It seems to me that all of the furniture is arranged at an angle. I would start by pushing the television up against the wall..... I think it can stay where it is. Then I would place the sofa facing the fireplace and the two chairs together on the left side of the sofa.....making an L shape toward the television. See if that helps with the arrangement. You seem to have lots of doors and entryways- I tried to consider them all......

With the furniture you have, I suggest you try positioning the sofa about 10 to 12' out directly in front of the fireplace. Then I'd place the two large chairs either on the side of the sofa that is to the left of the fireplace, or one on each side of the sofa, angled toward the TV.

Your TV will look a lot better hung on the wall above a more modern looking media console, not in oak. If you have an Ikea near you, look there. Something in black or almost black would be nice.

Then, I'd look for a large, sturdy coffee table to go in front of the sofa, set 18" in front of it. This should be rugged enough for the boys to play with their cars on top of it. Don't worry about end tables unless you have table lamps. The chairs should each have a small round table beside them, or one between them, depending on your furniture arrangement.

If you have no floor outlets in the middle of the room, please add torchiere floor lamps to light the room.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

Thank you for your comments. Would you suggest hanging the tv above the FP?

No, the TV would be too high to view comfortably if it were placed above the fireplace. That works with low fireplaces, not with ones like yours. Your TV can go either on the wall where it is now, or on the wall where the 3 family photos are hung. If it goes on the wall where the photos are, then I'd have the two chairs to the right of the fireplace, facing the TV, with the sofa still facing the fireplace.

I see two mirrors in this space and neither one is reflecting anything beautiful or interesting. If TV has a non-glare feature, I'd like it better in the corner to the left of the FP where the chair is now on a much lower credenza-style console. Otherwise, I agree with CA-KC's advice for arranging. When you re-hang art and pictures, put the centers at 60" above the floor unless they're above furniture where 5" above the piece would look better.

mlecure, are you still there? Without knowing what you are thinking about our suggestions, we have nowhere to go with your dilemma. These things work much better when we get lots of feedback from you about our suggestions.

I apologize for not getting back on yesterday. I do appreciate the comments! There is 1 mirror in our living room over the FP. I think the idea of moving the tv to the wall that the pics are on is an interesting thought. My only concern is that I like to watch tv while cooking and I won't be able to see tv from there. So, if I am going to keep the tv to the right of the FP, I should hang it on the wall and get a black stand? If I was going to buy new furniture, would you have any suggestions that might differ in room layout? I feel like I'm still losing a lot of space for the kids.
Thank you again!

Any chance of getting a small TV for the kitchen? I'm not sure I understand what you mean about "losing a lot of space for the kids". It looks like a large room. There should be plenty of space left for them to play. But if you could explain your concerns, it would help.

We could possibly get a tv for the kitchen or just not worry about it ;) I think what I feel about the lack of space is just something I may have to deal with. As you can see, right now everything is open and the kids wrestle with their dad a lot there, but in order to have furniture in a better arrangement then this space will decrease of course. I'm going to move the furniture Around today as you suggested and see what I think.

Get a L shaped sectional with a left side return. A solid drag gray with print accent pillows. A big square leather ottoman with storage for games and toys. Are you putting TV over firepl? In corner where chair is add big potted palm. Remove all other furn.

De clutter mantel put nothing. Framed pic should be in bedroom. If can paint FP white. Add new chairs to table in a metal Go on line. If you have bar stools change to simple metal in dark gunmetal. Paint table a dark gray, or red.

Remove family pic on side wall and add the mirror over FP. Hang vertically , 2 ft from floor.

Remove all family photos put in hallway. Sorry just saw TV. Is that a fake firepl. If so I would put in that other room, and put TV on that wall. Center. Put nothing on walls over it.

If not fake. Put TV to left of firepl place flat on wall. Should fill wall. You have too much furn that doesn't match.

I suspect that once you find a new furniture arrangement, the kids will find space to play just by changing their habits a little. I'll be eager to hear what works for you.

Interesting thoughts travisinteriors. The fireplace is real, and though I know it is not in style, we like the light oak fireplace and have oak trim and cupboards in the house (it seems like this s a designers nightmare :) ) if we mount the tv to the left of the fireplace, what should we get to put the cable box, DVD player, etc on? Also, why put the mirror 2 feet from the floor on the wall where the family pics are? What will the do for the room? How far off the floor should a tv be mounted? Thanks again! I attached more pics in case it helps!

More pictures...just trying to give you a sense of the space. Thank you everyone!

CA-KD, I rearranged the furniture the way you suggested. Please forgive the mess and extra pieces of furniture. Any suggestions after seeing these? I'm imaging the coffee table and hanging the tv to the left of the fireplace or on the wall with the kids pictures.

Different arrangement.

I prefer the arrangement, mlecure, where you have two chairs on one side of the sofa. You need a round table, 14 to 18" diameter between the two chairs and a coffee table in front of the sofa as mentioned before.
You could also add a sofa table behind the sofa and place a table lamp or two on the sofa table if you happen to have an electrical outlet in the floor nearby. Do you?

Then I would place a smaller chair by the fireplace on the side opposite the pair of chairs.

I have to agree that the two chairs together make the best arrangement and you will love a table between them. FOR NOW, are the tables on the wall under the pics an option to get a feel for a coffee table and a table between the chairs? Look how easily you would be able to watch tv with it on that picture wall.

Thanks again for the quick response! I feel like I'm really getting somewhere! If I hang the tv in that corner though, where would the small chair go? Might I be better off with an l shaped couch in the same layout? What do you think?

Oops...and no floor plugs though I am married to a wonderful electrician!

I like the new arrangement. You might also want to consider doing built-in book case/ cabinet on either side of the fireplace. You could even hang your tv in one of them and it will give you lots of extra storage. Here is a picture of my built ins, please excuse the clutter :)

It amazes me how builders will build a house where it's evident that the furniture will be placed in the middle of the room and not against the walls, and yet they do not supply even one floor outlet for lamps in the middle of the room! Shame on them! Are you sure there's not a floor outlet that someone covered over with carpeting? Hub could tell.