Oh this living room!

10 years ago

I have been working on this living room for 2 years. I brought in a designer and she helped to a degree but am at a standstill. The problem is this is a very long narrow space 31' by 11 1/2. I believe it was two rooms that was made into one. Although the space is open and large it has been close to impossible to decorate. We visually cut the room in half creating a "family side" with a small table and sectional and a "formal side". The painful process has been trying to get all of it to work together. I also made the gargantuan mistake of buying the most enormous couch and chairs bc I fell in love with the chesterfield style. The couch I can work with I suppose but those chairs ugh. I have moving them all around the room and the only way they sort of work is as in the pictures. Unfortunately the chairs don't speak to the couch. I have small kids so I wanted to stay away from a coffee table right now, but I need a dining table, an end table, something above the couch and anything else that will bring something to the room. I have a large sideboard in light whitewash wood that holds a swivel tv so we can see it from both sides of the room. I'd rather not the headache of selling off any pieces as they are all brand new. Help!

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BeverlyFLADeziner

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

The credenza under the TV is way too large also. Scale, scale, scale is always the most important element in the room.

Can you set the seating area up with the chairs on either side of the sofa facing one another?

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Comments (18)

User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Hi...

In my opinion, the chair in the corner has to go (try moving it out of the room for a few days). Then you could center the sofa on the wall. Then post a photo of that. Or, since you said you have a sectional in the family side, then move the tv over there and use that space for the other chair...a tv doesn't normally go in a formal area. Where will the dining table go?

Choose a color for art, a throw, some pillows...A color that makes you smile.
mandy_moo_pants
10 years ago
Maybe facing the couch to the chairs would help create the feel of 2 distinct spaces in an open room: then you could place a sofa table behind that. If you have to keep the same arrangement, I agree with the prev comment of relocating one of those chairs. Instead of a traditional coffee table, several small square storage ottomans or fabric pouffs pushed together could do double duty. I love all your furniture and decor touches so far. Very nicely put together
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tinanews1
Original Author
10 years ago
I totally agree about the chair, problem is I have no where else to put it. I will attach photos of the opposite side of the room so you can see what I mean. It makes me uneasy that the couch is not centered on that wall but again not many options short of just getting rid of it. Perhaps should've just done without the giant chairs. Any suggestions for artwork for over the couch? And thank you for the complements - it's been so stressful trying to pull this all together. Even the designer said it was an extremely difficult room to coordinate. She actually wanted to put the dining table in the center of the
room! What?!?!!
mzapper
10 years ago
can you post more pics - seems the dining area is missing??
erinsean
10 years ago
Will your sofa fit in front of the windows with the two chairs with table between on the long wall OR like Beverly pictured. Your sofa not centered on the wall would really bother me.
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Poovi Art
10 years ago
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...Here's some suggestion for your wall you might like......to know more about my Art work and collections please visit my shop on Etsy website -

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PooviArtGallery?ref=pr_shop_more
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Flo Mangan
10 years ago
Would the sofa fit on wall where TV unit is now. If that works, swap those two pieces and that should free up places for chairs on each end of sofa. Don't worry about art work until you are happy with furniture layouts. Rug then centers in space under and in front of sofa. Try some "C" tables to provide a small but stable table to see cup of coffee or soppy cup! Sorry you bought furniture that is much too big for room, but you can work with it. I have seen worse!
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HMH Development Inc
10 years ago
More pictures of the entire space and a rough floor plan would be helpful. Your tv looks tiny and your furniture huge. Is there a partial wall separating the two spaces...looks like it in one of the pictures. Where is dining?
tinanews1
Original Author
10 years ago
Here is a rough floor plan. This is not to scale!
tinanews1
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks everyone for taking the time to look at this. I'm going to try to move the sofa more towards the center but as I mentioned in my initial post, we've tried every which way to move this furniture and this is the only way that sort of works. If we move the chair as Beverly suggested (and thank you for taking the time to sketch it for me - amazing!), the chair is left floating in the middle of the room and looks really awkward. The sideboard looks big in the picture but it is a beautiful piece that actually is not as big as it looks. It fits perfectly in that spot and really works well with the colors in the room. The TV is there temporarily. We have 2 small children who spend time in that room and we have to tilt the tv to the side so they could see it. We could only get a tv that was so big or else we wouldn't be able to tilt it - it would hit the wall. (I don't like a wall mounted tv on an arm.) The couch does not fit in the spot where the sideboard is and also looks really cramped under the window. I'm feeling really badly now about the furniture I chose. Maybe I should just dump this stuff and start from scratch :(
PRO
HMH Development Inc
10 years ago
Sorry to make you work...I am needy. Can you take one more photo of your sectional, fireplace side of room. Don't get discouraged and put everything on Craig's List. Houzzers will help you through this. In the meantime, here is a great article with various layout of a long narrow room. HERE
User
10 years ago
Don't get crazy now! I love a Chesterfield, too and yours looks very comfy.

Try the chair by the sofa bumped out a little so that the arm isn't behind the sofa and then try the other chair the same angle on the tiny wall...that wall may be enough to anchor the chair...

I hear you about the tv...we have a similar problem.

Do you have a formal sitting room with no tv? Is there a reason for two sitting areas rather than a dining/sitting (or family) room. Not meant in the way it sounded, just trying to get a feel for what you need/like.
tinanews1
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok guys, good news the couch is centered! Bad news gaping space now and chairs kissing. Ok...
auntthelma
10 years ago
A small round end table between the chairs would look good.
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
To me, that looks better.

I am a little obsessive so I would really center the sofa on the wall. Then angle the chair on the right toward the sofa and put the other chair the same way but on the other side of the sofa

I would make the other room the dining room, but I think I read that you want to keep it the way it is...

I love your horse head and your furry pillows! What about introducing a wild color?
tinanews1
Original Author
10 years ago
I don't think the chair will fit on the other side but I will try it! I pushed the couch a bit more but its around 55" on one side and 58" on the other but it's the best I can get it. I have a formal dining room but need the table here bc we don't have an eat in kitchen. That whole other side is really for the kids. When they get a little bigger we will revisit. If the chair doesn't fit on the other side of the couch what to do? Now there's a big open section. Hmmm.