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decoenthusiaste Float a large sectional without a chaise in the middle on a huge rug. Add coffee table, one arm and one swivel chair for flexibility. each with a side table. Please don't get stuck with a big black leather sofa. Your floors are already dark, so think light and bright as you shop. Try homedecorators.com for a great selection and good prices.

mara117 Thanks, that is just the sort of color scheme I'm looking for! I love these dark floors but our house has a sort of cottage feel to it and I want to keep it light and bright. We're on a pretty tight budget and we also have a dog that sheds a lot, so those are both considerations in buying any major pieces of furniture.

These are our favorite sofas so far, but obviously they are very different and would have a really different impact on the room. The lighter one is a manufacturer's photo and the dark one is from Young House Love.

I also included a mood board I made for an idea of the overall look I would like.

judyg That room is a great size. Must a t v go there (GRRRRRR)? I see some other rooms off your living room. No other place for a comfy man room?

If the answer is no, what if you do a curved sectional? You will still see the fireplace and the t v on the other wall? This layout should work well.

Darzy I think I'd stick with one large sofa facing the tv and float two chairs at the fireplace. On the other side of the sofa and attractive recliner for "hubby's" special chair since this is the comfy tv watching room. I think I'd even put a small table between the FP chairs for drinks.

mara117 We do have a "man room", that's where all of our old hand-me-down couches are right now :)
It's actually a bedroom and it's 14 x 14...perfect for watching movies but not so great for guests. We love to host football watching parties, so a TV in our living room with lots of seating is a must.

mara117 Darzy, I like the placement of those chairs! Would that layout rule out a sectional? I'd love to maximize our seating options.

judyg Just posted a pix which might be the solution. And it takes into account Darzy's suggestion of two chairs by the fireplace.

mara117 The layout with the curved sectional is great! I am worried a sectional like that may be out of our budget--I have not done much shopping around, though. That layout looks like it would be great for us.

judyg I can only advise after 44 years of marriage, invest in the best. You can keep it forever and if and when it needs to be recovered, you still have a quality piece with which to work.

EB Interiors its def a good idea to arrange a seating area by the fireplace and then have your sectional facing the tv. your color scheme is grt, check out wayfair and hayneedle for cool accents.

Darzy I think a sectional will limit your floor plan options and a sofa with chairs will actually give you more seating, and actually more comfortable seating and still feel spacious. You could do two chairs at the FP, then two chairs opposite.

Darzy But, will the chairs in front of the FP encroach on your traffic flow to the kitchen? Is there enough space?

mara117 We like a sectional with chaises because it seems like a nice place we could sprawl out to watch TV. Obviously that idea doesn't blend perfectly with a formal nice living area! It might not be quite as much seating but I feel it would be more comfortable impractical for our everyday use. That does make for tricky layout though, hence the dilemma.I think the walkway would be okay with chairs in front of the fireplace though.

Also... how big should an area rug be for this space?

Darzy If you want a sectional, I like judg's idea of a curved one. You could get a big ottoman to put your feet up instead of the chaise?

judyg Darzy, love running into you. You have great style.

Darzy Thank you judyg! Back to you! You'll notice I often say "I like judyg's suggestion". : )

mara117 Thanks for the suggestions! We're going to go look at couches this weekend. I think my husband is pretty set on a sectional with chaises for the comfort factor but I'll have to see what we find. It is hard to visualize the space without any furniture in it (I always think a room gets much bigger once it has some furniture in it!), so we're hoping to start with a couch and go from there.

I am really liking the layout above with a curved sectional and two chairs--I'd like to work off of that!

Darzy Good luck mara117 and have fun! I saw this arrangement and thought of your space. Not your style I don't think, but the arrangement and couch configuration I like a lot. If you get a "U" shaped sectional it would be difficult to add chairs in front of the FP. BTW..I have a round corner sectional (15 years now) and it only works ONE way in our living room, so next purchase will not be a sectional.

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I think the sectional idea is great and I wish I still had one. When you dont have company, you can cuddle and everyone should do more of that! Also, perhaps it will disturb the "flow" a little but most of us need to walk more and it would not be that far to walk around a sectional. It would allow you to view the fireplace and the TV. I agree that buying a good couch is best for comfort. Some are just too soft. Dont know if the quality is as good as several years ago; but the best sofa I have ever owned and most comfortable is a Drexel. They have a website that lists stores listed. They do make sectionals and you can special order the fabric you want.

Your mood board has a lot of really nice deign elements. For artwork, think about high definition photography. You can either use 2 or 3 framed pieces or one large one on a wall on a variety of media. I think vibrant colors and places are very mood lifting. I hope you will visit my Etsy store, nancyhehmann. I can customize any selection and have photography from many locations and types. Just click on the link below and you will be viewing Maui in an instant! That is the beauty of photography; a vacation for the mind in seconds and so realistic. I use nationally recognize photo labs and can customize size. It can even be printed on canvas. They also can do the split photography at the photo lab. Have fun with your new home.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112330273/hawaii-coastline-of-maui-showing-the

mara117 Darzy, I like that setup! , I like the idea of the TV not being the whole focus of the room. I think for practical reasons a sectional will fit us best but I think we're going to have to buy that and pick pieces around that because it's clearly the dominant piece.

decoenthusiaste Would advise whatever you buy be in quality fabric, not big box store cheap microsuede that degrades very quickly.

mara117 We went on a furniture shopping marathon yesterday and after looking at many sectionals, I agree with your advice--I think it would really limit our arrangements, especially in such a large room. We ended up buying the chair, sofa and loveseat pictured (not the ottoman). They are very neutral and I think this will work well with the color scheme I posted. This arrangement would comfortably seat 6 (same as the sectional) and I think we may look for a large ottoman in a contrasting color like gray.

Does anyone have any ideas about how large of an area rug we may need for this space or any input on how to lay out the room (with this new furniture) to take the most advantage of our space--would these piece go smack dab in the center of the room, or off center to use the space better? I would like to have another seating area near the fireplace, but I have no idea how to arrange that so the flow works. Everyone's advice has been really helpful!

mara117 Our furniture arrived and I feel even more confused about how to arrange our space....it feels so empty in there! Obviously we need a lot more furniture (especially a tv console, with those wires hanging out!) but I'm hoping people may have some input about what this room needs...

mara117 Here are some views from other angles:

Harrut The next purchase here begs for a rug to pull the chairs together and some well placed tables such as perhaps a coffee table and 1-2 small chair tables.
Do you like art? This would bring the walls alive and give some personality to the room.
Whilst deciding how about some vases of flowers to add colour and inspiration ?

Harrut Looking for some photos for you... Found these here on Houzz

Darzy Yes, definately an area rug. Since you got the sofa/loveseat..I'd arrange the sofa/loveseat in an L shape like it was a sectional. Tight together, with a square coffee table at the "corner" with a big lamp. Then, angle the chair on the right side of the tv facing the "sectional" and keep the FP area clear. Since the furniture is leather, I think a wood/metal coffee table (like the one pictured above) would look nice. Pick colors from the new area rug for accents in accessories, art. For fun, get a mid-century looking console/dresser for under the tv and paint it one of your accent colors. Craigslist is a good place for vintage dressers "cheap" if they need refinished or painted. Good luck and have fun!

mara117 Harrut, that is just what we are thinking we need--you can see our color scheme in the inspiration board higher up in the post!

Darzy, I love your idea--thanks so much! I think the furniture looks so spaced out and lonely in the big room and we're wasting space. I tightened up a bit and angled the chair and I think it would all fit on a rug and that we could fit 2 more chairs in front of the fireplace like in some of the ideas higher up in the post.

blindsdirectcanada For the larger window I would recommend a Decorative rod it should be hung about 6'' above the window . For the drapery I would go with 24'' panels on either sides with Goblet pleats. As for the the smaller windows I wouldn't put up drapery because you will lose to much light. I would go with a Mock Roman valance in the matching fabric of the drapery.

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/drapery-toronto.html

https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+valance&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tzn8UNnBIpGK2QXdrYDwBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1262&bih=908#hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=goblet+pleat+curtains&oq=goblet+pleat+&gs_l=img.3.0.0l2j0i24l7.9488.14582.0.16019.23.16.5.2.2.0.99.1176.16.16.0...0.0...1c.1.x1cDbsByDws&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41248874,d.b2I&fp=97dd520dabff69a8&biw=1262&bih=908

https://www.google.ca/search?q=roman+valance&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tzn8UNnBIpGK2QXdrYDwBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1262&bih=908

mara117 I experimented with moving the furniture over, and it does seem to free up a lot of usable space to create another seating area. Does this work or do things need to be shifted? Of course it will be need to be adjusted a bit for an area rug (depending on the size).

Harrut I'm not sure it does at present.... But you have noticed the extra space it gives! May be you will feel better with the space once you have purchased a few more home comforts.... The rug !!!

mara117 I do think once we have a rug in there it will help, but I'm not sure what size to get. Also...I don't know what to put in that empty space by the fireplace! I'd like to do 2 more chairs but I'm afraid it might look overcrowded with furniture.

Harrut Humm
I guess it depends on budget and how much you like your wood floor exposure.
I'd be tempted to ensure that the rug was large enough to encompass the furniture without too much overspill around the edges except for the area which will house a coffee table . Do you electricity points nearby? This might help arrange where your lamps are going with out electric leads wandering all over the place....
I guess the rug size might have to be considered along these lines maybe?!

Darzy I'm guessing a 10x12 size area rug. Try putting the sofa on the blank wall between the kitchen door and window (push the sofa to be about 6" from the wall). Then, put an end table (in the center of the window) with a lamp. The loveseat next to the end table making and "L" there.

Harrut Ps
Trying to find rugs. Try looking on Houzz under living rooms there are quite a few photos where rugs have been used.... Might give some visual ideas along the way ....

Harrut Please ignore 2nd photo, added this by mistake :-)

mara117 I was thinking either 8x10 or 10x12 for a rug but I am pretty sure those sizes will max out our budget! I will have to try to tape it out on the floor to see which size would be best with the furniture. And good point about the electrical outlets, I will have to arrange around those if we want some lamps.

Thanks Darzy for your placement ideas, I think that would be good. We have a "sunken" living room so I was not sure if I should back the loveseat right up to the ledge where the living room meets the hallway. It's not really a viable walkway but I don't want everything to look all pushed to the edges of the room.

Now my dillemma is...what to put in the rest of the room! I opened up a lot of space by moving the furniture over, but I'm not sure how to best use the remaining space without overcrowding it.

mara117 I just got home from work and was experimenting a little with the layout...I switched the position of the chair and the loveseat to create a separate space by the fireplace (there would be an area rug under the existing furniture). Is this better or worse than the previous layout? You can see my dog enjoying the newfound space!

decoenthusiaste Putting the back of a piece of large furniture to the focal point fireplace is not the direction to take. I'd rethink again.

mara117 Thanks for your input. The idea would be to create another seating area around the fireplace, so there is one around the tv and one around the fireplace. Something like below.

mara117 Like this:

Darzy I think you could do that only if you eliminated one of your pieces. Either the loveseat or chair. Too many matching pieces feel less cozy. Can you return one of the pieces?

mara117 We can't return any of the pieces, we just got them. We are working with what we have, which is not much :) Basically just these 3 pieces.

Was it better the way it was before? I am trying to figure out what to do with that remaining space, because these 3 pieces would all fit on an area rug.

Darzy Will they let you exchange the loveseat for another chair? We were encouraging either a sofa and two chairs, or an L sectional with two chairs to make it work with your space. Have two large pieces and a chair is why it is difficult to arrange in your space. Sorry to say this. :(

mara117 Yes...I realized this after we got them delivered! They are a bit clunky. We got them on clearance sale so we can not return them. They are, however, extremely comfortable, so it's been a good compromise with what my husband wants for our TV watching area as well.

I appreciate everyone's input! We are working with what we have. I have a lot of ideas to bring some color and some more personality to the room--I am hoping that will help. It is looking very bland and lonely as is.

Darzy If you have a HomeGoods near you, they frequently have gorgeous area rugs at a reasonable price. And, great, unique accessories.

Maria Billingsley of J Hettinger Interiors I would split your room into two groupings that way your fireplace is special and your TV area is special. This pic is two chairs and an otto flanking the fireplace. Then start your second seating area from there surrounding the TV.

Maria Billingsley of J Hettinger Interiors opps did not read above DITTO!

mara117 This is sort of my rough idea for a layout, I am hoping we can get some fun printed chairs/curtains/area rug to liven the place up and add some pops of aqua and lime to brighten it up. I am having a little bit of furniture regret since practicality and budget won over--we have a large dog and are planning on having children soon, so we went for furniture that resisted dirt and wipes off easily. I think we can work with what we have though.

My husband liked this layout idea but he told me I have to promise if we bought them, I would actually sit in those chairs by the fireplace and they would not just be decorative :) I think those chairs and an ottoman would be great, though, because you could easily pull them up to the main seating group if we were having a football party or game night.

mara117 We got a rug that I love, I will have to post a photo later. I am thinking of moving that big white chair to the study and getting two smaller chairs (in a different fabric/pattern) to make a nicer looking seating group. Would something like this work better? After living with it for a bit, I agree with Darzy's feedback that 3 matching pieces is one too many.

aspengrovemanor I just found this thread. Great idea to move the large chair and bring in two smaller for flexibility. The coffee table/ottoman looks very large for the space. Do you want it as more of an ottoman for resting feet or as function/storage? I would also suggest square for the smaller tables and round for the center table, moving one of the small tables between the two chairs and another between the sofa and ottoman.

aspengrovemanor Oops, meant to say loveseat, not ottoman;)

mara117 Thanks--I just threw the layout together on floorplanner as inspiration, I actually think our smaller tables will be square. We have not purchased a coffee table yet--can't decide between that and an ottoman. I love the suggestion about moving the table between the smaller chairs!

mara117 More like this :)

aspengrovemanor One other thing I think will work...I notice that your TV is hanging on the wall, so a narrow console table or shelves below against the wall (lots of these on overstock.com for reasonable prices) will anchor it, cover wires and provide space for storage, smaller accent pieces in your color scheme - baskets, etc.

mara117 Our plan was to get a low, long console to cover the wires under the TV, and maybe arrange 3 floating shelves on either side of the hanging TV.

mara117 We got a new 9x12 rug and I think we have a plan for the rest of the living room, it is coming along very slowly. I am so glad people made comments that the full matching set of sofas was not working well--you helped convince my husband to move that big chair to a reading nook in the office :)

As of now, we are hoping to get two of the pictured slipper chairs to complete the u-shape with the couches around a coffee table. We are thinking maybe a square coffee table and two small end tables. We might still need to adjust the layout a bit or figure out what will go in that empty space near the fireplace--I don't think it's enough functional space for another sitting area, but our TV is centered on a half wall which limits our ability to totally center the rug/furniture in the room.