skip to main content

Living Rooms Design Dilemma Furniture

The most awkward living room you’ll ever see...

3 years ago

Hi all

I’m really hoping a genius will help me with this. It’s been over a year, 8 ‘live’ layout attempts, uncountable 2D and 3D drawings and still we cannot find a lounge layout that works!

Please help!

The main problem in our long lounge, is that we have a HUGE (inglenook style) fireplace (which the TV cannot go above), facing the entry door into the room. This means that if we place the sofa and chair/s around the fireplace, we don’t know where to put the TV. We enjoy watching films so having the TV ‘out of the way’ won’t work for us.

Also, the fireplace is so wide, that if you position furniture ‘around’ it, it leaves a massive space in the middle of the room which looks weird - even with a coffee table in it, the space between the coffee table and surrounding furniture is too large - you certainly couldn’t reach from the sofa to put your cup of tea on the coffee table.

I have no problem in putting things in front of windows or the radiator, but not the doors, obviously.

I also have no problem in splitting the room up; having the main area in the larger chunk of the living room and a reading area etc in the smaller end, near the door to the outside.

But we just cannot make it work!

On the diagram I have put our 3-seater sofa size in, in green, so you can get an idea of proportions. Everything else we have is flexible (tables, pouffes, other small furniture).

We luckily don’t need loads of stuff in this room; just seating for 4 (therefore the sofa and just one other chair), the TV and side tables.

You wouldn’t think it would be that difficult but it is!

Featured Answer

Carolina

3 years ago

It is a lovely room. And believe me, we've seen more awkward ones here :-) Maybe not as you have it in your head, but here we go...

Comments (39)

User
Original Author
3 years ago
Sorry - should have also said that the floor of the fireplace is tiled with a lip, meaning we can’t have a chair half in and half out of the fireplace nooks. :)
minnie101
3 years ago
Have you tried the tv on the 1.73 wall, move the sofa up and back and then have a chair angled towards the tv halfway between hall door and fire alcove?

Or could you move the radiator and go for a tall one. Sofa in front of window, tv where radiator is and chair with its back towards left alcove and facing the tv.

Do you have a rug btw? Something big enough that it incorporates the top 2/3 of the room as that should zone the seating area along with the fire. I‘d have a coffee table in front of the sofa, c 45cm distance
User thanked minnie101
Related Discussions
Most boring launge ever - SOS!!
Q
Comments (168)
Looks great - nice to see your igonred most of the anne twacky ideas ! But would suggest get way bigger pictures. I get mine from charity shops, car boot sales etc and paint the frames or replace the picture. You can knock up an abstract in two mins. Use any left over emulsion paint or buy matchpots to paint out the existing picture which gives you your background and paint a blob of colour anywhere on the canvas ( or whatever it's made of. ). If you are going to paint the frame matt is nice and I use clay based paint. I KNOW its expensive but it goes a looooong way and looks and feels mega. You may find some nice abstract stuff as well. For example I got a unframed canvas ( feels like canvas ) with nine squares on it all a different colour with contrasting, lit, light bulbs in each square. It was It was about 90 cm x 120 cm and I turned it around the wrong way. i.e so the bulbs looked to be sticking out rather than standing up. Very loud and brrrrright. Cost £12.00. I also go to local auctions. I cannot tell you the amount of things I have obtained from them for next to nothing. General household sales are the best for bargains. e.g. cabin trunk for £12.00, metal top hat box £8.00 both now painted. Few years back, I furnished a two bed flat with two receptions, kitchen and bathroom for £200. I like old furniture and I can also paint ! Therefore, it is my suggestion that you go for really nice wood or nice shape. Unfortunately, you don't usually get both together. I got a demi lune table really solid from a car boot sale for £4.00 also painted and looks good under the window. Mirrors car boots, auctions, charity shops and although there are not so many these days, jummies ! ( jumble sales ). Strange. I sense a big yawn coming on so I hope I did not bore you too much but your place has so much scope and did I mention Brick Lane Market, Portobello Market ? and every other London market. Also in Spain I got large white with blue roses on massive curtain for 10 euros way before the big rose thing became trendy. France is good for street markets. Good luck. Goodbye.
...See More
Please help with awkward open plan living room...
Q
Comments (17)
@minnie101 top left door will only be used occasionally. I have another sofa option, which is marginally smaller (more practical but less trendy) but has narrower chase which helps a bit with arrangement. I am attaching pictures with 1. Quartz layout 2. Another sofa option - Bari 3. Bari layout (thick masking tape) 4. Bari layout opposite longest wall. 5. Different view of the Bari layout opposite longest wall. Chase sofas are my preference, but i am open to other suggestions. Thank you very much, minnie101 :)
...See More
POLL: Most difficult room to decorate?
Q
Comments (15)
@embzop, I would keep the guest bedroom as plain and neutral as possible. And keep it decluttered to keep it inviting. @Tom Flannagan, I think bathrooms are just that one space in the house that is not attached to any other room style wise. When I walk into my future bathroom I want to be swept away from this world into another one of luxury and serenity! I don't care about styles and 'what should fit the house', the bathroom is my space and I will do with it what I like :) @milicaopica, I think there are great options when you have a 5m high ceiling! When you put in another 'floor' you can have extra storage, a hide away, extra sleeping space, perhaps a slide? The possibilities are almost limitless! @k11agl, I get your point. Possibly you could build a wardrobe against one of the sloping walls. But that of course depends on how much ground space the room will have left over and what you want to use the room for. I've got sort of the same problem next to my dormer windows, but I also have radiators up against two of the vertical walls. No wardrobe here :(. I think hallways are tricky too. They need to be functional yet inviting. Fortunately I have two; one tiled and the other one is going to have a parquet floor. So the first one will be the 'mudroom' where the kids can dump their stuff and coats and it will be made to be easily cleaned. The second, bigger one will be the 'nice' hall, with fancy wallpaper and nice furniture (telephone seat). Thinking about it I realise how lucky I am to be able to have two hallways with different functions ;)
...See More
Help required with an awkward L shaped living room
Q
Comments (16)
Me personally I would try to “zone” the areas as two separate areas. Firstly some nice custom built shelving either side of the fireplace for books/ornaments/ picture frames etc. Then like suggested above, I would make a study by the window with a desk; where the sofa is and shelving under the pitched ceiling opposite. A tall house plant would look good there to the left of the window to balance out the window being off centre and an area rug to tie it altogether :)
...See More
Carolina
3 years ago
Could you post some photos of the room? Will help us visualise.

I was thinking the same as Minnie: TV on the 1.73 m wall, sofa more in front of radiator, and/or changing the radiator to a vertical one.
User thanked Carolina
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
I agree with the above and would consider treating the area with the window and door to outside as a separate space.
User thanked Juliet Docherty
Carolina
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Something like this. I felt generous and gave you a corner sofa ;-)
User
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Thanks all - just talking to other about it really helps. :-)

Minnie - see below. This is a great suggestion however as the hallway door opens with the hinges on the right, it means you are faced with the biggest open space right in front of you, which we have felt is slightly weird before - maybe not once we have it all furnished in a style we like though - and added plants - they seem to solve everything!

See new images. :-)

by the way - I am not suggesting this is my decor - just the first graphics that I came across. Ha.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Carolina

Thanks for going to that effort! With that layout, something is definitely needed in the middle as the empty space is so large - a coffee table may save that... :-)
User
Original Author
3 years ago
User
Original Author
3 years ago
User
Original Author
3 years ago
User
Original Author
3 years ago
minnie101
3 years ago
That looks like a lovely room, the cornice is beautiful.

I don’t suppose you could borrow the underlay?!

I’d go longer on the rug so it incorporates the whole fire if possible and have the chairs in the reading area on both walls, there looks to be room to open the door and leave a path?
Carolina
3 years ago
Ooooo... love your sofa!
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Ha thanks Minnie - the previous owners put it in (it isn't original - it's a 50s house) - and we have tried to make it look as lovely as possible with my 'cave style / lowering' concept. My concept / inspo for this room is cave / mountains / desert / wabi sabi, so we'll see how I get on with that without it looking like a Wild West theme park...

For rugs, I am going to layer a few different shapes and textures so I could stretch it out to include the fire more. This is a great idea - 'feed' that part of the room in more, without actually boxing / squaring anything off...

The door to outside opens with the hinges on the right as you look at it, so unfortunately we do need to leave space right in front of it. But it's certainly worth trying once the carpet is down tonight... :-)

Thank you so much for your effort and enthusiasm. No one else I know goes in to this much detail with interiors and I know I bore people when I wang on about it. :-D
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you Carolina - it's the Connor from made.com. I am actually considering covering / reupholstering / changing it! I may consider the Scott from made.com, now you have inspired me with a corner idea...
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Scott from made.com (I'd get it in tan leather).
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
It's a gorgeous room.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you Colourhappy - I hope I can do it justice because there's been lot of hair pulling so far!
Richard Callcut
3 years ago
This layout is a little like ours. We have a large corner sofa under the window and where the radiator is. The TV is then to the left of the fireplace, on an angle towards the corner of the corner sofa. The unit it is on acts as a sort of room divider. Behind it we have a desk, and the entrances to the hall and kitchen. Works well in a similarly long thin room.
CWD
3 years ago
Definitely do what everyone else has suggested and put the TV to the right of the fireplace and sofa 'behind' the door from hallway. It is not weird to have the main section of room 'behind' the door - that's what it's like in all of our rooms as we live in an Edwardian house and in those days (and earlier) they deliberately chose to hang the doors that way. I know lots of people prefer the other way, but I really like not being able to see into a room the whole way until you go into it. But if it's a huge issue for you, then just get the door re-hung the other way so that the hinge is on the left. Using the little space beside external door seems mad when you've got all that space on the other side.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
thank you Richard, Carolina, colourwisedesign.com.

colourwisedesign - I previously found out that the Victorians started the 'open the door against the wall' thing because they liked to be surprised. I prefer to see the widest part of the room, so we'll see whether I can be bothered with rehanging the door. :-)

You're all spot on and I think my only reservation now is getting used to walking through the door and being side-on to a chair, then fireplace. But this is by far the best layout we have had and now that (some of) the actual furniture is in, I can really see it with new eyes.

There's obviously more to do as I've just lumped everything in here just now, but I can certainly see the end...
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
As there's a small lip on the side where the back door is you could build a wall of shelving there for books etc and put a lovely feature chair (such as a G plan vintage one) next to the window to the left of the fireplace.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
wall light TBC too.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
semi-transparent curtains (which I've yet to make) and tall overhanging lamp will add loads to this view.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
and I wondered if you'd like to see what it looked like before...
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Their sofa was 5.5m away from the TV...
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks colourhappy.

I am definitely going to have to figure out how to store my books and treasures in my new corner (I've already named it 'my' corner guys! You created a monster).

I have a tan leather Wassily (Model B3) chair which I've put there. I've never had it in a room before and I can't believe I get to actually sit in it and read now!
Carolina
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
With the chair

The room now is definitely an improvement as to how it was
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Caroline you star! A very low pendant near the lovely chair would look gorgeous.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Oooh wouldn’t it just!

Thank you Caroline. I’ll just have to send you all ‘after’ shots now won’t I. 😁

Nearly there. We’ve got the main furniture in and the layout is working. We’re going to live with it for a week.

Should have come on Houzz ages ago. Thanks all so much for taking the time and effort to get involved. :)
buggypie
3 years ago
Have you considered hanging the hallway door either on the other side (left hang) or perhaps better, have it open into the hallway (not the room).

This would enable you to extend the wall slightly to create a longer wall for the sofa to sit against
buggypie
3 years ago
Here
Hazel Tomkinson
3 years ago
Great thread! Carolina, what software are you using? I've had recos for SketchUp, Homebyme and others.... I have a full house Reno to plan. I don't have apple just PC and Android phones.
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks all! the door hinges may get swapped yet... :-) Just living with it for a bit x
Carolina
3 years ago
@hazel I use Floorplanner on the computer. It's free if you do just one design at a time. Not sure if it's still free if you want to have more design versions at the same time. It's easy to use.
juliehanna59
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Hi, if you are planning to stay in this house for a good number of years, I would, if possible i.e. there are no obstacles in the hallway etc, move the door way to the end of the room (towards the front window) and have it opening right handed (so that when you open it you look directly down the full length of the room) this would mean moving the light switch, but it also means you have more furniture placement options and you utilise dead space as the door opens on to a wall which has little use. I would also use upright radiators to free up wall space, again a radiator could be placed behind the door, making use of the dead space the door opens on to. A good tv arm will also give you the option to move the orientation of the tv and may make life easier. I currently have a tv on an arm which is mounted to the back of a built in bookcase along with other associated tv stuff, this has the added benefit that the wires are hidden down the back so no sockets, leads or wires can be seen, the plug sockets are accessed via a removable panel at the bottom (we bought two off the shelf and built them in ourselves) they sit either side of a set of french windows), the remaining shelves are used to store books and objet d'art etc. The tv folds away flat into the bookcase when not in use. My only other recommendation would be to not block the view of the garden (a view of the garden will make the room feel larger and will give you the opportunity to view it all year round). I know some of the suggestions may at first appear expensive but in the long run if it makes the room 'work' for you it will be well worth the cost and hassel. I hope it helps. Good luck.
User thanked juliehanna59
User
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Julie - thanks for this! Moving the door was our first thought however we have built a pantry behind where it would go so it wouldn't work - but thanks so much for the input! As you can see above, you lovely Houzz lot have solved this layout problem and we're now living with it for a bit to see if it works - so far so good!
E D
3 years ago
Natalia, please don’t advertise here.

Sign Up to Comment

Sponsored

More Discussions

what goes with red and black quarry tile flooring

10

Kitchen/diner extension where to put kitchen?

2

How could be best layout our kitchen/diner/hallway?

3

Underfloor heating dilemma

2

kitchen, utility, lobby layout advice

0

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.