ouch, my neck hurts just looking at this set up. I have seen a pull down mount for over the fireplace that saves necks. Or put the tv next to the fireplace in the nook and get an apartment sized couch and a chair.

Wow, I have the exact same problem. The floor plan is the same except my living room seems 2xbigger. I also have a temp couch facing the TV but I need ideas for how to place a new sofa. I was about to create a thread then saw yours. Anyway sorry, I don't have any suggestions for you but I will be following. Good luck!

Hopefully there’s a solution for us!

What is the room next to this room? Can you flip rooms? This room was not designed for a TV.

That couch is way too big for that space to start .You needa wall mount that allow the TV to be lowered as mentioned and keep in mind no FP while watching TV I would like to see the whole room for sure and a to scale floor plan would also be helpful I do agree TV in this space woudl be my very last choice.

Two ideas:

Close off the doorway to the front hallway with a folding screen or curtains on a long rod. Remove when you get a new sofa.

Remove the central seat in the sectional, push ends together, to allow people to walk from the front hallway to whatever room is beyond the pillars.

I might consider doing chairs instead of a couch. Can't tell how much room you have based on the photo (measured floorplan would be helpful), but you might be able to do 4 chairs in a circle.

The additional photos suggest trading the dining room for the living room. There's a nice pair of blank walls in the dining room, perfect for a tv on one and sofa on the other.

You've already given me some new ideas I hadn't considered before so thank you. I added some photos so you can see the room beside (just like the couch, that is obviously not the right dining table! It's just to get us by for now). I also added a FP in case that sparks any new thoughts. Thank you all again!

How many need to watch TV at the same time? A grouping of 4-5 swivel armchairs could solve this for you. Wall mounting TV on an articulated arm would be my first thought.

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I was thinking 4 chairs also, swivel if can find some you like, with a round center table so easier to move around in a smaller room. Does the current couch have separate pieces like a sectional or all one? Its big! Nice rooms! Sometimes you just have to move things, try the other room and something might work that surprises you. Good luck!

Consider switching the dining room with the living room. If you post the dimensions of the dining room indicating the slider, and entrances to the dining room also and the size of the sofa, I would be happy to draw it to scale.

BTW you have a lovely home. I'm sure this group with come up with something! Seeing a dining room in front of the fireplace would be beautiful and this will allow a good seating layout in the existing dining room especially seeing the backyard.

Maybe those short walls with pillars can be removed so it offers you room for a conversation area around the fireplace and a tv viewing area next to it then a smaller dining room or if you do not need the dining room eliminate it and make that space all living room.

This works much better. The dining room in front of the fireplace and bookcases allows you to have a buffet and two consoles with sconces above. The dining room will now be a beautiful room off the entrance and balanced properly.

The living room layout allows you you have plenty of room for even that large sofa with chaise and a lounge chair (2 ! one big one little). The unit under the tv to be lower for better viewing and good storage for toys etc.

The rug is a large one 9 x 12 to fit the room.

i always say the nice thing about furniture is that you can move it around!

And that beautiful mirror over the fireplace would be fantastic!

Thanks so much again! Denise especially for all your ideas :)

As someone with a similar layout I believe that it would be awkward at dinner time when you need to cross the living room to server dinner in the dining room on the other side of the kitchen, it don't believe it is very practical. I like Rawketgrl's idea best.

I posted my layout here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6277960/couch-layout-around-tv-fireplace#n=6. But I mistakenly used my partner account to post.

You definitely need a different sofa (right-sized), then maybe add a couple of swivel chairs, though I wouldn’t use 4 or 5 of them! I’m not a fan of a TV above the fireplace….it’s like having to sit in the very front row at the movies! We mounted our TV on an arm, which makes things easier for times when our kids are visiting and we’re all watching a movie together. Do the research….I’m sure you’ll find just the right mount.

If you stay in this room, I'd try a smaller straight couch facing the TV, with arm chairs at a diagonal in front of each bookcase. That allows this to be a conversational space as well as TV space. You can take advantage of the extra space at the window end for an end table and/or a floor lamp for that chair. No chaise!!

As many have suggested, the dining and living rooms need to trade places. I would make that change in a red hot second. The weirdness of passing through the living to get to the dining would be a small price to pay. The current living room is just not suitable for TV viewing.

Look to Brownstone set ups for your cues. Place a low, streamlined sofa in front of the window with two chairs across from it for conversation. Get a TV arm that can lower AND swivel so you can make it face to windows where the sofa will be. These rooms don't have TVs but you can imagine.

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The rooms definitely need to be flip flopped. it would be more practical.

For now, break up your sectional into separate pieces. Lounge portion into corner, two other pieces as you see fit. Take TV down from its, what appears, to be too high a perch. Mount in one corner or other where your bookcases are. Mounting needs an arm that extends and turns for proper viewing, and can be pushed back . Lovely room, it has character. Save up money to get new love seats or smaller scale sofa. You can make this work!

An idea that I don’t think has been mentioned could be to get a smaller L-shaped couch that fits in L of window/wall. Get a smaller tv and fit it in the corner shelves (maybe need to reconfigure shelves). The tv could work in that room if it’s smaller and not above the fireplace. I have a small library/den with a small tv (our primary tv) and it works fine.

Can you split up the sectional and put one piece in the corner by the dining room?

This might sound crazy but with only 10 feet this room will always be problematic, so maybe erect a half wall in the opening to hall similar to dining room opening. Then the sofa can be up against the half wall and you can enter the room from the dining room. Or half wall AND small opening from hallway at corner by dining room.

My choice would be to remove the walls between the living and dining rooms. Extended cabinetry into the dining room wide enough to fit a tv at the appropriate height. This would shrink the dining room space a bit but worth it. You can fill in the entry from the foyer any way you like, partial 1/2 height wall, slide opening to right or left, enlarge or shrink the opening. If you need more dining room seating you could add a banquette along the cabinetry wall. This pushes the table away from the kitchen wall allowing a wider table. (Two people seating on the ends. Instead of the typical one.) Banquette would give you storage options. You could even run the banquette, but not the table all the way down to the living room cabinets. This would be a place for kids to store toys and books and a place to sit and read or play.

Is this your only communal living area besides the adjacent dining room? It really isn't set up to be more than a sitting area. I see that it has been recommended to swap uses for this and the dining areas and that would help if there is no other living space, but if there is, it would be better to just leave the TV in that other room and let this remain a "formal" living room, or as it would have been called in times past, a receiving room.

This is the only communal living area so I'll make one of these ideas work!

Best of luck with your ideas and final decision. Having worked for an interior designer, I know that most prefer the fireplace to be the focal point without a t.v. above it or even in the same room. That being said you must work with what you like and accompanies your family's needs. I have a very tiny cottage home and layout is a constant challenge.

In your space, placing a lower height sofa in front of the window and facing the dining room opposite two swivel chairs would allow for easy flow into the dining room without compromising your window view. It also creates a great focal point with the fireplace without blocking your entry, inviting people in. I would reccomend a television that looks like framed art so you can use this space as a formal living room when not in use as a family lounge space. When you need to watch the TV, just make sure it is hung with an articulating swivel arm so it can be viewed straight on by the couch or chairs. In this image with a Giselle Sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams you can see a similar room size and set up. I especially love how the curved sofa matches the arched bookcase and brings you into the room with great connection to the seating opposite the coffee table. Good luck!

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The sectional really is too large for the living room.

I agree with you that couch should be under window for good flow. Is there any way you could put the television on a swing arm mount? That would solve your problem, I think.

Either switch rooms or wall in area between dining room and living room. Then place sofa on the window wall and TV opposite it.

It seems people favor switching rooms, but then you'd lose access to that cozy fire place in the cooler months. Obviously, the couch should be replaced in the longer term, but in the short term: separate the sectional, put the loveseat portion at an angle in the right corner (when facing the windows) in front of the window, put the lounge side at an angle in the large corner near the dining room (left side as you are looking at the dining). The furniture pieces are partly angled sort of toward each other for conversation and connection and they are also angled toward the TV for viewing. Center the rug or focus it on the couch area.

Erin, it seems like you are happy with the idea of switching the dining room and living room. This is nice especially for the young family, to have kids playing next to the kitchen. Later when the kids are doing homework on the dining room table, or if you try it and decide you just don't like having the dining area and kitchen so far apart for some reason. Maybe the dining room is your only eating area, for example, as you said your living room is your only living room (no family room). Maybe this is a very compact space. If you decide to switch back to having the dining room next to the kitchen, maybe the tv could be in the dining room. Some people like to watch TV while eating...morning news at breakfast for example. Just a thought... Good luck

Erin, you have a lovely home and people have given you some various options.....some costing a LOT of money to accomplish !! For a NO COST solution, I agree that switching rooms is worth a try !! Only "cost" is going to be your time in moving furniture around...LOL....I have never been a fan of putting a TV above a fireplace....viewing angle is way too high...think crink in your neck at end of a movie...LOL...only way it works is when sofa is FAR away from the TV !! You would just need a new TV stand for the current dining room area....minimal cost and aggravation to solve your problem nicely !! I say start moving that furniture, girl !! LOL...would love to see pics of the "after" when you're done !!

Simplest option is to move the TV to the 56" living room wall, installed with a swivel arm, at the proper height, over a narrow cabinet. Then add furniture that works for viewing and conversation, and place the mirror or art over the fireplace.

What about getting a rotating mount for the TV? Set the sofa up where it looks best and we a chair or two. Make it look like a cozy living room. Pull tv out to watch when needed

Check out MantelMount for an awesome TV mount that lowers from above your fireplace and swivels too. We love ours and raise and lower it every day.

I would go with a circular sofa and skip the lounge chair. You can always add an ottoman for when you want your feet up. It would open up the ends so you could add a floor lamp in the corner by the window and open the walking thru space to the dining area. I agree that the TV should be on a bracket that allows you to lower it if desired.

Could you use the other room for the TV room? Much nicer to dine with a fireplace for ambiance in my opinion.