Here is our living room now, in “pre styled/ use whatever we have already“ condition, with a couch facing fireplace -

And we have another room to put the TV. so how we lay out furniture to best use the room and make it our favorite?

If this was my room, here is what I would do:

1. Get a high heat paint and make the brass fireplace surround black ($8)

2. Paint the brick white, grey, black, etc depending on the other colors in the room. ($50)

3. Build or get some book cases or storage on either side of the fireplace that can hold fabric bins that I can pop my kids toys into (this was a LIFESAFER for about 14 years of my life with wee ones)

4. Put some curtains up that are light (white if you paint the fireplace white would be nice for balance and let you keep your walls the same)

5. Pull the sofa back a bit so it isn't squished in the room

Wait and see how that feels before buying anything major. Your stuff is fine, its just all dark and there is a lot of things everywhere that is making the room feel more overwhelming and less useful. This could be an amazing family, relaxing, play room for not a lot of money.

So the tv and toys will live in the other room you have?

I don’t know where the TV will go. Here is a very nicely furnished room with TV and fireplace on same wall - but if I have the piano, can’t have TV.

Why can't TV be on one side and piano on the other. You can put the TV up on a wall mount that swivels/tilts on the right side and when you want to watch it, just adjust then put it back. While it is not the most beautiful design, in the real world we also need function. We did this in our last house and I love it, it didn't take away from the fireplace, it was there when we wanted it but not a focal point. We balanced with pictures on the other side.

Also you had suggested painting brick white. I like that idea. I really like bold prints and color, so Have this in mind for that fireplace wall - if not white, maybe a charcoal color. I am ok with leaving brass as is. We have chosen brass

fixtures elsewhere intentionally. I know it’s not for everyone. My husband is against bookcases on walls - we don’t have enough books and knickknacks to justify shelving like this. but a good solution for toys (and someday maybe we will have our own things again, haha!) might be some kind of standalone shelving or organizer for toys. My question is just how to lay it all out. i agree with the comment that we should inch the couch back farther, but with that one wall opposite fireplace having two entrances, we can’t move the couch back much farther (or it’ll block an entrance).

Here is an example. In any case, I think paint and organizing the toys will have a HUGE impact in there for very little money. If you have an ikea near by you can even just get trofast collection for toy storage (design people gasp) and also throw some pillows on it for some additional seating. Under $200 total and you have a whole new room.

Christine - from the picture you posted you have MORE than enough stuff to fill some bookcases/shelves. You don't need to go full height - build them out so they are low to the ground or seating height and fill in either side of the fireplace. Buy the fabric bins and put those on the bottom shelf (or only shelf) so the room can be everyone's favorite place - it has the kids toys right there, but not over running it, some bins for a blanket or two when you're watching tv/fire/reading a book, etc. You don't need to go to the ceiling or anything crazy at all with them.

You will get your stuff back and the kids toys go away, my youngest is now 13 and I'm having to learn a whole new world of decorating without the need to hide/organize toys ;) Enjoy it, it goes away quicker than you think

But honestly, I know it sounds simple - paint in that room and a toy bin (that can double as an under the tv shelf to hold cable box/etc will make a massive difference. I'm always of the belief start with the easy stuff before buying new furniture, etc.

Isn't it crazy that sometimes the most special rooms are the most difficult rooms to accommodate today's living style?

You definitely have enough space to get two areas and keep it cozy. In order for the room not to get too busy, concentrate on the composition of the fireplace wall. It must be cohesive from one end to the other. This can be accomplished by something as simple as continuing the mantle height all the way across. Here is a floor plan for you to consider.

When entering the room from the foyer, create a fun and functional vignette: a banquette, game table and chairs grounded by an area rug.

Keep the tv seating to a large sectional so that everyone can pile on and a large wood coffee table.

Fireplace TV Wall: I'm guessing you have a traditional home. Here are some details to tie in the fireplace with the tv area:

More fireplace tv wall details:

Brick the entire fireplace wall and add simple shelves to accommodate tv

Keep the room bright and fun by adding colorful niches

Subtle and cozy

Simple shelving to continue cohesive horizontal lines

This is my personal favorite. Paint/stain the entire fireplace/tv wall elevation from game table area window to window.

Hope this helps. Let me know what you think!

I love the color of your fireplace and I think the brass surround suits it perfectly.

If you aren't going to put the TV in this room, how exactly are you going to use it? A quiet room for reading? Playing piano? Board games? Floor play?

Depending on the answers, you'll need different furniture or arrangements. For example, you may want a closed-door storage cabinet for board games, cards and puzzles, which is near a table surrounded by 4 comfortable dining room chairs with arms. It's nice to do puzzles at a table which is close to natural light. If you like to lie on the sofa and read (our favorite activity!) then maybe you want a pair of stretch-out length sofas with low arms and good lighting, like I have in my living room.

As you subdivide the room for its various activities, don't feel you need to have a sofa facing the fireplace. In my experience, it's just as nice to have a fire going anywhere in the room, without the need to be gazing right at it. My fireplace doesn't have any chairs directly facing it, but it's still nice to have a fire going nearby, and it's close to both our eating area and our reading area.

I think you need to think about function, and what furniture supports the function, before paint and colors.

Awesome advice - thank you! I have a hard time visualizing my ideal life, for some reason. I’m guessing we will eventually evolve from a tickling, wrestling, and dancing over tiny toys on the floor family with three young kids to a mature and still fun loving family who loves to play board games on a Friday, read together, and sing and listen to music together any old day. My husband might say something different. He probably just wants a comfortable chair where he can sit and pet the dog and look at his phone. Good call about the fireplace not needing to be constantly gazed at, haha! Thanks!

It's really nice to have a table where puzzles, Lego card games or play dough don't need to be cleaned up in order to eat supper. When my children were young, I found that having a play table where I could leave out the toys and activities I wanted them to play, was a good way to get them interested.

Denise Marchand, thank you so much for the thoughtful ideas! Ihave been reflecting on this and trying out a few orientations, and my husband and I both like the layout you proposed- the idea of the sectional couch and cozy area on one side and a table wit banquette and chairs on the other side of the room. I can’t agree more with the great advice of partim who said it’s nice to have a table you can leave activities out on. Denise - one question - What kind of sectional did you draw? What’s that kind called? It’s not L shaped like most I’ve seen. I want to find one in a store! Also I’m your diagram there are red lines on some walls, what are those supposed to represent? Thanks again!!

WOW. Some great responses here! Have you considered going into Ethan Allen and working with a Designer there? As an Ethan Allen design consultant and an Interior Designer, I can tell you that the value of having a professional help you through this process takes the stress off your shoulders and makes the process much more enjoyable and at the end of it, you get great quality pieces and complementary design advice with it!

I love Ethan Allen but i think Out budget wouldn’t allow for all Ethan Allen...maybe we could try it but then disappoint the sales person. In any case, thanks for this idea!

I totally understand. The current promo is pretty good though, so don't rule it out 100% unless you know there aren't any offerings in your price-point. There are intro pricing fabrics, as well as Quick Ship. The promo right now on Quick ship is the best I've seen in my 4 years with the company! There's also 30% off a SINGLE item through the end of January. I would also suggest financing as it's a great 0% option to get the quality you want.

Either way, good luck to you!

Hi Christie- So glad you liked the plan. This is the way I personally like to see the room so that it is super functional and visually exciting too. I love art everywhere, so the red lines indicate art. I feel the most important items in a room are art, books, music and lighting, and of course, all the different personalities! Everything else is secondary. Keep me posted as to where you are headed. This is already my favorite room.

The curved or angled corner on the sectional is called a wedge corner. I also like to have a minimum of seat and back cushions, especially in a family room so it's not so messy looking. I am sure if you go to your local furniture place they will have something to show you. Make sure you bring your room dimensions. My only concern would be that there is enough room from the back of the sofa to the kitchen (?) entry. Keep that in mind. Don't go too heavy or overstuffed with the sectional or lounge chair/recliner. Comfortable but not overwhelming. Don't skimp on the banquette/game table area. The balance of the room is key.

https://www.colders.com/item/becks-3-pc-sectional-sofa/322695442

Denise I love the idea of big art and thank you for recommending that!! I don’t want to block off the entrance from kitchen with the back of a couch, so if the sectional started to the right of that entryway, it could only be 84” or less Long on that side. I am having trouble finding a sectional that small.

Don't force the sectional to line up with the kitchen entry. No need for a beeline to the kitchen. The sectional overall dimensions as indicated on the plan: 108" x 108". This size allows for 44" from the back of the sectional to the kitchen entry which is more then enough room behind the sofa. Don't leave too much room between furniture or too spread out or too small and forced into an area. This a common mistake most people make and then have a room that doesn't work.

15" to 18" is the most you need from the front edge of the sofa to the edge of the coffee table. The depth of the tv unit drawn is 18" deep and you only need a bookcase depth- 12".

Remember that when you look at a floor plan, the furniture is only 30" to 33" high and will not visually block off the room.

If you still feel you need more access to the kitchen, eliminate the end table between the recliner and the sofa and move the recliner a little towards the fireplace. This way you can pass between the recliner and the sofa to the kitchen

PLAN A - SHOWING DIMENSIONS AND CLEARANCES

PLAN B - SHOWING DIMENSIONS AND CLEARANCES WITH RECLINER MOVED TOWARDS FIREPLACE AND TABLE BETWEEN SOFA AND RECLINER ELIMINATED.

thank you for clarifying! I always thought I “had” to leave that doorwag totally open but I guess it’s fine to or a couch in front of it, as long as the entrance is accessible, right? Our room isn’t quite as large as you think. The width of room is only 12-13’ and then the length is like 24’. i will tape off a section that’s as big as the sectional youre recommending and see if that makes sense.

I made sure I took all of the dimensions off your plan so everything fits properly. Taping the size of the seating is a good idea for you to get the feel of the size of the sofa. Know that I would never recommend a plan that I was confident would work for you. Please don't hesitate to ask questions.

In addition to taping, try putting some existing furniture on top of the tape so you can see how it looks in 3 dimensions. Move your existing sofa or chairs to fill up the taped areas, or even bring in some kitchen chairs to see how it feels to walk around them. It will give you an additional dimension in addition to the floor tape.