SFGate

mmilos I would add a more decorative rug and a glass topped coffee table. Direct the traffic flow around the couches/conversation area. No need to keep it that open.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design This appears to be a grand entry space, not a living room. Is there a living room and/or family room elsewhere? If that is not the case, then I think you MUST place furniture squarely in the path from front to back. I'd place a sofa with a sofa table behind it where the hardwood flooring starts. Then I'd put a large coffee table in front of the sofa and two chairs opposite it. People will just walk around it.

grinter I would put a warm coloured rug in the middle of the couches , but also they need to be turned around width ways from the front door as to give definition to the ares it looks like a long corridor the way that it is also a coffee table and a splash of colour with the cushions , make sure they are feather cushions as they give a softer look

grinter definetley turn them around , the couches, they are contempory pieces but definitely need some warmth added to the area for conversation to take place as it is it looks to much like a corridor

Jayme Hobbs I would eliminate a sofa...it's too alley like. I would either angle the furniture more, or put one sofa across the other way.

Interiors International, Inc. I think you need to put the back of a sofa toward the front door. This will than give you a view when sitting of the lake. I would put a sofa/console table behind that to create the foyer space. Than two chairs on each side with a square coffee table and two ottomans at the lake end.

Dana Here are a couple of details on the lake end.

Jayme Hobbs I would face a sofa towards that door...u can put a console table behind it so it will look good from the other door...I would put some chairs also..with a small table inbetween...

Dana Thank you so much! There is a small foyer separating the front door from the great room. I was worried about walking into a piece of furniture, but now LOVE the idea. Would you suggest a full- sized (88") sofa, or a love seat horizontally? Again, thanks.

Jayme Hobbs You could try both out, see which one looks better/less clunky....

Dana While I have your expertise, any ideas for the corner opposite the dining table on lake end?(2nd set of photos on right)
Thanks, again!

Jayme Hobbs If you don't like the table there that you have in there...could go with a BIG floor vase with natural sticks or materials sticking out and/or another one or two in a grouping...another arm chair and small table?

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design That corner opposite the dining table looks like a great place for a reading chair and ottoman, or a chaise. Either would require a table beside it and a floor lamp. Or it could be two chairs set there for a conversation.

decoenthusiaste Unless you're married to the idea of sofas, I'd try something like this and re-route traffic around it. Chairs that would sit with their backs to the lake could be swivels (or converted to swivels if skirted.) If you select the right sizes they may all fit into the wood insert floor. However, I think I would fill that space with a rug pad and a larger rug with some great colors drawn from the view.

jkristamagee You may have to work and rework with the suggestion I am going to give but our new home is actually almost identical just a tad bigger. You may find that slightly putting furniture at an angle is key . I am without an entry hall- when one walks through my front door, they are standing in my living room. My previous home had a front formal foyer and a back mudroom so needless to say I was tearing everyone's head off in frustration. I tried everything and finally one morning it hit me lol. Just remember that their are all types of angles so do not stress that you must shift to much. Just a slight angle - if enough room is possible afterward , I would place a slender sofa table - decorate it with what you feel is a warm welcome for you when you walk through the door. To be honest , one of my most favorites of my new home is that when I walk in I feel so cozy and welcome. I have 20ft+ cathedral ceilings which really helped but even if you do not have similar just keep working it until YOU feel at home walking through that door. I found my biggest fault was focusing on what I did not have instead of just simply working with what was there . Beautiful home by the way.

Dana JKM- Would you mind uploading a photo? Trying to get a feel for angle idea. Thank you so much! Dana

jkristamagee I most certainly do not mind - ignore my colors at this moment - I just purchased the place at the end of July and was on a deployment a few months out of that plus christmas , life, work, school ahhhhh it goes on and on not to mention my beautifully messy and time consuming husband and son - I am a flight nurse for the Army and at a conference until next week - as soon as I get back to sweet home mississippi I will upload a photo. Again it may not work for you, but it's a shot