Understood, I will put together a response with additional details, more photos, and a planned floor layout. It’s our first house and we are overwhelmed by the number of options available.

That's why you do what we asked you to do !

Post the WHOLE floor layout. This room, this couch, will not live alone, in isolation from anything nearby.

Add it all below in the comments: )

This is BTW why you paint after furniture but now I too need to see the whole space and any other pieces you are bringing into the space .I rarely like fabric sofas so maybe the reason for these particular choices too.

Can we stop telling other people how they should post and what they should post? You do see the irony, don't you?

Many things can inspire your color/texture palette, your favorite tree, a painting, a vintage Chanel suit... as well as living room photos you aspire to. What is your eye drawn to? #CrankyPros

Lafayette · More Info

This is my living room, wall and trim color similar to yours, floors lighter. Two medium grey couches but in a room with lots of otter colors. From this mid range vendor my choice was off white, mid grey, and dark grey. So for me the mid grey was an easy choice. Of your nine choices the middle choice on my screen looks most attractive to me but there are so many considerations.

Yes, I do see the so called "irony" : ) But not every single home should have a leather sofa, any more than every home should have fabric.

I love both btw, circumstance depending and in context with other considerations.

You might find it useful to look at couches and rugs at the same time, as you might be grabbed by one and then guided on the other...

Your floor and baseboards and walls are pretty neutral so at the point that you showed us you can go anywhere. But, do you have favourite artwork or accessories that you will be hanging or displaying, if so show a photo of that. Do you have tables or dining room chairs already chosen, if so show us that. Do you have lighting already there and if so show and the same thing with window coverings. What is your favourite colour and would you be likely to choose it for pillows. Do you have a colour that you detest.

"What time is it?" There always is someone who will tell you how to make a clock.

What colour should our couch be?

I like top right which looks to be the same tone as the floor.

I would be tempted to first choose a rug I liked - then back into the furniture upholstery selection (it can be really hard to find the right rug once you have already bought furniture) - wall paint can come often come last because there are so many choices

I like 3 and 6 but 3 best with a light rug that has texture to pop off floor and couch

"I will put together a response with additional details, more photos, and a planned floor layout.

It's our first house, and we are overwhelmed by the number of options available"

A plan, a feeling you want, the rest of the spaces.

Nobody asked the op to create what isn't already there.

Jan is incredibly talented and is also incredibly helpful. I still don't agree with anything but gray. I have dark gray furniture and I love it.

I strongly recommend getting on Pinterest. There are literally thousands of photos on that website. Houzz also allows you to save photos in different folders. When you keep saving pictures of rooms you like, your taste emerges. You will find that you like (fill in the blank) because every living room picture has (fill in the blank).

Before the internet, we ripped photos out of magazines. Now you can browse tons of collated photos and “see” your taste.

I wouldn’t pick a couch based on a wall color since you can easily repaint a wall. You want to sit in a few dozen couches (good weekend activity) so your tush tells you how firm you want the cushions to be, what fabric “feel wrong”, what kind of back cushions you like, etc.

I can admire a chesterfield couch but never liked sitting in my friend’s when I visited her. Know what your body likes because many of sit on our couches A LOT.

Upload the measurements and photos that have been requested and the pros will lay out the furniture for you. But start going to furniture stores NOW, and sit on everything!

Okay, thanks everyone for the information. Lots of great suggestions and ideas. Figured it would be easiest to respond to everyone’s questions in 1 big post.

Information about the house: 3-storey middle unit townhouse. Brand new, completely unfurnished.

• 1st floor just has the garage, mudroom and a spare guest room which we aren’t planning on using yet (due to budget reason);
• 2nd floor has the living room (that’s where this couch is for) and the kitchen. Lots of light as we have 2 big windows facing west in the living room. I’ve included a plan view of this floor for reference;
• 3rd floor is bedrooms

Information about us: Just myself and my partner. No animals. We’re planning on having kids but that won’t be for 3-5 years. First time homeowners so we have no clue what we’re doing. As for design style, it’s not that we’re allergic to colour, rather we want a more neutral coloured couch and we’ll add colour elsewhere through paintings, throws, cushions, accent chair, rug, plants. Our rationale for this is that if we go too adventurous with the couch colour and we get tired of it, then we are stuck with our adventurous decision as replacing the couch would be an expensive endeavour.

We’ve tried out a lot of couches and have decided on the EQ3 Oskar Sectional. This is the couch, but our preferred configuration will be slightly different: https://www.eq3.com/ca/en/product/cksoy0ock003v3b5zgt0jxvz6/living/seating/sectionals/oskar-plush-2-piece-sectional-sofa-with-chaise?ckrwhkdjj47us0114rnamklon=ckrwhh94700kq3b5zygxz4z5a&ckrwh0mb90uvy01620f691x77=ckrwh0bzl00km3b5zqdftrapq&ckrqsp1n621hh0114h0muys9k=ckvwkptrc017h3861ose94ad0&ckrqsp1n621hh0114h0muys9k|PrimaryColour=JP041&ckrqsp1n621hh0114h0muys9k|BaseLeg=ZY954&ckrqsp1n721hk0114ses61ep6=ckvwkq23n019038610s0dh7ql&ckrqsp1n721hk0114ses61ep6|PrimaryColour=JP041&ckrqsp1n721hk0114ses61ep6|BaseLeg=ZY954

Furthermore, I’ve produced a Sketchup model of our house. Here are some screenshots of our potential layout. All of the furniture and the floor layout is to scale. A few things we are undecided on in the living room:

1. We aren’t sure if we want a slightly wider couch. I’ve modelled a 95” wide couch and adding an additional piece would make it 124” wide.
2. Not sure what to do with the space behind the couch and the space beside the couch. Maybe just some shelving for aesthetic purposes.

Screenshots from the model, as well as photos of the room are attached.

Kind of a gloomy day, and don’t mind the repairs happening in the kitchen

I think you are putting your focus solely on the tv and could stretch out a bit....

What is happening behind the couch: ) work from home? Other?

If I can talk you out of the chaise end to the sectional? I realize it's just two of you, you may want the cuddle corner, but they limit versatility going forward, tremendously - unlike a custom ottoman in the same fabric that can move

We have no clue what to do with the space behind the couch.

It’s just the 2 of us, and we’d mainly be spending our time on the couch when we’re home, hence why we’ve focused on the design of the TV area first. One of the bedrooms upstairs will be our work from home office.

Could you try a bit longer and stretch a bit and reverse tv locale

May be add some low storage in the nook?

Not every seat need face a tv, and swivel chairs are great.

Late here, I'll let you play with that idea...: )

With the 95 couch, and that would get you a nice generous coffee table .

I didn't do it to perfect scale, just used your sketch under tracing paper, but it would look more inviting top of the stair I think.

They are all so neutral that I don't think you will box yourself in with any of them. I like the darkest two the best because they pop against your wall, but not in an obnoxious way. A darker color won't get dirty as fast.

Everyone makes wonderful suggestions about the order in which to do things. However, you are overwhelmed, new to this, and probably want a place to sit sooner than you are going to pull off an entirely designed room. Order the darker sofas, anything else you put in this room will go because everything is a neutral.

Jan Moyer’s layout is a very nice use of the space. I love the TV in the recess. The visual below shows the optimum distance from the TV to the seating, based on the size of the TV. With this layout, it looks like you’d need a larger TV than shown in your Sketchup. If the TV is blocked by the chair, I’d consider a modular sofa instead of a second chair.

Helpful Info · More Info

Thanks for taking the time to lay out the floor for us! Appreciate the ideas.

With your suggested layout, we like that it’s a better use of the space than what we’ve laid out, but feel that the couch will be too far from the TV at a distance of almost 19’. With it being just the 2 of us, we’ll probably be spending most of our time at home in front of the TV. I can add that we’ve purchased a 77” TV, and according to the internet, the recommended viewing distance is around 10’.

Based on our layout, maybe we can pull the couch back a bit to open up the space between the couch and TV. We can probably fill up the space in the wall next to the TV with some floating shelving or art. As for the nook behind the couch, maybe a board game table that seats 4, and some kind of storage unit for our board games?

Unfortunately we can’t return our TV and can’t afford a larger one since they start getting really expensive (with this layout, we’d probably need like a 100” TV). For reference, the TV shown in the sketchup model is the 77” TV we purchased already.

This is what I mean.......: ) And of course a game table in the nook is a great use, tv and dinner !

No more than a 48"diameter if you do that. As to pics below:

Maybe the console you bought on the back wall of the nook with art above? and add a shorter one on the powder room wall.

Honestly though? A lot of

"best viewing" is marketing, Please go to a Best Buy

and stand 19 feet from a 77 TV....? You might be really surprised how good the view. I sit 17' from a 36 inch Sony....for football and miss nothing lol; hardly falls into the "optimal" category but it's perfectly fine, believe it or not.

The other thing? The 77 inch really looks a bit "lost" on the wall you have it, and would be great on the 8' wall

No matter what you decide? Stretch out what you have now: ) Do a test at Best Buy too and even though its the two of you? Look for a bit more versatility in the couch. Once you commit to the chaise.............stuck. Actually? The chaise IS the "adventurous" selection.

I doubt I'll convince you of this, but any sectional is a commitment to one way arrangements- they just are. It's quite a penalty for a cozy corner and friends are left to sit armless like pigeons on a wire when they come by..........

"Not sure what to do with the space behind the couch and the space beside the couch. Maybe just some shelving for aesthetic purposes."

This just feels...... a bit better, but that's me.

Rather than a "sketch up" just post a blank drawing, with every single wall, stair, window dimension. Don't decorate or furnish the drawing.

As to fabric? Number 6 for me.

Thanks again for the ideas, Jan.

We decided that 19’ is too far for our preferences, so we prefer the idea of keeping the TV on the big wall and as you suggested, moving the TV over and kind of centering the TV on the longer wall. Looks like a better use of the space and it’s less squished in the corner.

What would be your thoughts on making the couch 1 unit longer, bringing it from 95” to 124” in width (4 seats instead of 3 seats) and still have the 2 accent chairs on either side of the couch? Would the couch look too big?

Also, is a console table needed behind the couch? I was reading online that if there’s no console table behind the couch, then it might feel like the couch is ‘floating’ in the room.

Attached image showing the room dimensions and window sizes for your reference.

When you say you will be 19' away from the tv if you put it into the recess you are presupposing that you are putting the couch right back against the wall. You don't have the couch against the wall in the recess so why would you do it if the tv is in the recess. Put the tv in the recess with shelving and just turn the couch around. It's in the middle of the room now so that won't change.

Just looking at the situation from a different viewpoint.

I do like your new space and love the fact that it isn't one huge room combined with the kitchen and those windows are great.

You can see I am discouraging chaise so you do not paint yourself into a corner?:) of forever can not move

Rug on both is 11 x 15.( 10 x 14 will work.

Both ways will work!

You can create your own rug, or buy RTG at 10 x 14, 11 x 14 are easy to find.

Larger? A great broadloom, cut and bound. You want to think about warmth, texture , lighting.... and not all of it should be up on your ceiling.

Great lamps are jewelry .

We got photos of the ratings of the fabrics, see attached images. Is anyone familiar with how much the rub, pilling and color fastness matters? Is there a significant difference between a pilling grade 3 vs 5?

Fabrics 1, 2, 3, 6 are the Ceder
Fabrics 4, 5 are the Coda
Fabrics 7, 8, 9 are the Maria

Anything over 15,000 double rubs is considered heavy duty.

"Five" is no pilling or fuzzing . Three? "Moderate

Very last thought? Sofas come in......they rarely leave as soon or as easily as we think

Give as much thought to how and where as that chaise and the fabric, ( scroll up for the text/earlier comments )

Following

Not to drive you crazy, but I am huge on versatility. Why? Things change you get bored...many reasons.

Back to this for a moment ? Example:same sofas. Same rug, writing desk one or two chairs. Remember this as well. Great spaces do not have to arrive on one truck in a single day.

What if you have the flu, just want to go flat out and face the tv with blankets

Same pieces below and in both? Seven or eight can gather comfortably

I can get three arrangements from this room below... we can adjust for the seasonal huge shift summer to frozen winter

Wrapped views · More Info

Wrapped views · More Info

Back to " I really want a sectional " Okay..but don;t get stuck unable to UN do what you bought. Do it so you don't end up with no arm on an end, and are able to yank a piece out to one long sofa.

Just think of friends, family, all. Lots of ways to go,

Following. Sorry Jan … no other way to follow using the app. 🤪

5 for couch color. Listen to Jan on layout. Genius.

@JC and you thought you were overwhelmed before... ☺️

@Jan Moyer is really helping you out with seating arrangement ideas and is explaining the why of her suggestions. You are really lucky. Not every poster gets that level of help from her. I still have an unanswered question to her on my post.

I can verify that a sectional is a curse when you move to your next home. Sofas last 7-15 years. Don't imagine a sofa is a thing you will love forever. If you REALLY want one, get one that's less expensive. That way you won't mind seeing it go to the landfill.

Just going to throw an idea out there for a starter home and youngsters on a budget, because the hundred you save today is the thousands you have in 10 years. Shop outdoor furniture that can go on the patio of your next home. Same furniture arrangements but in cushions that are replaceable while the frames will last. Your friends can barf on them at New Year's Eve parties, and so can the babies when it's time. Hose them off and they are good to go. Ignore me if that sends you screaming back to the internet, but it's good advice if you are starting but plan to go far, and a decked out patio is not out of the question.

I'm also going to suggest you eventually plan for diversity in your seating furniture. Nice to have a leather something for hot summers and that friend that has bad allergies. Nice to have fabric for cold nights of snuggling on the sofa watching TV.

All neutral color schemes can be stunning. I found them too hard to live with. Anything I use that is not neutral sticks out. My accessories stuck out and looked like clutter to me. It made sense to me to buy furniture in neutral colors like beige, because I thought I was investing long term. But as I said earlier, a sofa is not long term. It's 7-15 years. Honestly, there is wisdom in not keeping your furniture when you move.

I'll post a good series on developing a whole-house color scheme. It starts with a simple question. Do you want your home to be relaxing or envigorating? If relaxing, then start with a cool color, a green or blue or purple. If envigorating, start with a red, orange, or yellow. They can be any hue in either half of the color wheel. They can be light or dark and can be muted too so don't get ahead of just choosing a half of the color wheel to start with. You are already there without knowing when you choose a honey beige over a grey or the other way around.

I really like the clean lines of the sectional you chose.

https://www.fromhousetohome.com/whole-house-color-scheme/

@JC this is a great article. It also has links to the author's other articles explaining how to execute the decisions made in this article. Even if you choose a neutral colored sectional, this article will help that overwhelmed feeling. Even if you ignore all advice given, which is your right, of course, this article will make you feel better about your choices. And I will just add, that, while all neutral color schemes are not for me, there is nothing wrong with them if that's what makes you feel great. A lot of people are in the all-neutral camp. I only mentioned my issue with it because I thought I was in that camp too once.

Well : ) A lot of people do in fact get a huge level of help.... but I don't do too well with spin and twist, that I admit. I don't let clients spin and twist, either. Poor Molly up there is "following and losing her mind along with the OP

That said, here's the thing with this very lovely townhouse. There is generous!! living and seating space, but it's a "mile" from the kitchen.

Here. From her sketch up.

She said from above.................

"Our rationale for this is that if we go too adventurous with the couch colour and we get tired of it, then we are stuck with our adventurous decision as replacing the couch would be an expensive endeavour."
While it's true that neutrality in a couch ( I've had white for eons ) is absolutely wonderful, that also applies to its size and configuration, and as much or more than its covering!

Then we add the "TV thing". Which is why I really encourage a trip to tv land, with a tape measure as our obsession with "optimal" viewing distance is a bit crazy. ( jmho)

So.....? I look at the space and I see nothing but possibilities, knowing that one can furnish over time, while avoiding traps and the dammit &^%%$ factor.

See this? There's that squash. No....: ( no no no lol

There could even be this down below. A bunch of friends over. The tv is on.....there's snacks on the round table. .....an inviting view/arrival at the top of the stair. A fabulous view piece of art over the couch. Gorgeous standing lamps framing that vignette. ( note I watched about nine SVU

and football from my perch 16 feet from a 36! inch Sony this weekend. No issue kid you not, )

It's just endless possibilities: ) Really endless.

I love that last arrangement, @Jan Moyer the big one...can't see the little ones on my phone.

I love that last arrangement, @Jan Moyer the big one...can't see the little ones on my phone.

I love that last arrangement, @Jan Moyer the big one...can't see the little ones on my phone.

"the little ones..."

All of them are up above in earlier posts. Separately.

I don’t know if you have a designer professional in your family, but Jan just gave you really valuable, free design advice - like a loving aunt would. Please stop and think about your furniture investment in your new townhouse. The layouts she posted give you options and good flow when you’re alone, or have a house full of family and friends.

Rushing to buy a couch because the one you found is comfortable and pretty is NOT the way to start furnishing a new home. Many of us are older and have made these mistakes. Jan is offering you a way to start out smarter than most of us probably did.

Apologies for the delayed response as I had a bit of a crazy day at work yesterday and wanted to write more than just a couple words in my response.

Let me start by thanking everyone on this thread for the advice. The standout here is of course Jan for taking the time to prepare sketches and really give our space a lot of thought for how it can be best used for functionality, as well as taking aesthetics into account. We really appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into helping us as new, overwhelmed homeowners. We were astounded to be provided with this level of expertise from an online forum. We’ve really been stuck in a rut with decision paralysis with the endless number of options out there for everything home related, and you’ve helped us greatly with the first step in providing us with excellent layout ideas.

@Jan Moyer Your ideas of having a space that is versatile and transformable really resonated with us and we have decided to stray away from a sectional and go with 2 separate couches, and construct a layout similar to Option B. For seating, we’re going to go with a 3x1 sofa (facing the TV) and a 2x1 loveseat, and 1 or 2 accent swivel style chairs depending on their footprint size. I suppose it’s still to have 2 different sized couches, and we could still create that Option A layout too, it just won’t be symmetrical which is fine I think? My partner really wants an ottoman so she can put her feet up, and I want a coffee table, so we’ll be looking into a set up where the coffee table goes overtop the ottoman (see picture below). We may even get another coffee table thats a bit taller that’s placed adjacent to the ottoman, just for extra functionality. With smaller, moveable furniture, we can rearrange the room for when it’s just the 2 of us (ottoman as a footrest for either the couch or the chair) or using the ottoman as a seat when guests come over.

We also really like that in all of your layouts, you’ve really used the space well. No dead end corners like with what we initially were thinking of doing with a couch pushed into the corner of the room.

As for couch colour, we still like the idea of going with a neutral colour and are currently looking at rugs in conjunction with the couch and floor colour so that we don’t have everything being the same colour and it all blends together. We’ve been looking at rugsusa and rugsdirect, but if anyone has any other suggestions for rug companies, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

@JC

Excellent! Everyone has their preferred way to be alone, and to entertain! But, ( and I really didn't want to beat you with a stick ) being able to move things is something you will value.

Some sizes are just rather classic. A sofa at 84 to 90 inches is a super comfy length, and almost always will travel.

There are tons of cocktail tables that are incredible versatile, as you showed above, and many more. As to a 2 x1 sofa..( not sure what you mean , what length) watch out for "loveseat" length about 72". Why? Two people never, ever sit on them, Too short for a good nap, and you're really soooo much better off with a comfy chair and an ottoman.

At any rate, it got you thinking and planning and "seeing"...............which indeed was of course my point : ) Here's another good example of "B" as I think this the one you like? If you will ask why not face the view? Because almost no walls and ........yup a tv: ) from the camera end.

My favorite bulletproof cocktail tables Two, butted together . Indestructible .

Don't be afraid of same size couches- one always gets more wear, and you just.......switch and presto, even out the wear and tear. Yipppeee

In general · More Info

Jan Moyer has not only given you great design advice, she has explained every aspect of her recommendations in a way that makes practical sense. This is someone who knows how a house is lived in and can translate that into design decisions. Jan doesn’t seem to have much of an online presence, but I’ve lifted her name and contact info from Houzz and put them into my contact app. I may be moving out of state soon and, if so, will need her solid advice. Thanks to Jan for being such an exemplary member of the Houzz forum community.

Some of my favorite rug sources are Annie Selke, West Elm, and CB2 - I am a 100% wool fan - easy to have professionally cleaned and lasts for years

It is easier to buy the 2x3 rug size to check color, feel etc. before committing to the larger size - simpler to return

I just LMAO!!!

True on my oh so very sorry Houzz upkeep of photos, and lack of online self promotion. Tragic indeed: ) But after 30 plus years I could write you a novel on how people live. On what makes a welcoming comfortable space and what does not. Some things apply no matter what your style, color preferences , or even the size of a home. It matters not in Florida or Vail, or Nantucket, or NYC. We are all humans, first. And it always begins with feet and inches..." what's my p.l.a.n?", how do we live....how COULD we be living?

Anyone following here? It only SEEMS like we're asking for the " it's not what I asked" information. When the full context isn't immediately present? Guess what? We already know you didn't know what you absolutely needed to ask . There's no other site but Houzz, where you will get pecked to death...in a very good way, by so many. Believe it. : )