Check list for kitchen planning may help. Planning a Fitted Kitchens Step 1: Getting Started Designing the most important room in your home requires careful planning. So, before you do anything else there are some key questions to ask yourself. As you do so keep a record of your ideas so you can refer back to them as your project progresses. Step 2: How and when you want to use the space What do you and don’t like about your existing kitchen. What really works for you in the current kitchen layout and what frustrates you? The negatives are just as important as the positives as they can help you form a clear idea of what you do or don’t need in your new fitted kitchen. Step 3: Key areas of the kitchen There are four vital zones that will create a natural and efficient flow to your kitchen design; cooking, food preparation, sink and storage. However, increasingly kitchens are used for all types of activity. Do you need a room that can cope with the rigours of a busy family? Are you going to dine in your kitchen? If so, plan enough room for a dining table, breakfast bar or island is a great place to congregate. You may be a keen cook and if your cooking for a large family a range cooker may figure in your plans along with plenty of worktop space. You may want turn your kitchen into a open-plan design in which case a area to relax, and room for a sofa and TV may be important. Ultimately, it’s your kitchen, and the most important thing is how you and your family are going to use the space. Design the space and features (must have items) around the activities that will take place in your kitchen, and most of all ensure you match your kitchen to your lifestyle. Step 4: Finer details As you become clear on the demands you will be placing on your new kitchen make a wish-list of your preferred products and materials. From a practical perspective consider what you will require from you appliances, worktops, storage solutions and sink and tap. You may already have a look in mind of the kitchen in terms of colour, style and finish, but it’s a great idea to gather ideas from magazines or websites. Enjoy creating a scrap-book with cuttings of furniture, flooring, taps, even paint finishes, crockery or vases- anything that inspires you. Even just images with right ‘feel’. Step 5: Budget With a kitchen the cost of key elements such as appliances, units and worktops can vary dramatically. For instance, appliances may account for a considerable percentage of the total cost of the kitchen, however if branded top-end ovens, hobs and extractors are specified this percentage can escalate dramatically to become the most expensive element of the project. Similarly the choice of worktops materials and door material may increase the budget substantially. There may be areas of the project where you may have to be prepared to consider a compromise to stay within your budget. Step 6: Layout As a rule of thumb this will be dictated by the existing dimensions of you room, or you may be lucky enough to be planning to extend. If you are extending you amy wish to consider an open-plan kitchen to seamlessly link through to the living area. Whatever the shape there are clever design options that will ensure you can make the most of the space available to you. Even in a tight space a clever designer can still work miracles.

Because the sofas are big heavy and dark I agree that you need to lighten up this room. I wouldn't have additional furniture because I think it looks full already but I might swap your little table lamp for a standard lamp to you have a light that is the same height as the TV. I also think your mirror is undersized, it should hang portrait to make the room seem taller - a round mirror would also work. I would get a white dining table. The mahogany trunk seems to obscure the view of the fireplace- perhaps a lower table should be better. I would also get an oversized houseplant. I don't mind the fireplace. I think you can put any colour on the walls and I don't think it has to be neutral but you should replace the curtains with much paler-perhaps even white. I think one of the reasons for replacing the curtains is the now slightly dated pattern. Perhaps put pattern in art or cushions so it can be changed more regularly. I like the rug but it does dictate your decorating choices- could it go in another room? If it can I think that your instinct is right that a large pale textured rug would be comfy and visually break up the dark tones of the sofas and floor. Lastly I would add a throw and a couple of cushions to make the sofas less imposing, add pattern and break up their darkness.

I'd keep the sofa where Jonathan has got it. Have the tv wall mounted by the sockets on a swing arm bracket with a low,slim sideboard underneath (for storage). Some of the mid century modern ones are low so may be worth a look. Opposite the sofa I'd have a console with upholstered stools/cubes underneath and a chair next to it angled towards the sofa. Hang the largest mirror you can over the console to make the room feel wider. I'd also go for a built in banquette seat with storage underneath for toys etc. I don't think you can fit a 5ft table, certainly not with a high chair unless you have one that clips on so would go for a 4ft one (we often have 6 for breakfast around ours, cosy but fine!). A pedestal table would be good hence the tulip one as Jen also pictured! I'd go for 3 dining chairs. Keep one by the console with a throw, cushion etc and push the table up to include it at the end for guests when needed. Use a rug to zone the living space so the front legs of the sofa and chair sit on it. You should also have room for a small side table next to the sofa (I make the room a bit longer than Jonathan unless I've misunderstood the dimensions?) Try cutting out paper templates of everything to size and walking round the room before you buy to get a feel of how the space will work

With the front of the flat assigned to bedroom and study space it's the three rooms at the back where you could make the most change to enhance the living space. You only ever asked about furniture placement in the lounge but given that you've bought the flat are you open to making some bigger changes to maximise the space? For example, is the wall between the smallest bedroom and the lounge supporting?I'm assuming that's your study but if your partner is at home and working at the front of the house, knocking these two rooms together would give you a much more versatile space with an office area for you, with doors open onto the garden on a nice day. (Replacing with a stud wall if moving on is not a major job). Another idea might be to keep that wall up and see if the kitchen could be opened up to make an open plan kitchen/living/ dining space. The dining table could then be located near to the kitchen area. With either of these options you are losing one of those four doors which are making furniture placement awkward. Another idea (I'm full of them!!) Do you need the storage cupboard in this room? This could be blocked up so access is obtained via the largest bedroom to make a bigger wardrobe/cupboard space in there. If you'e got enough wardrobe space in there that could also be an office area with double doors to be closed off out of sight when not in use. Doing this (and moving the radiator, perhaps for a streamlined vertical one elsewhere in the room) would give you more opportunities for furniture placement. Please feel to tell me none off these are possible or appealing. I watch with interest when someone asks for an opinion on a cushion only to be given advice for the room that will see them spending £5,000!! (I do it myself to avoid getting off the couch and do something with my own house!! Plus, I'm great at spending other people's money) Best of luck and keep the photos coming as you make changes because you have grest potential with this flat and there is some fab advice on here .