At least this shows why you should NOT get a sectional. I would put a sofa across from the fireplace and get two chairs. Put a table/lamp between the chairs.

Agree no sectional and no TV over FP. Draw the room out on graph paper and play around with furniture size and placement before purchasing. Decide on rug first then pull furniture and wall colors from it

This might help:

[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-arrange-furniture-in-long-narrow-spaces-stsetivw-vs~672823[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-arrange-furniture-in-long-narrow-spaces-stsetivw-vs~672823)

I agree with no tv over fireplace, electronics don't like heat either and you'll get a stiff neck watching anything that high. I take furniture measurements at the store and then make newspaper patterns and lay them around on the floor, get a realistic idea of what size works and how much furniture you really need.

MD's RX: Zones! don't try to make it feel like one big, single purpose room, break it up then where to put the TV will become more evident. I'm thinking a large freestanding open shelving unit just below entrance step down, creates a foyer feel and place to stow stuff on entry door side, and a semi private screen to living room view, TV on fireplace side of shelves

living room seating group facing entry door and new shelf unit.

Is that the only space where you can have the TV? I would consider having a lounger in front of that lovely fireplace with a bar and a smaller sofa however the idea might not lend itself well to TV.

Anther idea is to scrap the fireplace all together, get one of these free standing ethanol fire places and you're free to move furniture anyway you like :)

First house, let's not throw away any components just yet. :)

Put me in the TV-to-left-of-fireplace camp, with a good couch and a couple of chairs. Probably you'll want to treat this chunk of the house, between the entry and the door to (whatever) on the far side of the fireplace, as one "room" unit, and furnish accordingly -- start with TV, couch, one chair, and either a coffee table or (more likely) a couple of end tables with lamps. Then see how it feels, before thinking about additional furniture (rug, second chair, maybe an entry table, which I'd put on the wall opposite the TV and close to the door, maybe even up on the step if it fits).

Now, at the far end, between that doorway and the windows, you do a separate area that doesn't try to overtly connect -- maybe a couple of comfy reading chairs with a table between (and a bookcase on one wall); maybe a desk area; maybe a piano, or a sketch table, or a table for games or puzzles -- only you know what would appeal. You could even leave it blank for a while (stick a plant in that left corner) until you get a sense of how you use the space, walk through it, etc.

Good luck, seems like some fun to be had!

I think you have better options than either you mentioned.

The first would be to place the TV opposite the fireplace, for a split focus. I suggest this because it appears that the best placement for the largest seating is flanking the fireplace, with back to the entrance. If you place 2 ( swiveling?)chairs opp., you have a good sized grouping that leaves all pathways open without having to walk through the middle of the arrangement.

This rooms also looks like a good candidate for floating the TV, either stationary as part of a partition unit, as the good Dr. suggested, or via a hydraulic lift cabinet. Either will allow you to place The TV parallel/ angled to the short walls, which again opens furniture arrangement options for you.

A few examples:

living room · More Info

Living Room · More Info

Carmel 70065 TV Lift Cabinet for 60" Flat screen TVs · More Info

If you decide to keep the TV on the fireplace wall, a lift cabinet will still be helpful in keeping the screen clean of smoke particulates( which don't just travel up). In that instance, there are raw finish styles that you can paint out the colour of the walls to help it recede.

Choosing a sofa fabric that mimics the wall colour will do the same.

Consider painting the back wall a darker colour to bring it forward, to cheat a more balanced proportion.

If it is in your budget, consider removing the hearth of the fireplace, and installing a stone insert in the floor instead. Personally I would remove the mantle also, going for a flush to

I would do a couple of smaller seating groups in this room and no TV!