Software
Houzz Logo Print
suzanne_spitz

How to decorate great room with single alcove?

last year
last modified: last year

Just moved into a new home! It’s been so hard to figure out how to place furniture (couch and swivel chair and tv, etc.) in my great room. It has a single nook (it measures 94” L x 30” D). The room overall measures 251” x 193”.

Some additional info:

-I plan to put barstools under the bar counter

-The beigeish/gray couch and swivel chair were just purchased; so those have to be integrated in

-I want to integrate my ebony spice cabinet (pictured in the second pic in the back corner). I could always move it to another room, but would like to make it work

I would love some ideas! Thanks in advance :)









Comments (14)

  • last year

    Congrats on your new home! Well, that does look a little tricky. How big is the TV? How long is the sofa? Do you have a preference where the TV goes (in the nook vs above fireplace)? In either case I imagine the TV being mounted on the wall on an extension arm so it can be pulled out/down to adjust as needed.

  • last year

    The TV is supposed to go in the "nook".

  • last year

    TV in the nook, on an extendable arm to swivel and angle as needed. Art above the fireplace. I like Beverly's set up but fear your sofa might be too deep to place it there without feeling crowded near the bar. Get some sliders under the sofa and move it around to different locations to try out.

  • last year

    The TV should go in the nook, not over the fireplace.

    If you follow Beverly's plan, be sure to buy a TV with a wide viewing angle as the chairs would be at a steep angle from the TV. Several CR recommended:

    • Samsung QN65S90D
    • LG OLED65C4PUA
    • LG OLED65C3PUA
    • Samsung QN77S89C
    • Samsung QN77S90D
  • last year

    No stools will work in this space. You don't have the room.

  • last year

    Judging by the pictures, the overhang of your counter is not really deep enough for bar stools., and as dan1888 mentioned, there’s no room for them either.

  • last year

    Thanks for your advice everyone! I greatly appreciate it. What if I put the TV, couch, and swivel chair as shown?



    @BeverlyFLADeziner: I thought this idea would work at first, but when I tried it, it completely shut the room off. It was horrible and I felt claustrophobic. So what about the current set-up as shown? Or, if I put TV in alcove, where else could I put the couch and chair so the room wouldn't feel so enclosed?


    @jackowskib: TV is 55". Couch is about 7' long and 3' deep. No preference where TV goes, but I want the whole setup to look nice. Would the TV get too warm above the fireplace?


    @chispa and @Kendrah: I tried moving TV here, with the couch directly in front. It was too claustrophobic! Couch is 3' deep.


    @wdccruise: TV in nook with couch directly in front (as Beverly showed) is too claustrophobic. Do you think I could put the TV in nook and couch elsewhere in room?


    @dan1888: I really wanted to go for stools. Bar overhang is only 5 3/4", so maybe they won't work there?


    @HU-121436380: The overhang is only 5 3/4". So that's not enough room for 2 stools?

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    If you measure a stool, the diameter is probably about 17”. That means about 11” of the stool will not be under the overhang. And if a person sits on the stool, they’re going to need to pull the stool out away from the bar further to get room for their legs - maybe so far away that the seated person can barely reach the bar countertop.

  • last year

    Your furniture is ignoring the fireplace which ought to be the focal point. The couch in the alcove is just never going to be a look anyone will think works. It's really there for a TV and console/cabinet underneath. That way it balances the wall. We would need to see more of the room for us to begin to understand your TV idea. Christmas is never a great time to arrange--the tree is always a challenge. I would probably put the sofa in front of the windows. I know it's not considered high design but function is more important when you are dealing with limited space. That leaves a nice walk way in front of your counter. You can't sit up to it but you can use it as a nice serving area for gatherings.

  • last year
    last modified: last year
    • No stools
    • No TV over fireplace
    • TV on storage cabinet in alcove*
    • 193" (wall length) - 30" (alcove depth) - 36" (sofa depth) - 42" (walkway behind sofa) = 85"
    • 85" (sofa to alcove wall) - 15" (cabinet depth) = 70"


    Why would 70" (5'-10") be insufficient space between the front of sofa and the TV cabinet?

    -----

    *IKEA SKRUVBY TV storage combination, black-blue, 85x15x55 1/8"

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    I sense you prefer the sofa be in the alcove for space reasons. Consider getting a console table for behind the sofa so console is in the alcove with sofa directly in front of it. You could have a nice lamp on the console with art above. Sofa should have its front legs on the rug where it should be. Put the chair in front of the windows. I think if you turned the rug, it would fit better with the sofa that way. And if budget allows, get 2 rugs in a neutral jute so one is for the sofa alcove side and one for fireplace where you could have a reading chair, ottoman and floor lamp (and also see TV). Rugs can likely be shorter if they are turned so the short end is along fireplace wall and so the walkway along TV is an open tile path. Both area seatings can see the TV. With this set up I think there would be space for 2 narrow stools to be at the counter wall.

  • last year

    I am sorry the people who built your counter made it APPEAR like there could be bar seating. You need over a foot for leg room to sit up to an over hang. At best that is for standing, using as a place to set a drink. It will make a decent serving area and that's about it. In the long run I would start shopping for smaller more stream lined furniture. Reduce the number of pieces. You need to not over furnish the space.

  • last year

    HU-787167202: "I am sorry the people who built your counter made it APPEAR like there could be bar seating"

    They didn't. The depth of the countertop was set simply so its front edge would align with the surface of the wall to its right. You see this in the second photograph. The OP's diagram is incorrect.