View of room from both angles

Personally, I love the art and the sideboard. I would not worry about a table. I would think about what you would like for this room.

That is a cool idea! Thank you!

I guess the area needs a rug but maybe a zebra skin

The painting and sideboard must stay. They are perfect there. Use a rug to anchor the middle of the space. Then put whatever you want there - a table with sculpture or a vase with floral arrangements, a round table to which a leaf could be added and it becomes a bar when entertaining? A nice huge tufted square or round ottoman could be used as a place to sit before coming or going.

I love the entryway of Gil Schaffer's apartment. It serves so many purposes. They move the table out of the middle and place a long table and chairs for dinner parties.

You could also just put a nice rug down and leave it empty. This is what we do in our home. We have a large chest of drawers with an incredible huge piece of lit art above. There is nothing else in our huge entry way but a rug. We play with our dog there. I've set up catered seating dining there. But on an everyday basis, it is really nice for the eye to just land on some space that is filled with nothing but art and well concealed storage.

It would be helpful to see the opposite view…. from the front of the fireplace ..and the chest….towards the other side of the room…otherwise you run the risk of this space looking like a “hallway”…or even worse …wasted space

I always think “useful” is as important as “pretty”…in any case

Also a rug will add interest and color as well as definition to the space…the zebra type rug is perfect as it breaks up the long straight line of the layout…in a way that stops the eye and adds drama

Lastly ..it is impractical (even potentially damaging to furniture)to have furniture backing up in front of the fireplace…detracting from use and coziness of a fireplace feature

@BeverlyFLADeziner - I had been thinking zebra skin too but I am not sure if I should add another rug below? Like a sisal rectangle and then the zebra on top? Or just the zebra?

The room feels cold right now. We are getting window coverings throughout the main floor so that will soften it up but I still want it to feel comfortable and inviting.

@btydrvn - thank you for all your comments. I'll try to get a good picture of the reverse view. Yes, right now it looks like wasted space. Like what is supposed to go here?!

The angle including the freplace and living room furniture is a wierd angle. The swivels aren't actually that close at all. We have to scooch them each morning to use the hearth as a foot rest while drinking coffee... and then I scooch them back. :)

The photos you posted don't really explain the area in general. I have no idea how the beams in the ceiling relate to the room and the room beyond.

The expanse seems large enough to handle some type of rug but without seeing the total space it's hard to make a recommendation if it should be sisal, oriental, zebra etc.

Hi Betsy S!

LONG ONE!

A table in same finish as sideboard, in center? Gorgeous!

However!

A little suggestion, a little tweak, noooo trouble at all! Lol! That’s not right. My first suggestion ought to be, take giant breath and then continue reading — about to have you move it all!

Ready?

The suggested entryway is now the living area, and the room with the fireplace? It’s actually a sunroom! Easel, art gallery, low table aor shelves, long table and chairs, the big wicker or cane trunks, whatever you want back there. And if course, big beautiful plants by those windows and fireplace!

The jewel tones in that painting are gorgeous, but at the moment, it’s a walk-by, hiding! Up it goes, centered on the wall where the teracotta-colorwash abstract is.

Pull pull pull! from the painting, because it’s now the focal point of the whole floor.

Sideboard stays where it is, tv above, in the new living area!

Beautiful painting, thank you for sharing!

Or, simply buy a piano (just kidding!).

By the way, most decorators and designers love a formal entryway. A simple, airy entryway serves as an introduction, creates a wasted space feeling. Wasted space looks very luxurious. But the table in the hallway is meant for narrow hallways, the table six feet at least facing the outdoor entrance door.

It certainly would look beautiful —

Oh dear, i am going to offend everyone, but Betsy, in a room that size (the two rooms are meant to flow together) and that ceiling height, a center table might look quite — odd.

Move things around, let those painting colors breathe, and just have fun!

❤️

The living room feels hemmed in by trying to force it into the space defined by the ceilings and the hallway next to the fireplace.

I would expand the living room to include this space. Get a big area rug big enough to make this part of the living room.

Yes the hallway would dump into the middle of the living room but I don't see that as a major foot traffic issue. Or leave a passage in front of the sideboard.

Show the layout of the entire living floor - Add more pictures.

A simple sketch with all the dimensions.

What is left, right , how you pass through. Take a picture of the living room beyond as well,

The space is defined by ceiling height and treatment, but you aren't giving us all the context around it. The sideboard is fine! But again.......just plopping an entry table in the middle, seems a message of we don't know what the heck to do with it. Well? We don;t either, since we aren't seeing the whole of this living floor.

That means there's a kitchen somewhere? A dining room?

It's " immediately right of the foyer....." so it ISN'T a foyer : ) Show it all . If you have the builder plan, take a pic and upload it as a jpeg, and add the pictures. Definitely need the dimensions....

A modern game table, 4 great chairs comes to mind,. set up a bar on the sideboard. Yes to a rug depending.......but who knows?

Thank you to everyone who has replied! I'm going to upload more photos of the spaces as well as the floor plan. Have to do that from my phone so it'll come separately. First just a few replies/comments.

- I love the idea of a game table. I've recently gotten into mahjong and so I was thinking I could find a table that would work as both a "focal table" and a game table. The chairs I could bring in/out as needed rather than having it set up all the time?

- The drapery currently hanging in the LR will be rehung in the "waiting room". The fabric is Schumaker Andromeda Linen in Indigo. I can also upload a screenshot of that. https://schumacher.com/catalog/products/175380

- The windows in the LR and adjoining DR will get a simple solid drapery in Parchment - a light oatmeal color.

- The room dimensions are 9 wide x 12 long to edge of the wing walls, and then the DR dimensions are 16 wide x 15 long to the edge of the hearth.

- The beams have been discussed here before on other threads when I was inquiring about what to do for the f/p. They don't entirely make sense but we didnt add them and I certainly can't take them out. So they are what they are.

- I am open to changing light fixtures. The pendant in the LR is too modern for this house .

- All the furniture in the LR (and DR) will be replaced, hopefully in the next few months. This all came with us from our prior home which was smaller in scale. I'm working on those mood boards and plans separately......

More angles of this room. NOTE! I took these in wide angle so some of scale looks funky. Will find a floor plan to better show everything

More images

Plans … first the entire main floor and then a close up of the area we’re discussing

FWIW - I am hoping I can use this LR layout more closely than the other one. I like the two sofas placed L shaped (not sectional) and then the two swivels in front of the f/p since we use that every morning & evening.

I found this multi color rug that might be a good addition to this anteroom area.

I think the area rug pattern in the LR is not large enough in scale, so I am showing rugs that are a bit brighter in color and the scale a bit larger.

Maybe there’s room for 4 small tub chairs with a round coffee table in the middle?

@BeverlyFLADeziner That is so interesting about the rug in the LR! I can really see how that larger scale print would be better. We are planning to replace this rug already so this is very helpful! Which app do you use to so easily swap out design elements like that? Very cool!

Thank you everyone! I feel like my original question was answered :)

I just used the rug visualizer on RugsDirect.com, however this feature is available on other rug websites.