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shellfish59

Help with 13 x 23 foot living room

shellfish59
last year
last modified: last year

I have a long bowling alley room due to removing the wall between a small family room and a small ;iving room. Its 13 x 23 with an 11 ft opening from the kitchen/eating area facing a fireplace flanked by 2small windows with a tv mounted over it. The short wall has a bank of 3 windows. The short wall at the opposite end has a built-in windowseat with cabinets/bookshelves on each end. There's a 5 ft. opening into the fornt hall adjacent to the window seat, then 7 ft. of blank wall. The furniture we have in the room really all needs to be replaced but I jut don't know how to arrange it. I need something facing the fireplace to allow for watching tv without neck pain (husband doesn't want to move it) but our current sofa is 90" long and just too big for the space. I've rearranged the sofa and chairs a million times and haven't figured one out that seems to wrk very well.I thought about a sectional but not sure that will fit either. We have extended family over a lot so when it's not just the 2 of us we have 8-12 people fairly often so we do need a lot of seating options. I do like having a table in the middle of the room but should i keep that and get rid of the 2 chairs and a half by the windowseat? If I do, should I replace them with something smaller? I'd like to use some rugs to also help define the spaces...I would like to update the fireplace as well so if anyone has any suggestions for anything that may work as far as arrangements, uodates,rugs etc. please share!



















Comments (22)

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year


    Here you are- I am terrible at scale drawings so I hope this makes sense. I hope it's obvious how the foreplace is tcked into the one corner of the room with the large opening across from it. We added the windowseat and bookcases to shorten up the room and it helped a lot but I still don't know how to arrange it or what furniture would work best and still allow for good traffic flow. Another huge plus is that we have southern exposure on the short wall opposite the windowseat so there's a ton of light! Thank you for any suggestions!

  • jck910
    last year

    I hope some of the Pro's chime in with a good layout for you. It is such a nice room. I don't think you can avoid neck strain with the TV so high. It really needs to be on or above a console to the right of the FP between those 2 windows. Then all the seating together and the table & chairs down at the window seat end

    shellfish59 thanked jck910
  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Does anyone know how to turn their phone horizontally? We get great pictures of ceilings but not pics of the total room.

    Here is the room with a figure of a man standing at the corners taking wide angle images of the room. 2 photos usually does the trick.

    I still don't know what is happening on the missing wall.




  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    I will post the additional pictures later today. My apologies- I do know how to hold the phone horizontally I just wasn't sure the best way to tkae the pictures. Thank you for the advice.


    As far as putting the TV on a console between the 2 windows I don't know that I can seel that idea although that would be my preference. The other thought I had was to at least change the fireplace surround/mantle and bring it down a few inches. Even a different mounting system so we could lower and angle it would help a lot I think.

  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    last year

    A to scale plan is a must and easiest when done on graph paper where each square is 1 ft. just make sure when you post it it is jpeg so we can enlarge then the scale can be that easy. Pics of cours always good .

    shellfish59 thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    I have added additional photos. I don't have any graph paper at this time- hoping these are helpful!

  • PRO
    Mae Day Organizing and Interior Design
    last year

    Following. Beautiful room!

  • PRO
    Mae Day Organizing and Interior Design
    last year

    Safety codes may prevent you from lowering your mantle.

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    Ohh, distance from the heat source and TV? Never thought of that thank you!

  • ctlane
    last year

    What is behind the red striped sofa? Is it the kitchen?? If it is I think I would put the dining table at the end of the room by the fireplace (do you have leaves for the table) and create 1 large living room area where the dining table and other furniture are now.

    shellfish59 thanked ctlane
  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    Yes, it's the kitchen and there's already a large table that seats 8+ people. Also the flooring is different so it really isn't possible to slide the table into the space by the fireplace. We also use the fireplace all the time and love to be able to use it while we watch tv.

  • PRO
    Mae Day Organizing and Interior Design
    last year

    This is a nice large room with empty wall space that could be used for so much. Is there any chance your husband would be willing to consider Relocating the TV. It would make a big difference if he would Because you could do so much more with the room. Sadly, if not it really limits what you can do in the room. It can be so frustrating when a TV dominates how you can lay out a room. Sure hope he’ll let you try putting it somewhere else.

  • nelliebean
    last year

    I think that the tv could go between the corner between the large and smaller windows in the corner on a small stand. How many people need to sit most days? If only 2 people need to sit most days, then perhaps the blue chairs could move down and join your other armchairs for daily use.

  • The end of the line
    last year

    Me too! the TV would be easier to watch, less neck pain, if he let you put it on another wall.

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    So if we just forget the tv what suggestions would people have for arranging the room?

  • nelliebean
    last year

    If the tv stays where it is, I'd be tempted to move the sofa in front of the big window with the beige chairs across from it and with a coffee table inbetween. Move the blue chairs and ottoman down to the other end of the room. I'm just not sure what to do with the recliner. I would spend a day just moving stuff around to see what looks better.

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    I will try that thank you. I did look at a sectional and some swivel chairs all much smaller in scale than what I have and that may also help. Then some rugs to anchor the spaces …

  • nelliebean
    last year

    Another suggestion, but it only works if there are only two people using the room daily. How about getting another recliner and having just two of them facing the tv? When the tv is high up it's easier to watch if you are reclining. You could then slide the sofa down to the middle with the two beige chairs across from it. The table could then be tucked into the corner by the bookcase and bench. I think you'd have to try moving the furniture around. Would you be able to post pictures of anything you try? You have such a great room to work with.

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    I have moved things around several times in the past just hadn’t really landed on anything but I will post some pictures later today. I won’t be able to replace my furniture as soon as I had hoped but I do think some rugs to anchor the spaces might help alleviate the bowling alley feel of the space too.
    An 8x10 by the fireplace and maybe something smaller under the table…

  • PRO
    Mae Day Organizing and Interior Design
    last year

    Been away. Do you still want suggestions for the layout? If so I will put together a 3D rendition with some suggestions for you. Please let me know. Best Wishes.

  • shellfish59
    Original Author
    last year

    Thank you so much- we had an unexpected (major!) expense come up so it’s on hold for the time being. I appreciate hearing from you!