Requirement to keep the built in?

Yes. It is the only storage we have.

Good potential.

Option 1)I would buy a low, modern couch and place it where the current couch is, but centered.

Then buy 2 (not too wide) chairs and them where the recliners are now, but faced angled out into the room.

Option 2) Buy an semicircular couch or a sectional and float it where the couch is now (but centered in room. No other furniture.

You need something on the wall on top of the built-in to fill in that space.

some inspiration for you

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I would paint the room more of a greiege that is in your stone. The room looks yellow now. Then I would paint the back of the bookcase that same color.

A shorter sofa of perhaps 78" would allow you more space. To go with it I would add one slim recliner, such as Macy's Pavia. http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/pavia-club-recliner-chair?ID=281645&cm_mmc=Google_Furniture_PLA-_-PLA+-+Furniture+-+Generic+-+Sale_PLA+-+Furniture+-+Sale-_-27451057342_-_-_mkwid_aMQ2KCgu|d{device}_27451057342%7C-%7CaMQ2KCgu

A simple bench in front of the fireplace would provide extra seating at gatherings.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

Thank you all so much! I wish I could center the couch, but there is a corner/turn from the hallway to the kitchen there, further complicating the design. See pic

I would do a petit (low back, modern) L-shaped floating sectional, with one part of the L facing the sliders and one part facing the fireplace. Move the TV either to the left side of the cabinet or to the wall left of the sliders. coffee table and no chairs.

Not a problem.....simply move the new sectional/couch that you will buy closer to the tv/fp wall.

You can try it now using your existing couch.

-remove recliners and move couch forward, centered. If you could then take some pics for us, we can further advise you on what type/ size of couch/sectional to buy

Thanks - I'll try it when I have help moving the couch. Here is the view from the entrance hall - if we move it up & center it might be in the way, we'll see. Eating area & kitchen are to the left.

What are the main dimensions of the room including where that wall return is, and how long is it.? What is length of wall opposite the sliding door and how long is the wall unit of cabinets? I would like to try some ideas.

It appears that you'd actually have space for two narrow recliners if you use a 78" sofa. I'm guessing that your current sofa is 84 to 90" long.

I think I would paint the shelf unit... take the chair from in front of the fireplace.. It looks pretty busy. I think I would either update furniture, or throws and pillows with some color to soften it and give it a homey feel...Actually, it looks too small for all the furniture... maybe two loveseats? Replace the coffee table with something attractive.

Buy your self a dozen furniture sliders and start playing around with the couch and chairs to get ideas. looking at the photos you just added, I would say also that if you can move the couch about even with the left slider, into the room closer to F/P, you could walk "behind" it to kitchen.

Bu a set of large sliders to place under each leg of the sofa. You will use these the rest of your life. Super easy to insert (carpet or wood floor, different sliders) and you can move your sofa with one finger. I have moved full armoires before from room to room with sliders. Like Home Depot or Lowe's. I am woman; I can move furniture alone and love to do it. I loan them out all the time.

Never buy furniture that looks like old air liner seating. Men love it; women hate it.

Since this probably must be the TV room, I would hang a flat screen on the blank wall to the right of the bookshelves. Make that the focal point. Head the furniture in that direction. Most folks like to lie on the sofa anyway to watch a movie. Take the focus off the fireplace and shelf wall, and let it be. Hope that helps! Very common problem.

Lkdrew, here is a rough sketch with measurements. Thank you!

katydidit, you are hilarious.

jlsfall, thanks for the sketch! You are doing wonderfully taking in all the advice.

You can move just about anything with a slider. Inertia. I weight 120 and move it all. For now, just place squares of cardboard underneath to easily move on the carpet.

Move your couch up and beyond the L and suddenly you have 15.5 feet. So, if you center your existing couch which might be around 7.5 feet (just a guess), you will then have 8 feet of space left (4 feet on each side). That is plenty of space for traffic.

You could even add a slender side table on each side.

After moving your couch forward, place a couple of chairs floated out from the slider door to create a facsimile for you of what a low sectional would look like in the space and help you visualize what you will need.

Please post pics after you move. Thanks!

Thanks again for looking at this. We moved the couch up, but the problem then became a lack of floor space between the fireplace/tv wall & the couch and a dead space behind the back of the couch & the eating area. Husband did not like it - no room to sit on the floor & play games with the kids. The room does look much better without the giant airline recliner in front of the fireplace - now you can see the fireplace better from the couch. Ideally we would put a small, low profile swivel club-like chair there (love sitting next to the fire in the winter) or will think about a low profile sectional (maybe no arm on the end next to the fireplace?)

I can see why you are having a dilemma with this awkwardly shaped room. You have to start by thinking outside the box. Can you ignore the fireplace for a minute. Just have a long sofa in front of the TV? What about arranging to put the TV on the outside wall next to the sliding doors? Also, can one of the entries into the room be blocked off or is this too difficult? This may be a problem best solved with a real floor plan on a computer with drawings of the pieces you want to keep that can be moved around. Consider the dimensions you need for best flow - 3' for walking space between rooms - 18" for space between coffee table and sofa - 6' to the TV, but this depends on the size of the TV too. And you can be quite close to the fireplace with a comfy chair if it faces into the room and would then be a pretty spot for a cup of tea or a good read. And yes, it may require new furniture. And if the storage can be put elsewhere, there may be more options as well ...which seems like the easier change than moving that grand fireplace! ;)

Sorry this isn't much more help, but this is indeed a space that needs some extra attention with further details.

This room needs to be drawn out to scale.

I like ikdrew's concept, especially the first one.