How many do you need to seat here daily? What activities take place here regularly? Are you interested in painting, upgrading the fireplace and drapes? I would try the two bookcases on the wall opposite the fireplace to serve as a visual counter balance to it. Loveseats are the bane of most arrangements. They usually seat one person, so they aren't as useful as you might think. I would get an apartment sized 3-seat sofa and two chairs. Flank the FP with the two chairs and float the sofa facing it with wall space between it and the bookcases.

Looks as though there are sliding doors opposite the fireplace. Can you clarify?

Deco, she's got $2k, so if the items selected are moderately priced that means

1. apt. sized sofa
2. 2 chairs
3. coffee table
4. accessories
5. Paint
6. Not sure there will be $$ for drapes or rug although they are required.

That budget is one chair. Nothing else. No sofa. Or love seat. Or anything else.

It's a tight budget for sure, and a small room. A little DIY and craigslist cruising may be in order...

4 chairs might be more comfortable than a love seat. If you could find 2 boxy straight sided ones you could pair them together to function as a sofa on the wall by the window. Place a narrow sofa table or book shelf behind them and then have 2 other different chairs facing the paired 2. (I once had an office set up like that and it worked well and was comfortable. Those clients with mobility issues liked having the arms to push themselves out of the chair as well.)

I would paint the metal shelves and the brass on the fireplace black and the front door to match the walls. Replace the curtains with blinds and look for, or create some fabulous art for the mantel. Stick Yorick's skull somewhere less noticeable so that it scares the bejeezus out of visiting kids...

The chairs we used for the love seat substitute were similar to these ones in shape:

To do this room you're in Ashley Furniture price point, but it's doable.

Unless you plan to shop at IKEA or flea markets, that budget won't work. A realistic budget for living room furniture is at least $10K if you're shopping the big retailers. But if you're handy with a sewing machine that could at least defray the cost of pillows, drapery panels, and other textiles.

10k?
That's not the world I live in. I'm positive it can be done for 2.

@judmn, price out a set of furniture on Pottery Barn.com or Crateandbarrel.com. $10K is pretty accurate. If you're going lower than that, the quality is going to suffer unless you're getting second hand furniture. Even then, it's a stretch.

I happen to think the chairs you have are a much nicer choice than a loveseat with arms taking up both physical and visual space, I would get different bookcases those seem to dominate the visual space , maybe the Sapien bookcases from DWR

Is this your sole living space? Do you entertain much? Is there a TV to be taken into consideration?

Would help to have real measurements in addition to the photo. I feel like you might be able to get an actual couch on the rug with its back to the hallway (which I presume leads from the dark entry door in the corner), turn coffee table in front of it, and add one or more chair on the ends. Then, if desired, you could treat the end down by the door as an entry area, with a bench under the window, baskets for boots underneath, etc. But I will admit I'm just eking out dimensions by eyeball, so it might be a little tight for that.

(p.s.) I like your art -- reminds me of gels from my molecular biology days. :)

They say ikea like its a bad thing. I love my Ektorp couch! I also have havertys furniture we bought about 8 years ago; large sectional and kitchen table and chairs. It has held up great and I would buy it again.

Disposable furniture every 3 years costs far more in the end than buying something quality that will last 15 years before needing to be refurbished. People on limited budgets are the ones that can least afford to buy cheap disposable goods.

BeverlyFLA... I think she wants to keep the heirloom coffee table so take that off the list if it helps.

I suggest you buy a cork board off of amazon and use it to build yourself and idea board. There are plenty of sites on the internet to advise you how to go about building one. The only thing that is uncomfortable about your room is it is so dark because it lacks spark. If it were mine, I would keep the current furnishings. I'm a big fan of recovering a piece of furniture that is not broken. When I was in my 20s I bought upholstery fabric on sale and sewed slip covers, pillows, drapes, and even some placemats for the dinning table. When I became tired of what had been there for a few months, I would throw it in the washer and pulled a new pattern color from a storage chest. In as little as one afternoon I could have a completely different looking living room.

I don't like books on display that higher than the back of the lowest chair. It always seems like the room is cluttered when the books are not in built in book shelves. Anyway, it is just more dusting to do. I bought a big buffet that I placed in the dining room and put in pull out shelving/drawer for books (because my husband seems to believe he must keep every book he has ever owned during his 55 years). I own a kindle, yet I still have over 200 books I won't get rid of. We humans are strange about books.

Anyway, build yourself an idea board and your room will come together much easier.

Maybe I'm just old school and don't live in a 10K furniture world but I don't know anyone who does either. I know a lot of people, making a variety of salaries, who wouldn't dream of spending 10K on living room furniture. it's absurd in my world. Although in my world, my mortgage was paid off for both my home and my lake cabin in 23 years. And I was a stay at home mom for all those years. And I have money in the bank. it's about priorities for some of us. 2K is very doable and quite a large chunk of change. if that's the OP's budget then why not help her instead of steering her towards the bank? Good grief.

If you're on a budget... you're on a budget. I've seen great deals on Facebook yard-sales w/ people selling (often) name-brand furniture at great prices. Keep an eye out. You can also check PB & C&B, see if they're selling floor samples. I was at PB yesterday and they had items at 60-70% off.

I suggest you find another spot for the bookshelves, they take up too much space

People on a budget who don’t want to keep spending 2K d wry couple of years need to buy vintage.

The point is, they only HAVE $2K to spend on new furniture. What are they supposed to sit on while they save $10K so they can buy "quality" furniture? $25 plastic patio chairs from Target?

They don't need to spend 10k in there (that seems very high). But if they need to save up a little more, they can keep what they have in there now for a while longer.

You know, there are so many good quality items for sale 2nd hand if you know where to look and what you are looking for. Just a quick cruise through the online sites this w/e showed a beautiful Italian real leather, down filled couch for 1/2 price, several MCM consoles and chairs for a fraction of what you would pay in a 2nd hand store specializing in MCM, 2 beautiful classic bergere chairs for $40 each etc.(and a lot of junky puffy reclining couches & particle board crapola) Best times to shop are close to the end of the month when people are moving and best places are higher end neighbourhoods with elder residents downsizing from family homes to apartments or condos.

Personally, I kind of love the challenge!

I just don't get this! second hand? I would never buy second hand furniture. why would you buy second hand furniture when you can buy new? I'm shaking my head. the OP needs a few pieces. she isn't gutting the space. no big deal. Theirs something for everyones pricepoint. unless your a trend follower...and then just keep your credit card handy...and live in debt..... forever.
let's get back on track, OP has 2grand. very nice budget!

OP,how about some measurements? I would look into 2nd hand for all wood pieces both because there are incredible deals out there and much of it is way,way better quality. But before you can shop,you need a plan. So,back to measurements. Good Luck!

Broyhill sofa. About 70 wide, $769 at Wayfair

Like the coffee table; interesting décor.

Not a fan of open shelving ... but then, dusting is not among my favorite pastimes.

Though I wouldn't buy second hand upholstered furniture -- emphasis on upholstered (with fabric and /or filling)...

Buying something that is wood or metal or another material that can be thoroughly cleaned before it's even brought in the house is a totally different issue. Both the (mid century) solid wood china cabinet with glass doors that I use as a china cabinet and the (even older) solid oak bookcase/hutch with glass doors that I use as a tv stand were bought used from an "antique" store and I still very much like both.

That said, the stated objective in this post is to replace seating.

If those persons most often using the seating are small to average in size (and depending upon location; whether or not delivery/pick up and/or related costs are an issue), the two-seater could be replaced with a pair of small/average sized rocker swivel recliners -- and likely could be done with money left in the budget. Would not buy "bonded leather"; fabric or good quality vinyl is preferable.

https://www.hayneedle.com/product/signaturedesignbyashleyhallettsvilleswivelgliderrecliner.cfm?source=pla&kwid=Recliners%20newskus&tid=ASHY3149-1&adtype=pla&kw=&lsft=adtype:pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvYyZgr6Y2wIVVluGCh0m1wRmEAkYFSABEgKZwPD_BwE

If anyone needs to have still usable used furnishings hauled off, usually there is a Habitat for Humanity Restore Store or a Salvation Army Family Store that will pick up donated furniture.

For larger persons, the single seat could be kept (at least temporarily) until a decision could be made to buy more of the same recliners or something different.

Wing back chairs also make good single seating.

DO choose seats with arms. No one actually likes sitting for an extended period of time in a seat without arms.

Chairs can "sit" even better with a footstool. They can be less expensive if you have a DIY mindset.

I bought a used tube metal rocking ottoman (the kind intended to be paired with a desk chair) for $3 at a thrift store and removed the fabric covered plywood attached to the top of it, leaving only the metal.

https://www.amazon.com/Leatherette-Cushion-Glider-Rocker-Ottoman/dp/B0002KNNMA

I had my son drill four holes (placed to not interfere with the rocking feature) in the bottom tubing and then added four casters intended for tool boxes (Lowes). I chose the more expensive kind that can be locked in place so the footstool can be used as a seat or, carefully, a small table but there are less expensive ones that don't lock available.

https://www.google.com/search?q=shopping+tool+box+casters&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjulcWfxJjbAhVFu1kKHUOJDWQQ_AUICigB

I also added an unfinished round 18" table top (round built board; Lowes)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Round-Table-Top/38752824?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1194&adid=22222222227026728514&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=52571803031&wl4=pla-84454203071&wl5=9011038&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112550058&wl11=online&wl12=38752824&wl13=&veh=sem

I created a "rock 'n roller" footstool that I use with my rocking chair, both with (wearing shoes) or without (when not wearing shoes) a pillow atop it. I don't need to worry about a fabric covered ottoman getting dirty and needing to be replaced -- pillows can be washed and/or are cheaper to replace; I can easily push it out of the way as I want to stand up.

You can get the seating you desire and redecorate for $2k. Repurposing furniture is a responsible use of our environment. Love using individual club chairs as people like their own space and do like to rest on the arms. Check out FB for all the used furniture as there is a ton of it out there. It will be difficult to find four that match so look for groups of 2. You can add inexpensive throws/pillows across the chairs to coordinate the colors. Definitely keep your heirlooms as they are important to you but I would paint the red shelves and remove all the books. As someone else has already mentioned, you can find a used MCM style piece of furniture to store the books. MCM will be small, sleek and will not clutter the room. I would also paint the brick around the fireplace a lighter color to brighten the room. I promise that there are quality deals out there but you will need to spend a lot of time searching. Best to you!!