i wanted to get your opinions before dh gets home and finds me moving furniture around.....dd is home sick until monday so she and i decided to move things..............what arrangement do you like the best....any suggestions? i cant think straight due to lack of sleep and frustration is setting in :hairpull: i like the new arrangement because the sofa is off the small wall but does it look right with this furniture....dont mind the mess, everything is just sort of thrown there
here are before pics and you can see i tried the fireplace inbetween the two chairs, i dont like that there, nor do i like the table and lamp in between the two chairs, just nothing is fitting right inbetween the two chairs...........something has to go :hairpull: :hairpull:
smiles
janetc
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well actually its my mouth that gets the most workout....telling the kids and dh where to put stuff....... :laugh: when they see me looking around a room with thoughts on my mind, they are now running the other way. :D
smiles
janetc
No problem, janetc. I was looking on internet for the posting from tuesday show, that I've missed and it was supposed to be something about fireplaces, but instead I found an article for you. So I don't know when it actually was, but whatever was on the website for your plan was just excellent.
Well, I think if you don't to gym, then moving is good! :laugh:
oh oh, you have me in the mood to switch around again... :D i cant believe i missed this show, when was this one on? I still wanted to try the sofa in front of the window, but i was going to try it when and if the big tv went downstairs....the woman that owned the house before us had her sofa in front of the window and i can clearly see why she did......she had the sofa in front of the window and on the small wall sat a hutch, on the long wall she had two chairs with a table in between....it did seem roomy! Thank you for posting this Mrs Fancy! :)
smiles
janetc
I am not sure if you've seen it on CityTV, but they had YOUR plan and 3 different soutions!!! [url]http://www.cityline.ca/homeandgarden/projects/index.asp?articleID=1790&topicID=6&categoryID=78&categoryName=Fireplaces[/url]
But first of all, the fireplace has to be moved to different location.
Sofa will stay near the window and mask the heater.
Now, the solutions:
1. This is an example of the ideal living room. The fireplace is positioned on the exterior wall at the end of the long part of the room. This position maximizes seating to 7 and allows you to flank the fireplace with two chairs. It also enables built-in cabinets to go on either side of the fireplace to house the stereo and television.
2.This is what Jackie (Glass) calls the awkward living room and it's generally found in homes that are 40-50 years old. The fireplace is tucked into a corner on the short wall, creating a real decorating challenge. People automatically think they need to flank the fireplace with chairs but this just won't work in this instance. Instead, a seating arrangement needs to be created in the centre of the room and the traffic flow will go through the seating area. Built-in cabinets can be placed on the other side of the room to provide storage and a place entertainment equipment.
3. Home builders are very fond of locating fireplaces in the corner but in doing so it reduces the amount of seating available. The television is best placed in a free standing armoire beside the fireplace. If another seat is required, a cube or upholstered ottoman will do the trick as it can be repositioned as the situtation requires.
briefly with dh tonight on the phone and noway no heck is he game for blocking that doorway off....as he said its our main traffic route and he doesnt want the traffic rerouted through the living room...., then again he may have a point....our house is very much like the 401..........jeep, guess what? we did build a half wall between living room and dining area, but left an opening the same size as a regular door...it really didnt make things easier, it just made us feel closed in............so down it came....perhaps this is dhs fear too... :D i honestly think it will have to stay the way it is....perhaps i can do more if dh decides to take the big tv downstairs.........its not such a bad thing, after all i have lived with it this long.... ;) so i will just play with accessories or like smoodge said.........SELL! :p
smiles
janetc
What about one of the folding dividers placed in that corner to cover the doorway.
I would definately try the curtain and re-arrange the furniture and see how you like it.
You certainly could put up a wall between the dining room and the living room but I like the 2 rooms opening to one another - how about a half wall to keep the open - feel.
yes a larger size is much better, i was just looking at the table and i also think it should be a little higher and round :D ...........
idecor..........in all reality i have considered this off and on for the 11 years that we have lived here....but do you think its odd that you would have to walk through the living, eating area and kitchen to get to the back door....i have a hard time visualizing it....and i have thought of doing as you suggested, hanging a curtain........having that corner would give us a whole world of possibitlies....i will suggest this to dh... :) our neighbour has similiar layout only they dont have the opening to the dining area but im not sure if that would be of any help.....
i will let you know if we try this
thank you
smiles
janetc
Hi janetc - I think that the thing that is frustrating you is the TV in that far corner. It is really too big for that corner.
Also, the door into the kitchen, that too is a challenge for the sofa placement along that small wall. I think that someone asked if you would consider closing that up. I think that that is a wonderful idea! That way, you could put the sofa on that small wall, table and lamp where the FP is now, and put one of the chairs where the TV is now, move the TV down in the corner next to the window with another chair angled into the room with and table and lamp to the right of it. You would even have room for a long console table in front of the window. Will this work? Well, why not try putting a temporary solution up - maybe hang a curtain panel on a pressure balanced rod in the doorway and try to place your furniture as I suggested. If you love it and decide that you can live without the door into the kitchen, you can then think about drywalling that doorway up.
What do you think of a lamp this size?
Yes thatt is better thank you taking the picture the scale is better and the lamp looks like it could work now.
oh my arent you so sick of seeing this living room... :D here is a before and after.....i still think the art throws things off too, it is much larger in real life, but it is just boring on that long wall......here ya go!
smiles
janetc
Janet can you take a picture from across the room so we can see in comparison to the rest of the room how it looks with the lamp on top of the books.
Here you go Dbunnydiva.....this is for you and of course anyone... :) i stacked books under the lamp....someone else had mentioned the lamp possibly being too short to.....i never realized just how short it is until i put the stack of books under it and im not sure the style is even suitable......if i decide its not i will put it in my bedroom...ignore the print above, im not putting another hole in the wall until i decide what im doing........
smiles
janetc
i completely agree, as much as i like the lamp, i too think it isnt tall enough....i will try what you suggested, sticking a hat box under to see if that makes a difference as we do hate to lose the table because it is real handy.
Diy....no problem, dont be sorry, heck if i could get rid of that chair, it would be the first thing gone..... :D other than the lift chair, i have a sofa and chair, which likely looked like a loveseat in the pics...and i have tried everything....what makes matters worse is trying to see the tv from all seating areas and converse and with this layout it does allow both..... this is suppose to be the more formal living room but is actually the room the 5 of us will watch tv in together because i rarely go downstairs, so basically it is the heart of our home..........however, i love your idea of a plant....i use to have one of the fig looking ones when they were all the rage and it did add life into the room and my new one will be fake too (sorry cathie lol)....so im looking into that and adding some accessories....the fireplace may end up downstairs.....its really not working in this room....it looks okay on the wall its on but you cant even see the beautiful fake flame... :laugh: and the green and brown chair are both angled and pulled away from the wall but its hard to see that in the pics...i also agree that the room needs something of a different shape....i was thinking of a round iron peice, unless you can come up with suggestions, i would love to hear them.........thank you for your suggestions
smiles
janetc
Sorry Janet - I didn't know, so ignore what I said earlier and put it where the other one is supposed to go. Put the other chair to the right of the loveseat, by the window if it will fit. :o
Janet can't get rid of the brown chair she needs it for herself as it is a lift chair for her.
Hi Janet,
Have you tried putting things on an angle? It seems to me that if you got rid of one item (sorry, don't know the story of the brown chair but that's the one that should go) and if you put the sofa on the long wall on a slight angle with the corner behind it, filled in the corner with a large fake or real tree type plant or screen and an up light, put the chair at a 90 degree angle to the couch with it's back facing the dining room, and the loveseat at a 45 degree angle to the small wall, parallel to the couch - with the loveseats' back to the kitchen doorway, and the ottoman inbetween the couch and loveseat --- it might be workable. I don't know your dimensions so maybe I'm off base but it just seems to me that everything is too square! If you could make it flow more so that energy curves around a little instead going straight down the room and smack into a wall I think you would get a more relaxed atmosphere. Maybe introduce something wavy or circular into the room. A tree like a ficus benjamina or a palm (real or fake, although I prefer fake myself - far less maintenance) would do a lot to help soften up some of your straight lines. As far as the fireplace is concerned it should probably go too but would you have room for it in your basement or even your bedroom? There's nothing like a fireplace somewhere in the house to cosy up to in the middle of winter. ;) :biglol:
Just to make you crazy I think we should go back to square one here. That would be the instigator to all this action and that would be the lamp. You mentioned it was bugging you a bit as something seemed out of balance.
To my eye, that silver lamp is too small to go between the chairs. Do you have a taller, bigger lamp you could try to see? it just seems to me the lamp top is either the same or lower than the backs of the chairs (hard to tell from pictures) and what you need is for it to be higher and bigger. Maybe you could bring up one of the hat boxes to try it on that but my fear is you just need a bigger lamp including the shade to balance things off.
Okay, I slink back into the darkness now.
jeep, trynto and regina
regina, i didnt mind the look of the second last but oh my gosh, i love my children but i need my space, it felt as though we were sitting on top of each other or as i say, entering my bubble.. :D
trynto, yes, i have to realize with the brown chair its not possible for the sofa to be on the large wall..... it was far more comfortable when i put it back to normal....i just need to dress up that end with the two chairs, it needs a wow! i need something different on the wall or if i keep the fireplace in here and find something right for above i may try that in between and just use floor lamps....anyhoo, the pictures are decieving, the furniture is closer than the pics show, i took some angle shots to show you....there is only about 2 feet between each piece and that feels comfortable enough without feeling like we are on top of each others lap.... :D as for a rug, im keeping my eye open, but i cant go with a large one that will accomadate the sofa and chairs or it would have to cover most of the floor, if not it would be terribly off centre,...trust me i have tried.... :) and i dont want to cover most of the floor because i perfer to keep things very very very simple.... :D or as dh would say, "should have kept the carpeting" and i surely dont want him thinking that... :laugh: had enough of carpet in there. i will be off to homesense to look for something pretty above the fireplace with measurements in hand, thanks to kipper for figuring the right dimensions. Oh and i cant forget a new throw, ecspecially for my chair and pillow.... :laugh:
thanks all
smiles
janetc
Oh Janet...over a 1000 views only to find that you had it right to begin with... :D ...go with your gut....I liked your original arrangement.....its too bad you couldn't consider a rug...that would help the chairs become part of the room so they do not look like they are floating......can you bring the chairs in even a tad closer so you create almost an L-shape seating with the couch...people can come into the LR from the entry, the kitchen and around the back of the chairs from the DR..........anyways stick with it...the couch and chair are great....
the second last one
I have to say that the last one is my favourite.
girls, i have tried every layout that you mentioned....did get some pics of the different ones....as much as my favorite spot for the sofa is the large wall, it just cant work with my chair.........
the pic with my brown chair on the small wall drove me crazy...so uncomfortable as my back was to everyone
the pic with my brown chair at the end of the sofa felt really cramped and when everyone was sitting in the room, i felt as though we were on top of each other...
cat i tried your way with the living room across the room...didnt work
DBD....put the sofa in front of the window and tv across.....made the room look too narrow and not enough space to travel, tv sticks out too far
so we put everything back and realized it actually feels the best, may not look the best............but it feels good,,,,,i did switch my chair and the green one to break up the green against the green...........so now im focusing what to do above the wall where the two chairs are and inbetween the two chairs....would like to make it a real good focal point......and yes girls my dh must have patiences to put up with me... :D
here is a few pics of the different changes, i didnt get pics of all of the floor plans
last one is how it is now, and will be staying as long as i have my brown recliner
thank you
smiles
janetc
My goodness - I haven't logged in for a few days so had to read through all of these posts.
You know, you really have a nice room and as someone else mentioned there just has to be a way to arrange it so that you would be happy. It wasn't until you posted the picture of the other end of your room that showed your tv that I really got an appreciation for your problem. It may just come down to the fact that you might have too much furniture for that size room. I like the two layouts with the couch either under the window and the tv across from it or the couch on the end wall leading in the DR. Don't give away your fireplace - you got an awesome deal on it, if it's not working in your LR right now, why not put it downstairs in the room you are doing right now. That would make that room really cozy. Good luck and just so you know there are many of us who are continually moving stuff around and changing layouts - just ask my hubby!!
my god janet who would have thought arranging a room could be so compicated. but i'm with you, we've rearranged our living room dining room about 6 times in less then a year trying to get the layout comfortable for us...but the trick i've found is that you have to leave it for several days and 'live' with it before you make any decisions...unless it's really iccky that is.
okay so i spent alot of time looking at your pix and the girls layouts for you. the one i like is smoodgie's...have you given that one any thought...of switching your rooms....moving your livingroom furniture over into your dining area, and you could put a screen infront of dr opening...that way your kitchen door (from the living room) would still bring you into your 'new' dining area. if i remember correctly you have a water dispencer thingy on the end wall of your present dining area....would the tv fit in that area?? and configure your furniture from there??? i think it's something you should play with...it would give you a totally diffent spin.
you have a very patient hubby janet....is he as quircky as you??? :D
Well good luck with all that rearranging! Just make the DH do all the heavy stuff. :D I'm sure you'll come up with an arrangement you like. Something will work with all the ideas floating around. :)
yes, that is the only doorway to the kitchen...there was times we thought of blocking it, but that would mean walking through the living room to get into the kitchen or if you want to take something to the basement.....now as far as the dining area opening, we could use a screen or build a wall...good ideas reno...thank you
smiles
janetc
do you need that door into the kitchen?? is there another one into the kitchen from the hall?? I lived in an apartment that had a teensy weensy kitchen, and had 2 doors, one into the DR area, and one from the hall . We put a bookcase in the one from the hall, on the hall side, and that allowed us to put a cabinet in the kitchen on the other side (I have a father who is just great at making that kind of thing!) If you don't need it, get rid of it !
oh no cat, i have traumatized you.... :biglol: :biglol: however im glad to hear that someone else lays in bed thinking about darn home decor.....just not someone elses home :D
sezzwho....im not good on computers at all! but i ran a bunch of scans and cleared out some crap....so its at least running but i think its due for a reformat....but at least i can still get on here for my fix.... :laugh: As for your floor plan....we did have it set up similiar to this a long time ago....only we had a chair in each corner beside the sofa so you can see the tv.....i want to try this again.....we did put the sofa in front of the window today, but im not sure i felt comfortable........dh and i were playing today i will continue to play until i have exhausted all my thoughts :D thanks sezzwho!
dolly.........your idea is another way that we have had the living room, matter a fact we had it like that for a long time....the only thing i didnt like was that my back was to the sofa when we had company.... and i did try it with the sofa in front of the window but it blocked the tv from the one end of the sofa....thanks dolly!
see, i wasnt kidding when i said that this room is difficult..... ;)
reginagirl...with this sofa i can actually get to the window turns, when we had a sofa there a long time ago, you couldnt get to them unless you knelt on the sofa...but this sofa is shorter so the window turns are not a concern
smiles
janetc