SFGate

olldbobbi Are you buying, or renting? If you're buying, here's what I would do: Your middle bathroom is almost the same size as your kitchen, that kitchen is tiny. You have four bedrooms and three bathrooms; I would change the bathroom next to the kitchen into part of the kitchen. Eliminate the bathroom alltogether. Add a doorway to the middle bathroom from the front bedroom, making it a "jack n jill" bathroom.

Do you need all four bedrooms? One thought would be to use the top left bedroom as your dining room, either remove the wall between the dining room and the bedroom, or if it's load bearing just make a cut-out between the two. This will result in a much larger living room.

Otherwise, put your sofa to the left of the dining room, tv against the outside wall.

prays Thanks Bobbi P for your suggestions. I am buying and the apartment is ready with walls and all as shown in the layout. I could do modification to the flat, but wouldn't want to now as it would be costly.
I have the bedrooms and bathrooms BUT none are big areas. Alteration to the layout would involve major work. So suggestions pls.

olldbobbi Well, I guess my best advice is to do something like what I had to do ages ago when I had a "one-butt" kitchen like yours, I bought three cabinets from Target to use as pantries and set them up in the dining room. They were a storage livesaver.

For your living room, figure out where you want to put your focal point, and set your largest piece of seating (usually a sofa) directly across from it. Fill in with small chairs and tables.

Another piece of advice I will give you is when you buy big ticket items, such as sofas, dining table and chairs, stay as neutral as possible in design and color. And buy the absolute best you can afford to avoid replacing it in a few years. As your tastes change and evolve, it is much cheaper and easier to change accessories, linens and window treatments than it is to buy all new furniture!

Debra Fleming When I think about moving into someplace, I think about how to arrange things first. The more ways I can think to put things, the higher up on the list of possibilities it goes. Your living room would put this on a don't move in list for me. There are not many ways to do it with traffic flow on three sides. If you like to cook the kitchen is too small. Don't mean to be a downer. I am just a logical thinker, the creativity can come after the basics.

Dar Eckert I agree with Bobbi P, the bathroom next to the kitchen is unnecessary and makes the kitchen too small. Also, eliminate the wall between the kitchen and living room and make it an open counter for stools on one side. I would also put a wall of upper and lower cabinets on the wall between the bathroom and dining room of the other bath. to soundproof a little. Nothing worse than bathroom noises during your dinner.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design That's probably the most difficult space I've encountered for furniture arrangement. One option would be to place a sofa with one end against the wall to the upper left BR. It would face the outside wall of the living room. The TV would go on the outside wall. A sofa of 84x36" could work. Alternately the sofa could go on the outside wall and the TV could be on the wall that backs up to the upper left BR, on an articulating art so that it can swing out for viewing. There does not seem to be space for lounge chairs.

I think that a 42" round table could work in the dining area.

Madden, Slick & Bontempo, Inc I also have a very narrow living room. I don't know if this will work in your home because I can't see the transition space from The living room into the dining room, but I just expanded my living room furniture into the dining room area. You could float a couch in the 12'4" entrance at about 10' from the outside wall. Then put a sofa table behind it. If you put it in the middle of the space and used an 84" wide sofa, you would have 32" on each side. Plenty of room to walk through. Then you could put a TV stand/ shelving unit across from the sofa and flank that with 2 angled chairs. A coffee table would fit in between. There might also be room for an armoire or dresser by the front entrance. In the dining room, I would put a 36-42" round table. That would seat 4-6 people.

prays Hi all,
I have decided to go as you suggest with the structural change - i will convert the topmost left bedroom to dining.
I was planning to use that space as a study too. What do you suggest, how should I arrange the furniture?

olldbobbi For your dining room/study, I would put a small desk in front of the window and a round dining table in the center of the room. The same chair you use for dining can be turned around and used at the desk to keep furniture at a minimum.

prays 3 D perspective

prays I have tried to create a layout - your suggestions pls.
I am thinking of keeping a part of the wall as the electricals are on it. Also would keep part of the top wall - a thin strip for lights. (not shown in the diagram)
And also then I am planning to use the part wall on the dining side for the microwave. Would put drapes on the walls to keep privacy incase the day bed is in use. What do you say? Would this furniture layout look nice??