simpleman10, with dark floors, stay light on the sofa. A dark sofa here will suck all the light out of the room.

The Eames lounge chair is perfect for a man's space. Leather and wood are classic materials that will never go out of style. Even with your height, this chair will be very comfortable for a long time. I would pair it with a nice leather loveseat. You can find more info on the chair here: http://www.manhattanhomedesign.com/eames-lounge-chair-and-ottoman.html

Hi Simpleman10, I like the sitting areas you posted. I want to point out an element in the Suburban Oasis, that make it the better choice. If you look closely at the sectional you will see it is 4 separate sections, and this structure makes it an excellent choice! Reason is, you can pull the two small sections (middle and corner sections) out and use them like chairs and/or you can place the two couch sections facing each other, this give you the versatility to alter the room layout from time to time. Your current sectional misses this flexibility, so I just wanted to make mention of this in case you decide to replace your current sectional.

I'm sure I'll be outnumbered by far but I love the orange sofa. I think it's fun and playful and has a great style that will be great for a long time to come. However, I am not color-shy. I have lots of color in my home and never tire of it. Believe it or not, that sofa offers a lot of versatility and I love the colors with the gray paint and dark floors. I don't think you will regret that decision.

Consider a flex sofa whose chaise portion can be reversed from left to right to give you more options when arranging or rearranging.

Forgot to say i think turning the table will help. Rugs under them should be 4' wider and longer than the table top but not run into walls or other furniture on the walls, if that helps you.

I like the warmer toned couches vs. the darker ones of the pics above. The orangish tone is vibrant and warm and would look great against gray walls but it is something of a commitment. Here's a couple of pics I found.

Warm brown couch and light and dark gray walls. Suburban oasis is a nice picture.

Simple man, I love the last pic of the couch you posted! The one with the horse pic above it. The medium brown colour will never go out of style and goes with so much, it is distressed looking and very masculine. I also commend you for asking for design assistance. As a realtor, I see so many single men buy the requisite black leather poofy sofa and large screen tv and call it a day :)

I must say, the orange and cognac colored sofas are both really growing on me. I had my heart set on a darker color, but that orange really seems to pop. I am also planning to change out my dark wood blinds. They seem kind of blah. I have been told that it was too much dark wood. Poor lighting is a big problem in my space. I plan to have recessed lighting put in eventually, but one thing at a time. I'm thinking I should go lighter with my window treatments. Please let me know your thoughts on this. I cant find the picture, but I saw a room with white or off white shades mounted inside of the window and curtains on the outside. I thought it looked nice. I attached a similar pic below. The curtains looked like they were more for color than function. They were using a short rod or something because it didn't go all the way across... I really liked the gray curtains that they were using (not shown). Do you think the gray curtains would go well with the orange or cognac colored sofa, or would you go lighter? Maybe a different color altogether? @afnowens has a similar pic above with what looks like a linen color. Again, this will be with the gray walls. The paint below is just something that I'm looking at. The shade can change. Again, thanks for all the help and suggestions. I'm really excited about finally getting this put together. https://www.houzz.com/photos/210-cranston-gate-se-contemporary-living-room-calgary-phvw-vp~2623979

@ReMax - Lisa.... I just saw your post after posting mine. I am so glad to hear you say that. You were dead on with the black couch and TV. I had to turn my attention away from tv's for that reason. I have matured enough to know that it's okay to ask for help. Thank you for your feedback.

@afnowens... Thank you for the pics. It looks like it would be safe to go light or dark on the paint. The one with the map seems to blend with everything. They make it look so easy.

@decoenthusiaste... Turning the table 90 degrees seems to be unanimous. Thank you.

I was thinking about the furniture layout pic from earlier. If you do decide on a couch and 2 chairs, you might want to think about making the chairs swivel. Perfect for family visit conversations and on game day... swivels those bad boys around and yell at the tv! PS. My favorite couch is the gorgeous cognac color. (From the suburban oasis pic.) That will suit you for years. I'll get back to you on the curtains.

Swivels..... Interesting,

Anchor your table on a rug. Keep your chairs off the rug with pads on the legs. Simplify -- find a rug you are crazy about. Keep it about 12" outside your table footprint. Chairs outside. Sofas seem nice, but do not move smoothly in dining rooms.

Ok. Finally found some time to weigh in on your blinds. I like them. They match your floors and if I'm not mistaken match the ones in the kitchen too. You know how I like my pictures, so here they come. They fourth pic is interesting because they did a carved wooden custom valance. It's a nice, simple look. Any curtains would be hard for me to judge until I see the furniture and wall colors you choose.

@Bellamira Design... Thank you for the suggestion. I didn't know this was an option.

@afnowens.... That looks so much better than mine. I think the key is the white trim. Seems to make it stand out. I will have to give this a try as well. Thank you.

Judging by the feedback and my personal feelings, this is what I have on my radar. Again, thank you all for the wonderful ideas. I was completely lost. I hope to bring these ideas to fruition very soon.

1. Cognac sofa with square arms.
2. One chair on each side of the sofa or two on one side.
3. New tv stand. Would be nice to have something that hides speakers. If not, low pro speakers on top.
4. Gray wall paint (try one wall with rust color).
5. Stone wall behind tv - stacked style
6. keep dining table - turn 90 degrees - if I add a rug, use it for table only.
7. Try white trim around dark wood blinds.
8. Tables - Wood and metal tables
9. New light over table (already purchased)
10. Lamps with white shades
11. Curtains (not sure what shade yet)
12. Make the space a reflection of me - not a showroom.... thanks @hayleydaniels.


I think this is an awesome looking tv stand. Wouldn't be deep enough to hold my AV equipment, but still a very nice look.

I'll bet you could find someone to make you that media cabinet to your specs: https://www.etsy.com/shop/leecowen?section_id=13429724&ref=shopsection_leftnav_1

Love it! Make sure to post pics as you move ahead. I would love to see the end result! Good luck.

Wow... Never knew that it would be so tough to find something close to the style and color of that cognac sofa. I did a little research and that sofa is pretty big. You can't tell by looking at the picture (at least I can't), but it could be about 46" deep. That might be a little much even for me at 6'1". Seems more like a lounge sofa. I would like to find something already on the showroom floor if at all possible. That way I can give it the old comfort test drive. Custom means more cash. It's hard for me to go in on something sight unseen. Might take a while on this one, but I'm having fun looking at all of the options. If I find the right sofa, the color can always be ordered. If it takes too long, I will just have to go back to one of the custom places and gamble on one that looks nice. Have a safe and wonderful three day weekend.... Thanks all.

Well, I managed to find the sofa in the suburban oasis pic, but I was a little disappointed because the sofa was way too deep. This sofa is designed for large rooms. The total depth was 46 inches and the seat depth was close to 30 inches. I sat down with the back of my knees touching the sofa, leaned back and by the time my back touched the rear cushion, I was sitting at a 30 to 40 degree angle. Definitely not a sofa for guest. Maybe for a movie room, but not for normal everyday use. This color is extremely hard to find without doing a special order. I'm not going to give up. I will keep looking.

Not sure exactly which sofa you're looking for, but take a look at West Elm's leather sofas: http://www.westelm.com/shop/furniture/sofas/all-sofas/?cm_type=lnav&N=4294963553

Thank you @groveraxle... I was talking about the sofa in the suburban oasis photo below. The one at West Helm might be a great option. It looks like they offer the cognac color with special orders. The price is also very reasonable.

:(... I was hoping you were looking for one like the Bucktown Restoration sofa. That looks like so much more fun. The cognac is nice though. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. My sofa is somewhat between the two - more café au lait with a tinge of orange. Guess that's why I was pulling for the orange. :)

@simpleman 10. I just read all the post today 4/17/15. It's been 7 months since the last post. Have you made any progress?

Here are some ideas.

Hey there.

I have a number of blog posts specifically designed for men.

www.timothyriversinteriors.com/blog

If you have specific questions feel free to contact me timothyriversinteriors@gmail.com

Happy Designing!

Please post pictures.

Hello,
I'm so sorry. I could not remember my account info for the longest time. Too many accounts for too many things. Easy to forget. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to help me with my project. Unfortunately, I ended up selling my home.... Fortunately, I am now starting a new project with my new house. Hopefully the house will be done within the next month or two. I can already see some issues with my new space. Because of the stackable sliding glass wall, the living area is going to have a weird layout. It's going to be tight. I don't know if I should use the entire space as my living area or just the designated living space which is only 12-1/2 by 13-1/2 feet. I will be sharing pictures of the space as time goes on. As you can see, they still have to do quite a bit. It's important to note that there will be a walkway separating the living area (closest to the far wall) from the dining area (closest to the glass slider). You can see the opening to the hallway on the far right. Same story.... Furniture layout will be key with this space since it is so tight. I am currently looking for another sofa or sectional. The room is being set up to have the TV on the far wall and the sofa or sectional will separate the two spaces... thanks again.

Congratulations on the new place. Can you give us a floor plan with dimensions and openings marked?

Hello groveraxle..... Here it is. I'm only worried about the living area. The front room is a small den. Thinking about making it an office. Thanks

Thanks, simpleman. That's what I wanted to see. I wanted to see where the opening to the hall was in relation to living and dining.

One of these two arrangements should enable all chairs to view the TV. One allows the TV to be viewed from the kitchen, the other from the dining, though if you mount the TV on an articulating arm, you can move it to view it from anywhere. The second arrangement allows you to sit a bit further from the screen which may be desirable if you have a really big TV.

A couple of tips: place or hang the TV at eye level, make sure your media cabinet is AT LEAST 25% wider than the TV (longer almost always looks better), and that you have a minimum of 3' walk space around and behind furniture. Measure, measure, measure. Measure twice, buy once.

I'd leave plenty of space around the dining table since you need access to the hall and the sliders. And I'd skip a rug under the dining table as well. It could be a tripping hazard (or at least annoying) in the walk space behind the sofa. Easier to clean under the dining table without it anyway.

Thanks groveraxle.... I think the first option is more for me. I am now somewhat commited because of my pre-wiring. Now back to my painful search for a sofa. I found two that I really like. One is a sectional (don't shoot me). The darker one is a bit deep. That's my main concern. I dont want anything too shallow. I'm not very tall, but I'm not short either. Family members are even taller, so a deep sofa would be best I think.

Check out esalerugs.com. They offer free returns!

Simpleman, either of those sofas will probably work, but measure, even tape their footprints out on the floor to be sure. Do it with your dining table and chairs situated in the room so you can see exactly how everything fits. I've seen too many dilemmas with furniture that is just too big and the only solution is to sell it on craigslist and start over. Please don't make that mistake. There is a sofa somewhere that you'll love that is the exact dimensions you need.

Hi! Nice to see you back on Houzz. Congrats on the new house. I'd like to offer another option for your furniture configuration.

You're right, groveraxle. I Definetly don't want to make that mistake. My favorite of the two will probably be a little too deep for the space. I will tape off each one to get a better feel for it.

Thanks, Amanda O. That sketch is pretty neat. Makes me think about a sofa again. I did find another one. It's still deep, but not too deep. It isn't as wide either. Do you think this looks more feminine or masculine? And yes, I am stuck on gray. :) I really like the color.

Thanks for the rug link, Casandra383.

Another option. Different style, but I like it.

Is that West Elm's Brooklyn sofa? Sorry to say I hate it. OK, maybe hate is too strong a word, but I think those legs are going to be dated in a few years.

The first sofa above is a classic Chesterfield and will always be in style. It is, however, a little more formal. Have you looked at West Elm's Peggy? It has classic mid-century modern legs, or if you're set on leather, try West Elm's Hamilton.

I love that couch, Simpleman10!! It's really great. I like the gray color too. Keep in mind your floors and walls look grey too. You'll probably want some pops of color in throws or art.

Yes, it's from West Elm. I did See the Hamilton and the Peggy. Both are okay, but I was really drawn to the leather and arms on the Brooklyn. The legs aren't the best, but they're okay. It looks like they can be removed and swapped for straight legs.

Hello Amanda o.... which sofa?

I'm partial to the deep tufted gray couch. That piece seems solid and masculine. I'm not fond of the others. I thinks it's the legs. They look a little delicate. Just my opinion.

Does anyone know anything about this company? I have never heard of them.