Placement issues!

Question

I just bought a gorgeous couch from crate and barrel. It is a little too big for the room, I know, but I don't care. I am having trouble placing my tables and decorations around the room. I hate the cluttered look and that's what I am running into.

None · Answer

I love your colors!

Bonnie Lewenza · Answer

use your area rug as your focal point, open it up. Everything just seems too boxed in and your area rug is all covered up. Try placing a chair and a small table along the stair wall. If you want the table in front of the window then put it there and see if it doesn't spark some ideas, Place your sunflower vase near your real plant. Hope it helps.

Shari · Answer

I think it's always a bit difficult to arrange a room without actually being there to see the actual size and determine how furniture placement feels but here is what I would try: 
 1. Remove the end table and center the sofa on the wall. 
 2. Remove that little chest on the right side of the sofa. 
 3. Take the floor lamp currently by the TV and place it on the right side of the sofa. 
 4. Since you want to move the sofa/console table to a different spot, I would try it on the wall directly opposite the window (the wall you call 'in progress'). 
 5. Place the table lamp on the sofa/console table, preferably on the side closest to the sofa so it will hopefully illuminate that corner and the left end of the sofa. 
 6. Place the end table underneath the TV. Your cable box or whatever those electronics are will probably fit on the bottom shelf of the end table. 
 7. Look for 2 small, lightweight chairs to go on either side of the end table for extra conversational seating. You could use dining room chairs (with or without arms), or maybe small wicker-type chairs. 
 8. Take the plant out of the plant stand and place it on the end table under the TV. 
 9. I would also move your 2 pieces of artwork over the sofa closer together and hang the sconces/plates to the right and left of the 2 pieces of art. (I think the sconces/plates get lost in your drapes and are a bit too large for the amount of wall space you have on each side of the window.) Another option would be to spread the 2 pieces of art a little further apart and place 1 sconce and plate between the art. Use the other sconce/plate in another part of the house or put in storage. Accessories generally look better in odd numbers. Right now you have 2 matching flower pictures, 2 matching sconces, 2 matching plates, and 2 other matching wall hangings on the 'in progress' wall. Try mixing it up a little. 
 10. Finally, remove everything else from the room that you are not using or doesn't serve a useful purpose and see if it feels less cluttered to you. 
 Good luck. Oftentimes furniture and accessory arranging is simply trial and error until it feels right to you.

Loretta · Answer

My ideas are: First center the sofa on that wall, with rug directly in front of it, that way those pictures will be centered. Small table on each side. Then move the table under TV in front of window. Move the table on left side of sofa to the space by the stairway and put that tall lamp beside it. The vase with the flower to the right side of TV. A white boxed table would be good under the TV, TV looks a little high for me, not much but a little. I have used milk crates with a piece of plywood cut on top with a sheet for a cover as a table. Just an idea. Post a pic after your changes so we can see what you came up with.

Honeybear Lane · Answer

If it's a small room, consider painting the walls a light color to open it up. Also I feel like the scale of the pictures above the couch is too small. The furniture arrangement might actually be okay, it could just be the rest of the room that doesn't feel right. Sometimes a new piece can throw everything else off.

Joni J. · Answer

Thank u for the suggestions!!

Angie Decorilla.com · Answer

Hi! I completely agree with Honeybear Lane. The green color is bright/cheerful, but on all the walls, it is overpowering. Consider making it an accent wall color with the other walls a nice, neutral color. It's a universal design rule in helping making spaces feel larger. You can certainly add more green with throw pillows or art. Good luck!

Michele Eures · Answer

I love your new sofa! Looks like a cozy place to take a nap. :-) One thing that I would change is to (please don't hate me for this) remove all those spindly tables and lamps and replace them with items more to scale. You won't need as many pieces, which will take away that cluttered feeling you have. The sofa calls for bold accessories. Maybe visit a nearby thrift/consignment shop and see what they'll do for you. A swap of your stuff for one or two more-to-scale items?? It's worth a try.

Katie · Answer

I wonder if having so many small things is also adding to your sense of it being cluttered? I would move both end tables to another room and just make use of the coffee table; place the floor lamp where one of the end tables sat. You might want to consider removing some of the objects currently on the floor and replacing them with maybe another floor lamp. Lower the wall sconces so the top of the plates are at the same height as the top of your lovely paintings. I don't know if your drapes are for privacy, but you want to use lighter fabric. I thin the colour of the drapes coupled with the pattern is a little heavy for what you're trying to achieve. Could you use them in another room? They're very pretty! There are lots of great ideas…and your room has tons of opportunity! Looking forward to another picture of the changes!

Debbie Harris · Answer

All good ideas but also consider cord organizers and covers.

Opal · Answer

How fun and oh so cozy. The first 2 things I noticed is that all of the green is on once side of the room and all the bluish/purple is on the other plus a lot of the accessories are in pairs. Try mixing up the colors and separating items into odd number groups. The 2 like pieces on the stair wall, try just one and the 2 sconces on either side. Consolidate the cords to one side so they are easier to conceal. Once you move the table from under the tv, I think a more solid piece would help the room (buffet, long dresser) possibly in black or something darker. Please post as you go, would love to see it.

Reinventing Space · Answer

#1. Always consider traffic patterns when you place furnishings in a room. How people enter and leave, how you walk around the home. Looks like you put the TV in your foyer. #2 Because your sofa is over scale for the space, put it in front of your window, and add a set of sheers too to your w/treatment to let light in and make the room look bigger. #3 TV should be on the staircase wall. Get a media piece for your TV and leave the small foyer table where it belongs. #4 Loose the plate stands next to the windows, too much. Your pair of prints need to be closer together over your foyer table.

Jim L · Answer

PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY MY POST! 
 First, clean the room of empty cups, lap robes, and 'neaten' the sofa. ( I cannot tell what color the sofa is.) Now, take down all of your 'stuff' from the walls and spread them out on the kitchen table. (We will 'shop' from there later.) 
 Swap the dark gray curtains for some that are a crisp white with tape in the color of your sofa and some red. Add this band to the inside of the panels. Move the sofa in front of the window and the TV and a smaller table to the corner where the left side of the sofa is now. With this arrangement, no one will walk in front of the TV. Do not hand the TV, but put it on a table (with shelves), chest or book-case that is just a little wider that the TV. (The components can by put inside the book-case of arranged on top of the chest or on the shelves of the table. Leave the sofa table where it is on the wall on the left of the front door. I would add a chair with its back to the front door, at a right angle to the sofa and another small chair to the slant of the stair wall. Make sure that there is a lamp of some sort by each place and a table of some sort. Where ever a person is sitting, there should be a place to put a cup or glass and a light good enough for reading. 
 Now go shopping to the kitchen table. Use the two brackets (with plates), the two square pieces and the two flower paintings over the sofa table. Find one more piece, something long and narrow to go in the middle of that arrangement. (I would show you how to arrange them, but I can't on the computer.) Maybe a bracket that holds a large candle. Add some good sized sofa pillows in bright colors. Heftier lamps would be nice also. 
 Sorry that this is so long...You can have a nice looking room with a little effort. Good luck and enjoy the great colors.
Oh! Repaint the front door white...

Debra · Answer

Colors are wonderful! The side of the room with the TV is very sparse. I believe it needs something to help balance that wonderful chunk of a sofa. Some wall art, maybe some bookcases, some useful storage furniture for your stuff. Right now it's just a TV with a thin legged table beneath. The room is sinking on the the sofa side - lol. BTW I think your lamp by the sofa needs to be a chunkier piece. The thin stem doesn't go - for me :)

Melody Drinkwater Wagner · Answer

WOW, I love the colors! And your curtains and area rug look incredible. I love this room. I would add a black book shelf underneath the tv or a fake black mantle, on the side of that add 2 tall vases with white branches that look just like the ones on your curtains. I have a room this small in the back of my house. I'm adding a long narrow window that opens like an accordion with a bar shelf and putting stools on the outside. I hope mine turns out as nice as yours. I'm still undecided about my color scheme. I will post when ready to remodel.

Melody Drinkwater Wagner · Answer

Continued from above. Found this here on Hometalk. It's christmasy but you can replace the pine branches with (fake) ferns to the tall black vases and add white or birch branches.

Sfg178760 · Answer

First, pull the rug away from the couch more. The area between the rug and TV is just dead space...but it is also a walk/entry way? Okay...take the end table out and use that one as your coffee table. (if you really do not need side tables)...that will take out some of the crowded feel. Us that floor lamp by your TV for light in that spot. I too think you should center the couch...but I like things even! o) Is that a ottoman that came with the couch? If so, i think it is too big too...I would put it along the wall with the TV for extra seating if the need be or at an angle 'towards' the couch for a conversational setting. OR...since you probably like putting your feet up....put it right up against the couch on the right side (looking at photo) like a lounge...and use a square (that end table) as a coffee table in front of the rest of the couch. If that area in front of the TV is a walk way or entry way...I would try to turn the living room around that it is not so. Can you put the couch or TV in front of the curtains and turn it that way. The space may seem smaller if the room is long...but it will be a cozy TV viewing spot. And then you can make a nice small entry setting/ conversational area along where the TV is now. Okay...my mind is done now! Good luck!

Element One Home Staging & Redesign · Answer

This suggestion assumes that you don't have a problem with people walking in front of the t.v, since you did not mention moving it. If you prefer not to re-hang the t.v. (sometimes the cable dictates where the t.v. goes) - try this: 
pull the rug out toward the center of the room, centered in front of the sofa (which should be centered on the wall. Now pull the sofa out from the wall (front legs to half way back should be on the rug) and put the table you want to move behind the couch. (you'll have to judge how far out to move the couch). Get a pair of matching lamps for each end of the table. Use the ottoman for a coffee table - (buy a white tray to scale for the top of it). No side tables, the room just isn't wide enough. You'll have the lamps behind the sofa - so you won't need the side tables. Put the basket (at the bottom of your stairs) in one corner behind the couch for storage of throws, extra pillows, etc. and you can keep the little table (the one with the glasses in front of the couch) in the other corner (behind the couch) to pull out if needed. I agree that the pictures above the couch need to be closer together. I would remove the plates and their holders (those walls really don't need anything - the curtains decorate them). I would use the plates and / or their holders on the 'wall in progress' along with the two pieces already there. Maybe 4 in a horizontal line or create a 'square' out of the 4 pieces. By pulling the couch out and putting the table behind it, you are able to 1) lose the side tables, (while still having lamps) 2) move the table out from under the t.v.) and you can create a more intimate space, the floor space isn't being used for anything else - why not display your couch? And you'll have a better view out the window. Just make sure the arm isn't right up against the window. Have fun!

Carol Claremont · Answer

I agree with a lot of what is being said. Especially about the end tables and rug The first thing that drew my eye was the pictures over the sofa (which is beautiful by the way- love curtains too). I think one large picture of mirror over the couch would help. Think larger when buying things for the walls so they will be more in scale - larger but fewer. I also agree about the color on the walls - a lighter color will brighten the room and make it look bigger.

Bonnie Lewenza · Answer

Your lamp looks lost over by the tv, try placing it behind a chair or beside it for reading the paper or something. Try placing one of your many tables like the long one on the stair wall. Open your area rug up a bit so furnishings are not so bunched up.

Jamie Cerri · Answer

Take the sofa off the wall....angle it, put tables behind it for decorative items, storage,etc...

Darlene Clonts · Answer

Too much green ,maybe one green accent wall and a cabinet type piece of furniture for the tv just sayin

Laurie Cann · Answer

I would think about moving the sofa in front of the window.

Marie R · Answer

Try leaving the console table where it is,,,replace tv with a nice 'entry' mirror...might add visual space, and maybe lamps on the console table...I'd put the sofa in front of window, also...possibly mount tv on wall across from window...but draw it out first.....you don't have to be an artist to draw a 'visual' for yourself...that helps a LOT...! I think the curtains are great,,,maybe adding white sheers,,,but I'm guessing they're closed in the evening...once they're open, they wouldn't look so overwhelming. Less is more, surprisingly:) Have fun with it!

Somewhat Quirky · Answer

OK. Center the couch on the wall. Put the floor lamp in the corner between the stair wall and the couch. Put a tray on your ottoman and use it as your coffee table. Remove the other side table and the other coffee table. I agree that you could use the two pictures and the items you have beside the window (or maybe just one of those) in an arrangement over the couch. The couch needs to be balanced more so move the rug out a bit but not so much that people walk over it as they come in from the front door - just to save wear and tear. The piece under the TV needs to be replaced with something solid. All the separate legs, baskets, etc. are making it look busy. I agree that a wide bookshelf would be good. I think something from the EXPEDIT series at Ikea would be good - the cubbies would give you a place to put all the clutter you are seeing and the dark color would balance out the heavy couch a little bit. If you can get one of these I would also invest in several of the baskets that fit in it to keep down the visual clutter. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think you have hung your TV just a bit too high. If possible I would lower it a bit or even better take it off the wall and put it on whatever you get to put over there. Then you could use either large art around it to give even more weight to that wall. Tuck the basket that is at the end of the stair wall in front of the floor lamp. I think you might have room on that wall for a funky rocking chair or accent chair with some bold pattern. Because of the large size of the couch, you are going to always have to be careful to not have a lot of petite items hanging around in the room. They will look like clutter because they are so small compared to the couch. So go large and sparse with your accent pieces. I LOVE that couch by the way, I've eyed it several times at C&B!

Trisha Martin · Answer

I think you have too much little 'ticky tackey' you could use bold pieces. I would like to see the TV in a cabinet or at the very least place it on a painted, re-purposed 'long low' dresser. Hide all those wires. And either a large art piece on the wall in back of your sofa or a collection of pictures, and objects, even small mirrors. And a floor lamp perhaps in place of the side table. The seat of the sofa looks like it is longer than the back which makes it look sloppy as though it is slumping. I might add some nice pillows and a throw. Cream color? Perhaps. Good luck! You can do this! lol .

Nancy · Answer

Love the couch!! but yes it is large for the room. I would change out the pillows or put covers on them in a light color to break it up. Also the room in general looks dark and with the darker large couch that makes it seem cluttered no matter how clean the room. Changing the paint color to white, light grey or cream and put a light jute rug to anchor the room would work. Also the pictures above the couch are just too small and are getting lost above that couch. I would put a large mirror or 2-3 good sized ones above the couch for balance and reflection. Also all of the lamps and TV stand are very skinny. Use lamps with a fuller base but with a white washed or light wood (or even clear glass) base and it will be more to scale with that couch again balancing out that room.

Joni J. · Answer

Thank u everyone for input!!! Pics soon to come( ;

Joni J. · Answer

Hey everyone! I have posted my after pics! They are titled after pics

Placement issues!

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