Don't want to speak ill of ikea to a Swede, but you may want more ample sofas to match the scale of the room. I do like ikea, but have been surprised by how some of its pieces seem to shrink when moved out of an apartment. Haven't looked at the measurements of the one you picked, though. I think all these ideas are great and your new home will be lovely!

kcmnc...your comment goes to my previous thoughts about scale. A sofa in white will be perceived as having less volume than if it were in a darker color and will seem to "float away". A rug will help ground the grouping and a darker color on the sofa would also help. Understanding the owners budget and style is also something that must be considered. Furniture in nordic countries is very, very expensive but you can buy this classic sofa in many price points. Style can be had in any budget!

BTW...I believe IKEA has some design professionals on staff to help with these decisions. I know they employ kitchen designers so check it out.

Blaze's Mom- very good advice.I agree with you on not wanting to make any mistakes that I will regret later on, it is easy to get carried away by allt the nice stuff out there :-)

I won't move in another month so I can't measure yet. but I wont buy anything until I checked if the pieces fit. Just planning and thinking about what style I want and some possible lay outs right now.

All I have now are the photos and this floorplan. You can see there are actually four dooorways in the room.

Oh... that floorplan was way bigger when i had it on the computer, sorry. But you might get the picture anyway... You can see wich room is the livingroom because of the bay windows.

Blaze's Mom is right about that there is a lot of traffic flow near the fireplace wich is
another reason I don't want it as a focal point. For me, the bay windows are really enhancing the whole room and I want them to stand out.

Since there is probably not a ton of traffic to the "biblotek," you can probably put furniture where you want, as long as there is space to get past. It was a good catch, though. If that had been a more important room you would have been limited!

kcmnc - I think you are right about the sofas and that they might look small in a room with this much space. I actually had a much bigger sofa in mind first but it was to expensive. I don't mind at all that you are pointing this out, IKEA funiture is not my favourite either :-) But in this case we needed two sofas which makes it more expensive, and you can't beat ikea prices :-) Two of those are less than one sofa from any other store around here. But I havent decided yet and any input on what I should be looking for instead is welcome!

jennlettswatson - well the bibliotek (=library) will also be the TV-room so at least my kids will consider it a very important room :-D

Yes to the two sofas facing. This is a spectacular room with fabulous windows. All it needs is a great rug, some bold art, perhaps a Gustavian table.

I don't dislike the fireplace, but I think it's a bit modern for the room. You might consider reworking that mantel at a later date.

Thank you! Yes the room is asking for some gustavian pieces, right? I like your taste :-)

Nice rug, grover! Young children? Dogs? White sofa? Slipcovers, yes! Also, small scale, movable chairs good for entertaining.

groveraxle - I am a newbie in here, this is my first post and I am so grateful for all the advice I'm getting. Your pic is so wonderful. Please tell me what app you used and how you got the current furniture out and my sofa and your suggestions in. I LOVE what you did there! And am totally clueless about how to do something similar :-) Would love to learn since I got nine more rooms in this house to furnish :-)

Blaze's mom - yep, both sloppy messy children and big dog :-) Another reason why I'm considering these particular sofas. The have washable covers in a range of different colors and - since we are talking Ikea here - I can afford to buy covers in different colors and alternate.

another option for the bay window area other than chairs and table would be a couple(2) of armless chairs with an ottoman between for added foot comfort and relaxation.
These items are available at IKEA.
I am showing a darker colour for emphasis.
these items come in many colours and have removable covers for easy maintenance that you require.?
Inspiration pic from Houzz

krickelina, I use a program called Photoshop Elements. There are probably easier and better programs out there, but I don't know them. This one does have quite a learning curve. After I erased the old furniture from your room, I had to rebuild the cabinet under the bay window, and lay just enough floor to show around the new rug. I didn't put another sofa facing the first one because turning furniture is something this app just can't do.

BTW, I agree with those who say no curtains. If you need privacy, do inside mount shades, but leave that beautiful bay exposed.

I think a couple of Gustavian pieces, juxtaposed against the simplicity of the room, would look wonderful here.

groveraxle-I see, I might have to find something easier to use, I looked around a little bit and there is some app called Homestyler that I will try, Thank you so much for taking the time and making this pic for me. It looked a lot like I have imagined the room in my head :-) Yes , I really like your suggestions about some nice gustavian pieces and no curtains. I already own some gustavian furniture that will go in the dining room. Thanks again for the help. I just might have to convince you to come to Sweden and work as my interior decorator ;-)

Hi krickelina! If you're new here you might not know that if you "hover" over the pictures people post, they get bigger. So the drawing you provided was easy to read :-))

I love your room and all these ideas. Good luck!!

thank you very much mkritt!

Here are pix of a living room with similar set up and furniture arrangement. May help you to visualize. Quite lovely.

Not sure the idea of white looking smaller and with less volume is correct....why do women avoid wearing white pants in favor of black if white would look like "less volume"?

I like the colors of the wall as is, it's bright and welcoming. Maybe consider painting the ceiling in your accent/rug color?

Yes to the 2 couches facing and a cool accent rug and a chair or 2. I personally think that because the fireplace is so big it could be toned down with a nice neutral accent color, to make it more interesting. Putting a grouping of wall art to the left of the fireplace would bring the eye over and warm up the starkness of the fireplace. I also think that woven wood woods be a nice addition to the windows, but just really using them in the stacked up position. it will bring the eye up and around to the beautiful windows, without blocking them. I think a couple neat pieces of accent furniture on the other 2 smaller walls would finish the room up. Have Fun!!

I think if you were to put the couches facing each other and perpendicular to the fireplace. Then I would place two trapezoid coffee tables in front of them.

I have been looking for a curved sofa like this for months. Where did you find this one???

golfnmama - that's the furniture of the previous owners. Search the box above under Shop using curved sofa.

What a beautiful room! I would put a sofa and couple chairs up closer to the fireplace, then put a comfortable lounge chair or two in the window. I agree not to cover the windows, but I would still put some colored (maybe patterned) drapes on the sides of the window to get some color up the wall. Then use that same color on throw pillows and a couple accessories.

Love the idea of 2 sofas facing. Leaving the fireplace the color of the walls will minimize it's impact f you really hate it. I kind of like it. With a fire in it, you may learn to enjoy it and put a few plants in front of it the rest of the year. Enjoy your new home.

Awesome room. Love your choice of sofas and I would move them perpendicular to the fireplace. I kind of like the fire place but would paint the insert and fire box black with an heat resistant paint that way the insert will "fade away." I like the two chairs and smaller table in front of the windows (which I would leave bare unless privacy is an issue.) It's going to be beautiful! Please keep us updated.

I recently bought two sofas like you are considering and put them in a room with lots of window, fireplace and not a lot of wall, I love them! I found they take up less room than one sofa and chairs :)

Ours a re perpendicular to fireplace, and it works beautifully. You are on the right track. I like your idea of book shelves where piano is, what about floor to ceiling built ins on either side of doorway?

Hi...might you paint a color? or have instead painted pieces and colors? at right is ikea's ektorp chair href=""> href="">

Nourison's enlarged display shows a nice painted piece too //always beautiful faded painted look, but here's a bright stool

I like clean line of one furniture in front of window - what about something like this in front of window -- it's a bench or sofa. Or a nice bench behind a sofa, nothing curved/custom just to look outside....
for kids somewhere?

The sofa looks lovely where it is. I would suggest a rug in a bold, graphic print instead of the oriental. I would also pull up a couple of chairs to face the sofa to create a setting for conversation.

gotta post this chandelier cause it's so fun to look at!
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You have 2 opposing areas of visual interest. I would forget the sofa completely, and go with 4 very comfortable armchairs - (no one wants to sit in the middle of a sofa anyway) arranged over a pretty area rug, with a coffee table in the center. That way no matter where one sits they may gaze at either the fireplace or the bay windows. This arrangement makes for a nice conversation area.

No advice but beautiful house!

I have a room with similar dimensions, just not that lovely bay window. There is no reason you have to create a static design. In the cold months, you can move the couches (and I like the style of the couch you chose) perpendicular to the fireplace and place comfy chairs and a table or ottoman between them in front of the window. A Christmas tree would look sensational in front of that window! I am so happy you like a mix of traditional and antique furniture. Scandinavian antiques are my favorite, not that I'm able to afford them. But I have quite a bit of early American antiques which are suitable for my house. Purchase what you LOVE and you will find the right place for everything. And I like the fireplace very much. I'm not that fond of the insert though, so perhaps it can be changed someday. A nice antique Mora clock would look wonderful in this room. And a nice traditional Swedish stripped rug or two will make all the difference. If you don't have a copy of "Scandinavian Living Design" published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, see if you can borrow it from the library. It's one of my favorite books and filled with wonderful ideas for your house. You will love it! It's going to be a very beautiful home. I can see you have good taste. Congratulations! And please share the end results!

For the windows - consider roller shades - they come in beautiful textures now. Can be very minimal, but give you enough covering when you want it

you shold take some activities about lighting. hire professional and see what a difference will be after putting lamps by some plan, it will bring you the whole new place. good luck to you

tilda...I agree! If you can get top down, bottom up, more the better. Sweden has so many dark hours need as much light as you can get!

Two sofas facing each other closer to the bay window than the fireplace, will create a focal point at the window. Perhaps a bench with interesting upholstery should be placed in front of the fireplace. Also, there are many lovely fireplace screens which will effectively hide the unattractive insert.

What about 2 couches placed as you have suggested with 2 low profile chairs in front of the window or fireplace? Something similar to this Or this
I would put roman shades on the windows to add color (with rug) and have them up most of the time. This is the idea http://www.houzz.com/photos/bay-window-colorful-roman-shades-/p/40 and

First, room needs a punch of color. I love the freshness of turquoise or a rich deep blue. Second, think about a main conversation grouping prendiculat to windows. A second smaller relaxing nook by the fireplace, maybe to the left as one views the pix. Third, if using window coverings if needed for privacy, diminution of light, use something simple. I like wood slatted blinds if practice. The warmth of the wood will bring added comfort and goes with transitional, contemporary, and ethnic looks. Great artwork including the rich texture of tapestries and wall sculptures as well as cool rustic antiques, love the room. It has class and personality.

Why not have both options? Tthe room is huge. Make a cozy seating area around the fireplace and put a chaise or two barrel chairs facing one another in the sub drenched bay. It becomes an all seasons room with multiple seating options.

What a super house! I'm definitely going to need to see more pictures of the rest of it before I can give any advice ;). Not because I'm curious or anything.

I think the set up you have in mind could look great, and those windows are very pretty as they are without treatments.

I think your plans are right on target; this is a beautiful room! Love the choice of sofa; although I would not go with more white. The same sofas you chose also come in taupe, a color that is sophisticated and beautiful in a white room. The only problem I see is that putting sofas in the middle of the room makes it difficult to plug in lamps. You can avoid this problem by installing plugs in the floor where the sofas will be. This will allow you to plug in lamps behind or alongside your sofas without having wires run across the floor. A good do-it-yourselfer can do this, but I personally would trust it to an electrician. I am attaching some photos of other furniture options and an area rug that would go beautifully in your room, should you choose this color scheme. The rug is from Pottery Barn and the pattern is "Cecil" in "Neutral"; (it also comes in green) I have several of these rugs in different sizes in my home and love them. They frequently go on sale and are high quality wool rugs. Driftwood colored furniture is very popular now, and Google is very helpful at finding examples! As for accents, I would choose pale baby blue, which is picked up in the rug. Good luck with your project! Your room is going to be smashing!

We have two sofas facing each other at our casual house on Cape Cod. I loved adding the large pillows which can go on the floor for grandchildren. You will have fun with this room. About the Pottery Barn rug above. I have the same one and have no problems, but another rug I bought from them has developed a hole in less than six months. Check the internet on reviews, they are having some problems. I love, love, love that rug, and have it in a bedroom.

Interesting. I hope you contacted Pottery Barn. I have four rugs in this pattern in green; a large one in the dining room; 5x8s in entryway and my husband's office; and a 2.5 x 8 ft. runner. No problems at all with any of them. Next time they're on sale, I may get more. I live in a newer home reminiscent of an American Four-Square with a lot of Craftsman/bungalow details. It is a very affordable and stylish rug and it makes me happy every time I see it!

By the way, I bought a rug from a local dealer several years ago, and they told me not to use a Dyson on it, and made me sign a release saying that I had read the Dyson info and understood it! So weird! They said the Dyson is so strong it can pull out the threads of a rug. I only signed because I have a built in vacuum system and really didn't care.