Also. I know this is not an "ideal" layout for a small room. But it works for us. We have 3 small boys under 4 and I'm not looking for anything fancy or expensive ;)

Hi Sharla,

If you have room, I would put the two chairs (angled a bit toward each other) and a round table between the two chairs, under the picture wall -- that would balance the seating area. I actually like the picture arrangement, but the entire grouping needs to be hung lower so that the top of the grouping is not at the same level as the top of the "Love" plaque over the TV. Also, when walking into a room where you see the back of a sofa, it is a good idea to soften the look with a sofa table. Hope this helps!

Mary Baldwin
Mary Baldwin Interiors

Oh! I also agree that you should place a sofa table behind the back of the sofa that faces out.

Yes I was wanting to do a sofa table as well! How big/ where should the table be placed? In the middle of the room behind the sofa?

Im keeping the current arrangement because there's a wide hallway and our kitchen on the other sides. We used to have a different sofa along the picture wall but the tv was awkwardly in the corner.

Sofa switch good idea. TV could angle in corner where tall clock is. That would also reduce glare from window. Then you could place one comfy chair with ottoman where sofa is now. You could purchase a one piece multi photo display and photos would look more cohesive. A big square coffee table would work better with sectional as well.

Ideally, you want the sofa table to cover as much of the back of the "exposed" sofa as possible, without causing a problem with traffic flow -- you don't want to bump into the corner of the sofa table every time you go around the sofa! One solution is to get a sofa table with rounded corners. If the sofa table is shorter than the sofa, it should be centered against the back of the sofa.

Also, would it be possible to get a wider tv console? It should be wider than the tv itself...looks too heavy right now.
I'd move all the art into one collage and make the center of the grouping around eye level. Usually having art above tv is distracting and unnecessary

Add a planter or two. Its helps fill up the space and creates a welcoming feel

http://www.houzz.com/collections/rootandstock

Sample lifestyle images:

http://www.houzz.com/projects/1303224/root-and-stock-happy-clients

I agree with Jordan about the art. Put the love art in the middle of the collage and arrange the pictures around it. Make sure the media table
Is wider than the TV. Two small chairs flanking the tv could work. A plant or two could be nice as well, but kids and plants don't always work well together. A sofa table is a good idea centered behind the sofa back.

Hi Sharla, if you send the measurments of your livingroom and the floor plan I will try to play with your room in 3d program to find the best layout. /Marcin

Hello everyone! A wider tv console is on its way (as I mentioned in the post).
It's a very narrow room, 12 feet by 20 feet with two large doorways to the hall and kitchen and our front door behind the sectional. The sectional is an IKEA ektorp.
I know the sectional isn't ideal for this small of a room design wise but it really works for our family, and I like the tv on the far wall. :).

I'm going to re arrange the picture wall, center and lower it. Also what do you think of a long window pane above the tv? I'm looking to put it somewhere to hang stockings and seasonal decor on. Something like this but I mine is longer

I don't think you want stockings above the TV.

Hi Sharla,

I heard you when you said in your original post and comment that you knew your room layout was not "ideal" but worked for you -- I was listening! -- but I wanted to say that the suggestion from PRO Design Inside - Chicago is, ideally, the best solution. After reviewing all of your room photos and your Ikea Ektorp sectional, it appears that you could turn your sectional clockwise 90 degrees, so that the portion of the sectional that faces your kitchen would then be on the picture wall, and the portion of the sectional now against the window would then be facing your kitchen. Since your sectional has the same configuration of two seats on either side of the corner seat, you would have a mirror image of your current setup. Keeping your TV in the same place, you would have the same viewing experience as you currently have, just reversed from center/right to center/left. You would still put a sofa table behind the exposed back portion of the sectional. How long is the picture wall? If you have room, you could move the sectional along the picture wall closer toward the TV to accommodate the depth of a sofa table so that it will not go past the end of the wall into the hallway entrance. Then you could put an end table with a lamp at the end of the sectional, to the left of the TV, and a chair and small table to the right of the TV, angled in the corner (where the clock is currently located). Is your front door located to the right of your window? If so, and you have room, I would place the clock between the window and door. When walking through your front door, this new arrangement would really open up the space! Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be glad to help you further!

Mary Baldwin
Mary Baldwin Interiors

If I'm picturing it correctly, I think the way your suggesting blocks the main walking paths of our house. We don't actually use the front door at all, our side entrance is at our drive way. This is the view from the kitchen.

Think about the possibility of putting the sectional on the TV wall and wall mounting the TV on the wall where you have the picture grouping. If the TV is on an articulating arm, it can be adjusted for viewing, even from the kitchen. This will totally clear all your paths that I can see. Be sure the new piece that goes under the TV is at least 25% wider than the set. Don't corner any furniture - it eats up floor space and makes a room look like you really don't have space for your furnishings. Put that floor clock on the wall with the light switches that is now behind the sofa.

Thanks for the additional picture and information, Sharla! Since you don't use your front door, it appears that you are trying to keep the current pathway into your living area open from the hallway and kitchen areas. With the suggested re-arrangement, you would have to walk around the back-facing portion of the sectional to get to your living room area from the hallway and kitchen. After looking at the room measurements, sectional measurements (from the Ikea site), and additional photo ... depending on the width of your new TV stand, you could put a chair and small round table to the left of the TV, angled toward the sectional, with a floor lamp. (A chair with a rounded back would fit nicely into an angled corner.) Then you could place the clock flat against the TV wall. With no furniture on the picture wall, your pathway into the living area would remain clear. Then you could extend the collection with additional items placed lower on the wall so that some items would be at eye level while you are seated (you could use a mixture of large and small items). I hope that this additional information is helpful to you. In the end, you must do what works best for you and your family -- I get it! :-) Good luck with your project!

Mary Baldwin
Mary Baldwin Interiors

I would mount the tv to the current picture wall. Then I'd get two cozy chairs for the wall with the current tv location. The tv console table will be more narrow than two chairs. Get a rug to soften and tie the room together. I would leave the "love" sign over the new chairs but lowered a bit. I would move the framed photos to a place with less wall real estate --right now the photos are too small for a wall of that size and are disproportioned. Hope this helps!