would think again about at least whitewashing the brick -- the FP will still be a focal point but will maybe seem to "recede" a little, making the room look less narrow. If some future owner wants it brick-colored, they can paint it!! Nobody wants to be the one "guilty" of the original painting, but once Somebody Else has done it, people coming along after that are thereby given permission to do whatever they like with it. And AMEN to the conversation about smaller furniture -- you really don't need a full-sized sofa at all, unless you want to nap on it! I could really see the desk on either end of the room, pulled away from the wall so someone sitting behind it would face the middle of the room. For some reason I can see it better on the left end as you face the fireplace -- I think because it will make good use of that space and visually shorten the room while still leaving a clear shot for the traffic between those 2 doors across the room. You could put a rug under the chair to cover the electric cord for the lamp until/unless you can put in a floor outlet (I know they say don't do that, but I'd cheat, at least long enough to try it out). You may need to camouflage the "back" of the desk (facing the room) -- paint? fabric? low screen? Can't tell much about the desk.

I LOVE the color of yr walls, and the white of the furniture looks nice there. Hopefully you'll have space to get a nice conversational grouping in front of the FP, but in case it shd prove tight, while you still have the sofa in the room, why not just try it under the windows at the far end, once you move desk from there? Its height cd be a problem, and you'll never get a sofa low enough to get under the windows, but a lower one might eventually work in that spot, and you do have more space at that end for a conversational grouping, plus having a sofa under those windows wd also contribute to making the room look less long and narrow. Such a pretty room, but so hard to furnish!
Mary Dillon
9 years ago
Desk on wall opposite FP will only emphasize awkward narrowness of room and make it harder to position conversation group!
decoenthusiaste
9 years ago
No loveseat - hard to arrange and impossible for two people to sit on one and face each other for conversation. Try an apt/loft sized sofa and two chairs. First, I seem to see a desk right of the right French door and another one right of the large entry into the room. Please confirm if there are two desks and two round decor pieces hanging above them. Here are two arrangements I'd try. One desk only for both of them.
1) Push the sofa to be centered on that wall, not hanging over into the entry. Hang the large round mirror above it and angle the chair in the corner right of the French door with a side table and lamp. All of this is to the right of the FP. To the left of it, float one desk and chair so when seated your back is to the windows. If you eliminate the desks this might be a great spot for a family game table out in front of the large opening.
2) Turn the sofa and float it perpendicular to the side walls, back to the windows in the end of the room where it already is. Place one desk and behind it where a sofa table would go. Again, you'll sit there with your back to the windows. Move the chair to the left side of the FP, angled so when seated you can look at the fire with your back to the large entry. Hang one of the round objects above the FP.
Would love to see you try these two and post pix. Might save you some $$$ if your pieces will work.
Laura Sauls
Original Author
9 years ago
Here's a photo of the brick on fireplace. I think white wash would be difficult on this texture? So probably paint? I never thought about painting the mantel as well. The top is already painted.

We have one desk and one buffet full of liquor, wine, and fun stuff from childless days! That will be staying! :)

I'll try to rearrange some things tonight or this weekend to see how things look. Thanks so much for the input!
Mary Dillon
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh, Laura, I think that's the kind of brick that shd definitely be painted ...and it will brighten yr room, too! You cd keep the mantel as-is and make a separate decision about it once the brick is done.
PRO
James Houston Design
9 years ago
Hi there, Feel free to browse our online gallery www.jameshoustondesign.com of Limited Edition images captured by world-renown photographer, James Houston.

Awkward living room, need help with furniture and artwork placement

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Comments (17)

Bepa Studio

Cathy

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Awkward living room, need help with furniture and artwork placement

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