Tooooooooo many small things in the space. You have a rug, do not place another on top.

A longer sofa, ONE cocktail table in front of it. Flank it with standing lamps.

A better window treatment, no to the tab curtains which feel college dormitory and are not full enough to be pulled across.

Is this the only place for the piano?

Show another angle as that feels heavy in the entrance to the space.

There will never be "lots of seating" and toy storage..AND the piano: )

A measured drawing of the space would help us help YOU.

I agree too much small stuff for really no purpose . The sofa is all wrong with those chairs and 2 matching chairs would help and much smaller scaled to work with that tiny sofa No word art take the floor lamps away take all the stuff off the endtables and get table lamps . Forget the rug , the drapes need to be 2x fuller , I have no problem with tab drapes. For me the issue is tta tiny really useless sofa and those too big endtables with it . Do you actually need the piano? I agree better pics of the whole space too. A to scale plan a must .

IMO your room requires more storage & a comfortable sofa for the room. IMO something more like this would work

Is it possible you are BLOCKING a fireplace with that piano? Or is that an unnecessary white shelf above the piano?

What other spaces are in this home? It seems you may be attempting to use one room for everything and that is clearly.......impossible.

Less is more

Here's what the room could look like with a sofa approximately 84 inches long and a coffee table with storage which you seem to need.

I don’t have a problem with an area rug on top of wall-to-wall, but you mentioned wanting a circle rug? A circular rug
would just not work in that space….

Hello everyone,

THANK YOU for your input and ideas!

I’ve added some requested additional photos and a measured floor plan.

Here are some answers to your questions:

- we use this room mainly for family reading time with our children at night, and singing, and we do use the piano. It will not fit in other rooms and this is the only inside wall here. Thankfully, it is not a full upright, so it doesnt take up as much visual space as otherwise. and the color matches our hardwood floor in the dining room, so there is a little balance.

- i will avoid a circle rug per your suggestions! Thanks for saving me a mistake :)

-Thank you, beverly and lisedv for the storage options idea! is a darker table what would seem best? Beverly, if i only have room for a sofa and one cabinet, which side would you place it on?

-I sure love seeing the ideas some of you showed in images. Thanks for those! If there are any more ideas, please share! :)

-it seems most of you are okay with the two chairs in the bay window. A furniture seller i spoke with suggested a sectional. what do you think?

-would you do a painting or a mirror on the wall above the sofa?

- i have never done window treatments…how do i make them fuller…just add more? Any tips on how to make sure i do them right?

It seems you all have scared the poor op off.

^^ No........you crossed in posting eight hours ago. Nobody has "scared her off"

and if anyone did? It's the internet, and when you ask a question, you need to prepare for real answers, not a love fest of it will all be fine, Honey" : )

I‘m confused about the scared comments. I wasnt scared at all, haha! Did anyone see my reply comments and my thanks to everyone? i appreciated the input and posted a floor measurement sketch. I’m happy to repost that if it’s not showing up. :)

It’s there - no worries! :)

Agree that a larger sofa would be nice in the room as well as larger storage pieces - keep an eye on Facebook marketplace, lots of nice sofas show up there is you’re patient

This wall is busy, and storage and reading comfort need improvement.

With a longer/more comfy couch you may only need one chair. Seating/storage will drive all the other decisions: coffee table size/style, side table/lamp type, colors and accessories. Remove all the nicknacks on the piano and edit. Have a plan so room feels more unified and calm.

Look, all of life is decision. No more than as below will fit in this space, provide seating, and the piano.

Ignore the messy..... but this is ALL that will be possible in the room.

Apologies to kids? Toys go in a storage cocktail table, to your bedrooms and you add a tall- as you- can- find- book shelf where the grandfather clock is, now.

You can not have it all.....attractively or functionally.

You haven't shown any other room in the house...and based on what is shown? It is what it is: )

Think BETTER scale pieces, less clutter of small and lightweight inadequate pieces.

No please, to an area rug atop the wall to wall carpet. All it will do is visually clutter and further shrink the space to your eye, any eye. If the carpet is boring? Change the entire carpet, or better, repeat the hardwood from adjacent spaces and add a large area rug.

That's it: ) : ) what fits. and will look better........

unless the piano finds a new home, in another space in YOUR home.

Loving all this input and the photos! thank you, i feel inspired. :)

I will hop back on later today to respond if there are more comments; i usually cant get to my phone until the kids are all in bed for the night. ;)

Give us a reality check your furniture inventory. How many times a week is every seat sat on in this room - the two chairs, small sofa, and ottoman? How often and what is placed on the round candle tables?

Is there anywhere else in your home for your grandfather clock? I'd move it and place a tall bookcase on the wall that faces your sofa. Use the lower shelves for toy baskets, books and music as you go up. As the kids grow up, remove toy baskets and use for more books.

Remove both shelving units from either side of the sofa and get a much longer sofa that the whole family can sit on. Remove one or both chairs so there is play space in the bay window area. Then give a good general declutter. And, get one large piece of art for above the sofa. I usually like a mirror in a smaller room to help bounce light around. But, I don't know if the window would be reflected at all in the mirror. You just might end up with an extra view of your entryway coat rack, in which case artwork makes more sense.

No to a sectional. You are not going to get much more seating out of it and it will swallow your room whole.

There is so much more to consider about your piano climate placement than whether it is on an outside wall. Where are the HVAC registers in your room? The average modern construction and modern windows provide enough stability to have pianos on an outside wall. If you are comfortable enough to sit on that outside wall, your piano is very likely ok too. (I'd be more concerned about vases of flowers and plants on your piano.)

Any room is the feet and the inches of its perimeters. The "real" space is the space you have out of traffic passing through, which you wisely point out in the original post. "It has two entries"..........Yes! and they lop off a chunk of real space!

. Photos for inspo are great....when they fit/suit YOUR space.

That's why we ask for the measure, those feet and inches are the vessel. They, along with dimension of what goes into the vessel are just undeniable fact. No different than a bucket, and the water you pour into the bucket.

There's a dining room? Somewhere? A living room? ......you might add pics as MAYBE we see something you do not "see".

Sure! i have a back room which is where we are most of the time, and the kitchen (not pictured) is behind it. The massive cabinet stores crafts, art supplies, puzzles, etc. There is a climbing ladder and play sofa on the other wall. We use every seat in this home as we are a family of 6 and also host quite a bit.

The dining room is also pictured. It is also small. we have no room upstairs to move things, it is half the space as the downstairs. and they hardly fit a bed and dresser haha!

Also good point about the grandfather clock being swapped put for a shelf.

Let me ask......................?

Are you willing to live with the decision, that nothing but nothing is more important, than packing in every amusement possible to entertain four children?

Then you must be prepared to be happy with the way it shall look, yes?

This is "decision" : )

"The TOO Massive cabinet stores crafts, art supplies, puzzles, etc. There is a climbing ladder and play sofa on the other wall. We use every seat in this home as........."

There ARE better ways to get SOME of what you want, attractively.

This is not it, so maybe come back in a few years: )

Measure the darn space and someone MIGHT help you. It's .......awful as is

Pull seating out from the walls.

Disagree...not awful, as is. It looks like the home of a large, happy family. Kudos to you for having the interest and umph to make changes to improve your space. I agree that a larger, but not huge, sofa would be better. No sectional, please. They are problematic in even meduim-sized rooms. I would also remove some of the lamps and accessories...like one piece of art over sofa with no small pieces on the side. Usually, smaller rooms benefit from less.

I love that you enjoy and make music in your home. I also like the couch you have as I'm a fan of larger sofas to accommodate napping but not so much for lined-up seating which in my experience many people do not appreciate. Apparently everyone suggesting a bigger sofa has no problem with it. I like the two chairs in the window area and a bigger sofa will likely crowd those two chairs. You have to decide what works better for you. The suggestions for decluttering and removing those units on either side of the sofa will make a huge impact. . Notice in the photo's of your large window how the greenery and branches, etc outside adds interest and extends your view? Imagine a large poster of words there instead. Yuck! Now picture a large framed painting, print or photo of a pretty scene or something serene and simple over your sofa even possibly a mirror depending on what it reflects, instead of the framed words, (not a cluttery collection of smaller pieces. ) Also, if you choose to keep the clock there, no lamp on top. Good luck with your project!

I love the comment that you and your family read, play music and sing in this room. So many times a room without a TV gets no use at all.

Just another comment--the lamp on top of the grandfather clock is very awkward and could be dangerous if a child bumped into the clock and the lamp toppled over.

Thanks so much for any and all constructive feedback given. I truly appreciate your time in helping me sort out how to improve the space. yes, we are a busy family, 4 kids age 6 and under, and while decorating to the hilt isnt our top priority in this phase of life, i know i can improve a room at a time, and over time, with some good input. I hope you all the best! I’ll take the helpful suggestions and put them to work :)

I totally understand having kids mean having stuff for those kids. I'm not running for "meanie mom"! of the year.

I think music, arts and craft , singing, piano play is wonderful and surely beats parking kids in front of a tv for a stupefying cartoon watch all day long.

BUT!!!? Some things belong outdoors. So ! Perhaps I am the meanie mommy,but until eight, and a move to a bigger house, I shared a weenie sized bedroom in a shotgun style home with two younger sisters. Yes we had toys. But at no point did that narrow home with just two bedrooms, ONE bath and a basement with a dang coal furnace look like that family room. We didn't HAVE a"family" room other than a living room about the size of your piano room!

As I said, if you want help, post a drawing and be prepared to let go of ..............."something"?

Your home is really well organized for four kids under six! Kudos.

I’m curious about why you are not placing the piano where the living room indoor gym is located, or elsewhere in that room. There is such comfy seating there for lounging and listening to music. I could imagine making your whole front room into kid play, toy, art table art storage space, and making your area around the fireplace room more for larger seating and music.

Good comments, kendrah and Jan. Yes, i’m doing my best to balance it all, form and function. i am not trying to pretend i dont have kids, but i also want it to look nice. Kendrah- the piano is in the front bc it is the smaller room and we use it less frequently. My kids are not allowed to jump on furniture but yhere is lots of wrestling and running as the two oldest are boys, haha. So i prefer the piano in the room they occupy less. haha

Jan- i agree some things belong outside; we put the gym in bc we live in a climate where it is damp and cold 9 months out of the year, and it hasn’t been realistic to have my kids outside most the day to get their wiggles out, esp the younger ages. I woulr love to have a home with a dedicated basement and playroom but this is it for now :)

Great ideas and thank you for the food for thought, all of you!

Oh also, i did post a drawing right after you originally requested it, Jan. It might be buried a bit, but it’s there :)

At this time i can only afford to focus on that front room. i will def let go of those chunky cube shelves, the area rug, and will look for a better sofa. Will probably swap out the grandfather clock for shelving too. Thanks for all your suggestions. :)