Your drapery panels should keep a nice drape even when closed. I doubled yours. I moved your pendant to the center of your dining table, enlarged and lowered it. I removed the head chairs. (They are a great addition to my own dining room; thank you very much.) I chose simple black and white prints for over the sofa so as not to compete with your fabulous canvas.

following

Thank you folks. Really appreciate the thoughts.

Sofa won’t fit in the alcove. And tv point was built to that side for some reason. Urghhh. So to prevent to much re-engineering (in my head already planning this in a few years as it would be a lovely change to the layout) we are stuck to building units on the current location of tv and Sideboard. Ditto to have with storage for toys.

Love love the idea about the toys. Currently debating with a 3 year old what has to go up stairs or her play house in the garden. Vanity and doll houses moved to her room. Can easily rotate no problem. Also plan to then store her smaller toys and books in sideboard till we build units.

On the curtains, I am glad I posted because I nearly got grey and navy pattern based on a picture i saw. But sounds like it may draw eyes to the wrong spot. Will keep the rule of thumb to get the right drapery for sure.

On the dining wish I had extendable table. What a bummer. To try and resolve I removed the child’s toy box and moved sectional further in to the door (picture 1 and 2 below). A little less cramped maybe ? Am I pushing it if I put her little kitchen between the sectional and dining on that long wall.?


Also absolutely love the design with art over the dining area. I kept debating what to put on other side to balance things out. With things moved I tried art over the sofa again to see if it worked because the lighting there really shows it off. ( picture 1 and 2 below) Thoughts? @groveraxle only if we could teleport the chairs over.

Added some more pictures of the area hoping it provides complete perspective. Oh and the Island in the kitchen is movable

Moving the sectional nearer the windows helps a bit with the dining table, but now it looks squished against the windows... Do you have any place you can store/use the end dining chairs while you aren’t using them? Love Grover’s rendition with the large art piece in dining room and two B&W pieces over sofa...

Tank you Laura. I know right loving the rendition too. Hoping to use it to convince the other half.

Couldn’t find anywhere for top chairs. So thought of trying 3 chairs each side. Gives some wiggle room for sofa to come off the wall a bit less squished. But perhaps it now makes the dining chairs look squished?

Hubby sold and agreed for painting over dining. Yay.

With Grover idea of a black and white photo over sofa, would I get away with grey and navy curtains in first photo to add some colour to tv room area. Inspiration in photos and currently great offer in a store.

I also have the option of a painting with chrome frame with very very little colours like green, pink, blue. Mostly black and white though.

Will change the curtain pole to a brushed chrome possibly to match the surround of the frame.

Can you stand at the French door and take a picture of the side that we haven't seen yet? In one picture I see a shelf of sorts to the right of the dining table. Can the whole dining table be moved to the right? Or, can the dining table be turned so that the short side is actually touching the wall, with 2 chairs on either side? Remove the shallow buffet against the wall altogether. like this. I also have a long narrow dining table, and I often move it this was for parties. table against wall ideas

I would relocate the TV and sectional and embrace a play room/dining room.

Glad you like the idea about rotating the toys! I find that even smaller toys and especially books benefit from rotation. The smaller out-of-rotation items can just go in a bag under a bed. And I find it works best if the items disappear during sleep times. Otherwise it can be stressful for a child since they don't yet fully appreciate that these things will be returning.

Thanks Partim. She loved discovering newish toys she hadn’t seem in moths. Her smaller toys fit into two shelves of the sideboard nicely so no over flow . Yay.

To the side of the table. It’s just an empty tv box we haven’t thrown out yet. So will be gone altogether. Picture from other side looks into our main living area.

Wider view

So is this sitting area not the main living area and perhaps was originally the dining area only? And thus the reason the pendant is off center?

That’s it ted. This is an open plan area with the kitchen and we made a little play area/ tv room off to the side. Adding a photo to show it better. I am standing in our main living area and taking a picture.

Is this where you mainly watch TV and hang out?

Now that Hubby has agreed to put the canvas in the dining room, I hope you can get him to change his mind back. ;-) The art really is spectacular in the light, and it fits OK over the sofa. I will find you something else for the dining area wall.

Regarding arrangement, I don't mind the sofa pushed against the window as long as you leave space for the curtains to hang. It seems to leave enough room (barely) for the head dining chairs, which looks better than three chairs on each side.

I think it's time to invest in a new dining light and swag it over to the center of the table.

Now here's an idea: can all or part of the kitchen island be used to hold toy bins?

@Ted. Yep we are lovingly married but when he starts his sports addiction in the main room I hang out with our daughter or my friends here. Lol. Other room has a large 65 inch tv and great sound system that looks awesome for sporting events. This room is especially used in summer when garden is popular for kids to come play.
@grover I laughed so loudly reading your comment. Yep can defo convince him again. I am sooo moving that light the earliest opportunity I get. Sofa is away from the window enough to allow the curtains move pretty freely. Still stuck on my grey navy curtain inspiration though but now the painting is back may not work. Hahaha.

Was thinking something or a pair of black and white art with little colour over the table. Sample Picture below. The table is about 70 cm in length.

Oh and yes and yes for toys. In fact you must be in my head, Because today as soon as I packed up the toys into sideboard I had a look what was in Island and honestly it’s utter rubbish that can go up in attic(disposable party items I use only for one or two kids parties a year) It will leave my new built in unit free for real grown up items and some books for the little one.

I have a rendering for you, but Houzz will not let me upload. I'll try again later.

Grover- I've been having similar problem today and yesterday. I'm able to post product out of my Ideabooks but not Sketches nor will it allow me to do a Sketch. Houzz must be messing around with "things." I guess they don't understand we are still "working" here and need our tools :)

Ha-ha-ha....

Like what you did to the place, Grover... Perfect!

Hahaha. I laugh because I am a techy head too. There are so many blips in tech that can be fixed. Even as an IT guru I go insane when the little things don’t work. But wow wow I love the latest rendition. Hello centered fabulous lights

Eager to see urs too Ted if the app just lets you.

You could make more effective use of the space in this room, if you changed the swing of the French doors to the living room. You need a really wide corridor to include that space. Could you have the doors re-hung so they swing into the living room? Then you could move your dining area closer to the living room, and leave plenty of space for play in the nook between the sofa and the dining table. Or, you could keep the dining table close to the sofa, and use the space closer to the living room, for play. It might not be a bad change, because you have more space there.

Partim this would be awesome if I could swing the doors the other direction. I think our table is just so large that a little play area between sofa and dining may look better. I tried earlier today and put her play kitchen between sofa and dining and it worked really well. I also tried on the other end per your sketch and the radiator and glass door made me rethink it.

In my near future when I completely redo the layout I think I will remove those doors and radiators as is limiting what can be done in the area.

To minimise the work I will 1. get curtains to cover the french doors properly2. centre the light over table 3. some artwork over the dining. 4. All toys moved into island. 5. Play kitchen moved between sofa and dining.

When the unit is built in will it be ok to still have the child’s colouring table as is. Just inside of the French doors leading out..? I thought it looked ok as there is no way to completely hide the fact there is a child in the house. He he he he.

Still no takers for my grey navy curtains in previous comment. Sob sob

We changed a door swing when we reno'd and it was not a big deal. It might be easier than you think. It would be worthwhile to "enlarge" this room which is doing triple-duty for you, at relatively low cost. If you change the door swing the dining table can go fairly tight against the radiator, and be pulled out a bit when you have guests. Or, do you really need the doors at all? Maybe at this stage where you need a play area in close view, you can remove the doors and replace them in a year or two.

Now you mention triple duty it makes an enquiry really worthwhile. Now I look at it I realise only one door is in use. The other door has never been opened so you are defo right. I’ll push the table in tighter with one door closed as a temp measure till I can get dad to help change it. Can always be pulled in am out as needed.

The big win for me is being able to make 3 rooms out of one while keeping the child’s space fairly clear. Her desk is quite big though so will have to live with that at the french doors leading to the garden. I don’t mind it though.

The built in cupboards on the living room side of the kitchen look like they would be perfect for toy storage....

I have found that large canvas bags work very well to store children's toys. I use the kind with handles, that have a zip across the top. They're often sold as beach totes.

It's also easy to clean up because you just pop everything into its
proper bag. I stuff the zipped-up bags onto a shelf in a closed cabinet in the living room. I had the idea when I was looking for boxes to fit exactly into the cabinet, and couldn't find them. I can fit the bags in any old way. It turns out another benefit is that they don't take up any room in the play area when they have been emptied out, as a box would.

I have one for books, one for stuffed animals, another for misc toys, one for blocks. beach tote

I'm going to suggest something no one else has. Since you say the island is movable...
move it... into the kitchen as a functional kitchen island. Then move her kitchen under the clock or some other form of toy storage. Turn the dining table the other direction centered under your light with room to walk comfortably around it. I'm thinking your chairs will fit back on the ends then. Her toys can go behind the open L of the sectional. AND plan for additional storage in whatever you decide to do for your tv.

@fiss fiss ditto on that. Implemented and then swapped to use part of the island as storage today.

@partim. Great to not have boxes emptied around the place. Interesting we had a play date today for 3 kids and guess what ?the kids never looked for any of the toys in the cupboards. They were content with a teddy each and the play kitchen.

@ Cheryl yah know one of my dreams is close to ur suggestion but never thought of turning the table actually. I am hoping to hav the kitchen extended such that the tv wall no longer exist. Replacing the french doors with a folding door/ windows that can open to lead to the garden/ patio. It will align to an earlier suggestion to put the tv on the opposite wall and put the sofa on opposite side (using the sofa to separate the areas). I can only dream of that for a few more years though.

Still going to try ur suggestion though to see how we flow through from main sitting room. We seem to be accustomed to having the “runway” from main sitting room to dining to play room to garden. Darn this large table...

I like the idea of removing the two end chairs. Like Cheryl, wondered how it would work/look if you turn the table. Your space is really nice, but it's the little bits of clutter here an there that is making me wonky....and I'm not a neat freak by any means. I think clearing away any excess will make a big difference in your tight space.

ETA: taking a look at the pics again, I think I like the table as it is but removing the two end chairs. I think if you turn it will stick out too much, but I think I'd try it anyways and just see. You can always turn it back.

I missed that the island is moveable. That creates some interesting possibilities, for sure! I don't think there is room for it to be a free-standing island, but how about keeping it attached to the wall where the clock is, but turning it so that the doors open towards the living room. That takes away a bit from floor space in the kitchen, but only you can tell whether this is a workable solution. It takes that space and gives it to the middle part of your room, the play area. Then you could put the play kitchen in the play area.

I like your idea of snugging the dining table closer to the living room.

I wouldn't keep the play desk in front of the French door. You can't see it from the kitchen, and it should be in the play area to define that area, and to keep the kids stuff from spreading everywhere. I think you have room if you remove 2 of the dining chairs. You could try turning the table either way, with 4 chairs, to see what looks and fits best.

Speaking of defining the play area, do you have a rug or play mat that could go there?

As far as your original idea of having a radiator cover/TV unit/toy
storage, now that you have changed the location of the play area, and
found toy storage in the island, do you need to take up floor space for
this? If you don't build in a unit, you could put one or both of the
dining room chairs beside the TV, to make more space for play. If you
have built a deep storage area, you may not have room.

To make the TV wall look attractive, add a shelf that's about a third wider than the TV, then hide the radiator with a simple ventilated box that is painted the color of the wall.

There is nothing like actually moving furniture to see how it works. In my first home I bought, I moved the furniture every couple weeks trying every imaginable way even ones I didn't think I'd like and lived with it for awhile until I found an arrangement I liked. The one I liked covered my heat vents so I changed the arrangement with the seasons to live with one I liked best and the second best when I needed heat. Give it a chance. Sometimes change is hard. Just looking at the overhead lighting locations makes me think having the island under the kitchen pendant and table under the other was what was designed for the space.

Keep an eye out for a child size wood desk. It would look better, fit the space, and meet the need. Ikea $30 for table and 2 chairs.

I would be interested to know if the table itself, without chairs on the short ends, would block the walkway. I agree with Cheryl that sometimes you have to experiment a bit with layouts, and get used to them. Tweak if necessary.

I prefer your art over the dining room table. The warm colors work better with your table than with your sectional.

Don't hang any art until you have explored a few different arrangements.

Partim looks like we are closer to your original thought of pushing the table to the wall. So I tried it out.

The island has storage on both sides so needs access to both.

What do ye think?

How does it feel in real life. Too tight?

I think I would leave the play kitchen where it was, to the left of the TV, and put the desk against the wall in the play nook. Then remove one of the 3 chairs that's beside the play area. Those changes will make more play space. Or could you put the play kitchen between the French door and the other door, facing the kitchen? Not sure if there is space there.

Tad bit tight alright with the two play things there. 1. I like the idea of leaving desk in the new play area and putting the play kitchen infront of a new rad cover just below tv hung up on the wall 2. I also don’t mind not being able to see her from kitchen so placing it at french doors leading to garden also works for me. (Basically where the desk was). With only a rad cover may not be so bad.

Whichever one ends up out of her nook in tv room has to be the easiest one to keep tidy and presentable to the eye. The desk were a gift from grandparents would have swapped for something from IKEA.

Hubby was loving the whole idea of rad cover and Tv on wall. Saves money to build an entire unit. U ,mentioned putting a shelf. Is that just between rad cover and Tv? Was not certain what meant.



But absolutely loving the layout with her own little nook for play.

You mentioned a

Also tried kitchen between french door facing kitchen and it was just too tight. Can I put it in the bin. Lol

Good idea to put the larger piece of children's furniture in the nook, and find another place for the smaller one (the kitchen). Looks like it fits to the left of the TV just fine.

The shelf below the TV (which could be separate from the rad cover, or part of it) should be at least 1.3 times the width of the TV. This one is custom. But you can buy them pre-made too.

This site has lots of ideas if you are going to have a custom one built. http://www.customradcovers.com/

Brilliant absolutely love how it has all turned out. Moved kitchen back and looks great.

Will move the third chair too for more space. And may actually get away with a little toy box beside or under the desk to fit her 3 main bags of toys that will be in rotation. Win win.

Grover or Ted may do a new rendering though with the art layout. Hehehe. I don’t mind putting he art in same layout as before considering child’s play area may keep changing over time

For single play, try this layout. When friends come over, you can move the play kitchen out of the play nook and put it beside the TV if you need to, to allow more room.

Since the dining table + play area will likely be changing over time, I'd put the large piece of art over the sofa, where it has the best light. For the dining + play area, I'd suggest installing a picture rail at ceiling height, then hanging the pictures from it. That will let you move things around as your needs change, without filling your walls with holes. Maybe row of black and white photos, not too small, would look good across that wall. You can buy all sorts of systems and hooks. https://www.decoraid.com/blog/best-picture-rails

It looks so much nicer and less cramped. Gotta think it works better. Isn't houzz fun? Corralling the toys so they are close but not underfoot makes it live better. Cycling through the toys hopefully brings new interest in the ones you have out. Sometimes we have too many choices.

Hmm. Will have to see her try it out Ike this. Can always move back if it fails. When doing Lego or jigsaws on the floor I would say the more floor space the better. I have more foam mats to add to really define the area properly.

Cheryl I just love this new unusual layout I never thought of. You all have no idea how much I appreciate the time and effort to see this through.

Already looking for quotes to get recessed lights done. Makes much more sense to light up the place evenly. I will just get a transparent lampshade for our new improved Tv room if we can’t get recessed lights there.

I started a new thread now for main living room. The addiction begins. Hehe.

There's a nice spot for the toy bags to the left of the desk.

Looks good. You'll be making small adjustments as the children change their type of play and type of toys.

Ordered new curtains and poles today for the french doors. Yay.
Will get them in a few weeks.

Family had breakfast at the table this morning and we all loved it. So far so good. Will give it will wknd then hang art up after we get used to the set up.

Massive thank you again. Now to the next room. :) if you haven’t seen my other post for help. Please check it out. Thanking you .