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rdbreu

Living room layout - what to do?

11 years ago
We have a fairly large living room that is currently being painted. The colour in the photo is what we decided to go with (Benjamin Moore Bluffs for walls and Cloud White for ceiling).

What stumps us is how to layout the furniture in this room. It is an informal living room. We want family and friends to relax in it and it has a ~46" tv (though we don't want this to be a focal point). We are open to purchasing new furniture.

Any ideas for a good layout, given the entry points, windows, and radiators? The only thing we aren't open to is to put our television (~46") above the mantle.

I've looked at several sites for ideas, but the placement of our windows and entry points to the room make this one challenging. Thanks for any ideas shared!

Comments (11)

  • 11 years ago
    I could not agree with you more! And we have a beautiful blue spruce tree just outside the larger bump-out window. It seems such a shame to have the back of a couch there.
  • 11 years ago
    I just noticed that the plan doesn't show the measurements, but the room is about 13x24.5, excluding bump-out.
  • 11 years ago

    Lovely room. Love the wall colors. For your space the best wall for the tv would be the long wall by the dining room. A floating wall unit would be perfect there. After that it really depends on whether you want a sectional and how much seating you need. A right L-shaped with lounge in front of fireplace would be awesome.

  • 11 years ago
    You don't say how many people will want to watch TV together. So how about an accent chair on either side of the window to balance and ground that space. A love seat or a cushion covered bench , no back, in front of the FP with two slipper chairs. Then on the only wall you have, put the TV there with two love seats at 90 degree angles with a round tufted ottoman tucked in the angle created by sofas. You could put casters on the accent chairs by the windows, and they could be brought over to the TV for extra seating.
  • 11 years ago
    Thanks! The most we ever have watching tv is 5 people, and usually it's 3 people. I have wondered about creating 2 seating zones - one for the fireplace and the other for the tv - that could be made into one big seating area depending on who is visiting.
  • 11 years ago

    How about something like this on the tv wall?

  • 11 years ago

    I would purchase a wide credenza about 18" wider on each side for the TV. You can have two storage cubes for additional seating to place under the credenza. I do not like to place a TV opposite a window due to glare, however most on this site will advise you to. I would buy woven wood blinds for the windows to let some light in with grommet top draperies installed from just above the windows down to the floor.

    The panels at the windows with the radiators could be extended out farther than the size of the windows to keep the panels to the sides of the window casings. You will need an area rug. Choose this before buying the drapes & prior to arranging the furniture. It will need to be almost room size to accommodate the amount of furniture & furniture placement in your large lovely room.

    I think the placement of the TV at the center of the large window will be almost a given unless you will want to look at bare walls with placing the furniture in front of the windows. I think you can use a sectional in your room, however you will need to use blue painters tape on the floor & take measurements before your purchase. This can be a time consuming process however will be worth it in the end instead of buying one which will not fit into the room.

  • 11 years ago

    You will need at least 3 side tables for the room as you will want at least 2 accent chairs as well as the sectional. You can buy the glass & wood or glass & chrome 'C' tables to be moveable for the sectional. You can buy a glass & wood Naguzzi 'look alike' coffee table or a leather ottoman (again to be used for extra seating when needed.) Do a left click on my name to look at my ideabooks & click on accent chairs to find examples for $300.00 or less to buy.

    Look at art at Art.com or Great Big Canvas for nice art pieces. Check with west elm, Ikea or Z Gallerie for wall décor. Check with Ikea or Overstock.com for an area rug. You will never go wrong purchasing an Oriental or Persian rug with many colors & small patterns in them for any design style and a timeless, classic look. What do you think? You will probably need to float some if not all seating pieces away from the walls to work the best. Bring in sofa tables, round accent tables & book shelves for going against the walls. Use the blue tape for placement.

  • 11 years ago

    This will be a fun journey for you to take within your lovely new home. Don't rush it. The nicest rooms were built over a long period of time.

  • 11 years ago

    Thank you sandraclark! I'm going to check out the suggestions you've provided...lots to think about. I like your suggestions re: floating the furniture. I've seen that in other layouts, but our current furniture is too bulky. We'll need to purchase a new sectional - something with clean lines and not a super high back on it (though a sofa table with some plants could help draw the eye away from the back of a couch).

    Thanks everyone!