Need some help with this tired living space please!

Gina
by Gina
I need some great design ideas to help me get started with this room! It is an awkward space with no focal point. We are open to replacing any/all the furniture and would love to install a wood burning stove. We are thinking major re-vamp here (family home, 2 adults, 2 kids aged12 and 10). Thanks for your help!
Rough plan of the room
  28 answers
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Nov 25, 2014
    Can you give us a few more photos. I'm having a hard time telling which end is kitchen and where everything is.
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Nov 25, 2014
    Maybe draw a floor plan and take photo of that too would help.
  • Dale Dale on Nov 25, 2014
    I think I would wall mount the TV down where the chair then try the sofa where the bookcase is & bring the love seat across where the TV is now sitting to make a u-shape living romn. If you are open to any new furniture then I would look at getting an L-shape sectional to go across the top end of the living room. This would leave your dining room open for dining instead of being part of the living room.
  • Petunia Petunia on Nov 25, 2014
    I love the light in this room. I agree with Dale on furniture arrangement. There is an awful lot of stuff in the room. I would build a bookshelf wall where the radiator hutch is & work your keyboard in over there & house some of the stuff there and get rid of the hutch. The wooden chair & shelves beside it need to go to another room; they don't work in this one. I would add pillows on the sofas that harmonize with your purple dining room chairs, keeping the red ones -- that would be stunning. I would get a larger painting for the dining area (perhaps purple & red) and paint the whole room one color, with drapes of the same color. This is a lovely room!
  • Gina Gina on Nov 25, 2014
    Thank you for the replies so far. I will try to draw up a floor plan. I thought I had some text above, but I don't see it there now. We are certainly open to replacing any/all furniture in this room (we have been waiting to get a plan together before we buy a new sofa etc). We would love to install a modern log-burning stove as a focal point, but I'm not sure where. The angled wall where the book shelves are drives me mad!
  • Lyla Lyla on Nov 25, 2014
    It’s abeautiful space. I see three areas of use. The lovely corner which has the twochairs and the bookcase – that could be an area of low seating…rugs, stools, lowdivans, plants, low book shelves (perhaps made of planks on bricks). It could bea lolling cum contemplative zone for reading, music, writing... The mainarea where the two sofas are – this could have a more formal arrangement with thetwo sofas facing each other and the two chairs from the zone mentioned abovecan join this group. The TV could stay where it is so that it can be viewedfrom both zones. The area wherethe dining table is – I’m not able to judge how much space there is behind the sofawith the 2 pink cushions. Could it accommodate a dining table? Could you get asmaller oval table that could either fit where the tall sideboard is or in the spacebehind the sofa? If the table can’t be changed then it can be re-oriented sothat one narrow end faces the window and the other the wall. I notice thekitchen door opens into this room. It would save a lot of space if this samedoor was taken off its hinges and made into a slider. The tall sideboard and thewhite bit of furniture will automatically find their own place. Is that a skylightabove the dining table? On the whole,bold colour using throw rugs, bright lamp shades, big artwork on the walls andan accent wall will make a huge difference to a room that has a veryinteresting structure and beautiful natural light.
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on Nov 25, 2014
    I like a neutral background, even though many do not. I'd personally add larger, more colorful artwork (paintings, textures wall hanging, collection of plates or vintage chine lids from flea market etc.) on the walls and living green plants. Not only will living green plants make your space come alive and feel homey, they clear the inside air and make it better. Also if this a home you own (vs rented apartment) you could paint a few pieces of wooden furniture. Goggle chalk paint to see the many beautiful colors. I like greens and rusts (you might play off the great pumpkins/rust color of the lovely tile floor. That will warm you rooms up a lot.
  • Julia Forbes Julia Forbes on Nov 25, 2014
    I like the idea of a U-shape conversation area. Another way to spice things up would be to find a colorful, larger carpet to pull all the furniture into a group. Accent with several pillows (maybe you're favorite color? Or more than one pattern?) I might try to make the alcove space the entertainment set-up or a reading nook so that the two chairs off in the nook don't look so lonely and become part of a group. Fit the bookcase into the nook, set the smaller chair in front of it with a floor lamp, foot stool, comfy throw.
  • Gina Gina on Nov 25, 2014
    Thanks Julia, I am thinking of replacing the whole of the floor, perhaps with wood, for a more unified look, then rugs where we finally place the 'zones', so this should help.
  • Pamela Bendall Pamela Bendall on Nov 25, 2014
    The floor will change everything. Creating a smooth flow will help. Then using a rug to define your sitting area. In small spaces, think small furniture, such as the stacking tables. Another slim bookcase. And floor lamps for evening lighting. You might want to flip the breakfast area to the smaller corner too.
  • Pamela Bendall Pamela Bendall on Nov 25, 2014
    This is my small place a 7 x 7 room. And everyone's favorite.
  • Buster Evans Buster Evans on Nov 25, 2014
    I think I would move the bookshelf from the sunroom to the right of the kitchen door to balance with the tall cabinet, then one love seat on that wall where it was and the other loveseat on the darker wall beside the sliding door the tv stand on the other side of the sliding door (between the windows) the two small brown wooden tables (beside the kitchen door and between the two windows ) could be used as coffee table (s) in front of the two love seats. The plush chair at an angle where the tv stand is now, and the other wooden arm (odd chair) either removed entirely or placed to the right of the tall white bookshelf (with pictures). Its difficult jumping back n forth between photos to know if I have covered everything , but the general idea is to make the carpeted room with the L shaped wall and the sliding door the tv room, and have all the chairs , leading you to it , making the room next to the kitchen (with the brick colored floor) the dining room area. Hope this makes sense and hope it helps.
  • Cindi Cindi on Nov 25, 2014
    Maybe try turning the dining table sideways, move the organ to wall by front entrance, or completly to another room. Then place sofa and love seat at L shape facing the back wall with sliding doors. Then take the big entertainment shelf and put on that wall with TV on top. Making that the entertainment area. I would also remove the big chair and smaller one, and any other small items not needed in there. Just an idea. Hard to give accurate ideas without more pics. But you got a good slate to start with.
  • Sonia Maria Bento Sonia Maria Bento on Nov 25, 2014
    Hi! There are too many things going on and its true, the space is awkward. Where the white shelving is try to give it an extension and concentrate on that wall all the"storage" you need. Put the TV on the wall further to the right. Put one sofa against the end wall and the little sofa where the tv is but on the carpet turned little diagonal to the other sofa. Turn the table 90 degrees and you can create a little foyer in front of the other door. As a center table to the sofas try to get a hard puff and you also will have a place to sit. And try to balance the colors because bege, white, red, purple, wood, tile is also too much. Keep bege and white. If you like the red use it with orange or if you like the purple, use it with blue. When you get what you like send us pictures ;-)
  • Loretta Clark Loretta Clark on Nov 25, 2014
    You have a very open and bright space. After puzzling over it for quite some time, I really like the ideas of Mr. Evans, from Hixson TN. He's the first person to mention balancing the large pieces on either side of the kitchen door. Putting the television between the windows would certainly work and help divide the odd floor space. I had thought of mounting the TV above the wide-sh book case, but that leaves the odd corner by the window.
  • Gina Gina on Nov 25, 2014
    @Wanda.II and everyone else, I have now added a rough plan of the room. No furniture in it as we really are open open to replacing the lot, we've been waiting a while to do this! Also looking at replacing floor. So, where to put: wood burning stove, media unit, seating, dining? Thanks for the help so far! This website is amazing!
  • Laura Laura on Nov 25, 2014
    I love this room/rooms and wish I was there to push things around and measure. Having the same floor everywhere would make it easier but I like the tile. I don't know what your budget is but if it's tiny like mine I would first turn the dining table around and put the shelf that's on the angled wall on the wall to the right of the kitchen door (if it fits). Move the loveseat and keyboard out and create a separate nice dining area. Would it look weird to leave the rug where it is and put a loveseat on this side (pic #1) and on the right side (pulled away from the wall and shelf/radiator)? Maybe a sofa table behind the loveseat that's closest to the door? Take out the chair on the right (pic #1) and of course you'd have to put the tv and stand somewhere else. Maybe mount the tv on the angled wall. Would that feel too far from the couches? Also, Maybe you move the small piece of furniture behind the door over to the right of the door in pic #3 since your table would be turned and you'd have more room there. Have fun! Can't wait to see what you do!
  • Dale Dale on Nov 26, 2014
    Couldn't you also just remove the doors leading into the kitchen & hallway & just leave it open? It would leave you with a lot more floor space. Is there a wood burning stove there now (I can't see it) or is this something you want to incorporate?
  • Gina Gina on Nov 26, 2014
    Hi @Dale, a woodburning stove is something we would like to install. We love real fires and currently have no focal point. Not sure where to put it for best effect.
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Nov 26, 2014
    Few things come to my mind here they are. THIS IS LONG 1; remove all THOSE doors if that is possible.Are they really necessary? They take up to much room( unless you have to have ). 2. Can you open up the wall on kitchen side to the den/dining room? What is on the other side of that wall? Is it a load bearing wall? You could put bean if it is load bearing but would really open up that room and make more since. 3. Think about a sectional couch that could be put in middle of floor shaped like a L. Then face to long wall with radiator and put built ins there and tv( built in all the way down that wall both sides (not real deep just book depth). The sofa/ sectional back needs to have it's back to the hall wall( not against it) out in open facing the little off set space at other end and tv on rad wall. 4. can you open up the hall wall ? if so more open feeling there too.Room is just too closed up. 5. I know it is far away from kitchen but looks like dining room table need to be in front of big window. If not then switch to a round table and put down by kitchen( in front of other window) I would open that area up maybe a bar instead of table altogether. But if put at other end do this.That angular wall looks like book shelves is about all you could do. But if dining room at that end could use for storage of pretty plates,serving pieces and few odds and ends like that. even could leave area in center of book case to use to set food like a small Granite piece . Hope that makes since Now go to Better Homes and Gardenwebsite click on how to design a room. Put in measurements of room . It will give you a diagram and then use their furniture placement to move things around. If I'm not mistaken they even have where you can do colors. Keep it light on outside walls and made a pop of color on that long wall with angle. Hope all this helps you out the floor plan made the room easier for me to see and I'm sure it did others too. Thanks for taking the time to post it.Good Luck
  • Gina Gina on Nov 26, 2014
    Wow, thanks for all those ideas @Wanda.II
  • Recreate Recreate on Nov 27, 2014
    Too much lg furniture and do you need all that seating?? 6 dinning chairs, (2)love seats?, 2 chairs on the far wall tv stand, shelving, Piano by the table. I understand with kids you have to little space for everyone's stuff but you need to de-clutter. Did you ever think to switch rooms? Put the table in where the patio doors are and take the tv and mount it to the wall where your picts are and have the love seats where the piano and table are? Just a thought, you do not need to be traditional and have your table next to the kitchen, that is just always convenient. Do have to do what is best to suit your family. As for the wood stove that will depend on what a contractor says where you can install it, so then everything else will depend on that. I hope this helps, and not being judgemental.
  • Gina Gina on Nov 27, 2014
    @recreate, you are right, we don't need all that seating! When we watch TV together, we often crowd onto the one big sofa together, so could really gain some space by cutting that down. Thanks for the ideas!
  • Gina Gina on Nov 27, 2014
    I have been playing with some of your ideas using roomstyler.com! (The furniture pieces shown are just a representative of size and shape). In real life, I also moved the dining table round - I never thought that would work, but it does! We will try living with a few rearrangements before we decide what to do, but I just want to say thank you, this website and all you guys are brilliant! I'd love to hear what you think of the arrangements below.
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Nov 28, 2014
    I looked at the new photos and only see one problem . Where you put TV down by patio doors I don't think that is going to work due to all the light coming in the door.But you try and see what you think.Try different things like you said and live with it for awhile never know what might work till you do in real life.
    • Gina Gina on Nov 28, 2014
      @Wanda.ll That's a good point! We need to experiment.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Nov 29, 2014
    Agree with Buster Evans about moving the bookcase to right of door in kitchen for balance. Also agree with rotating the table. There seems no focal point in the l.r. One thing that bothers me are two rugs of dif sizes. Think getting one large rug would help define the space better.
  • Kayo Frazier Kayo Frazier on Jan 06, 2015
    Ok, Here's my 2 cents...First I would take the doors off both the kitchen & hallway that way you don't lose floor space. Then I would edit the room's furnishings & decor items you have too many & it's crowding both rooms. I would remove the grey-ish chair next to the white one. I would also remove the wood crate/bookshelf. I would remove the keyboard & the side table or trunk(?) not sure which. Not sure what is behind the hallway door, but take that out as well. Since you are willing change out furniture I would switch from the rectangular dining room & chairs for a round table that seats 4. Get one w/ a leaf or 2 so you can add more people if needed. This will allow you keep the hutch right where it is. Everybody coming from the kitchen can get around the table easily. Put 1 of the love seats where the chair is & move the chair to the short wall next to the sliding doors. Take the other love seat push it over about a foot & square it off w/ the other loveseat this will give you more room to get around the room. Move the TV & stand into the open space where the wooden shelves used to be, that way you have a U shape where everyone can see the TV. I am assuming that both radiators have bookshelves above them if this is the case I would paint them white to match the radiator covers & pop off the wall color. Finally I would replace the beige curtains to match all the red in the throw pillows. Add sheers underneath for privacy. Hope this helps.
  • Laura Laura on Jan 07, 2015
    Good idea to take the doors off.