I have a L shaped living dining room, very similar to this post - http://houseandhome.com/design/ask-designer-l-shaped-living-room. When we purchased the home new 15 years ago, the open L-shape is what I fell in love with, now I am not so sure. The living room is very large 22'3" x 13'4" and feel I am not using the space as best I can. We use this as our main living space, I have a faux fireplace and a TV/entertainment center. I recently got rid of a sofa and loveseat (old) that I loved and moved in a sofa bed from another room because I am undecided about the style and pieces of furniture to purchase. This is country and not my style, I would say my style is traditional with clean lines. Can you please help me with the flow of the room and what suggestion you would have for furniture purchase? On a side note, my husband might have an opportunity to work from home, however we don't have a room to offer him. I was going to split the dining room for him by turning the china cabinet to meet the sofet, and turning the table also. He would work behind the china cabinet. Do you any other thoughts. He needs privacy.
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Coming in late but maybe not too late. I find L shaped rooms to be hard to figure out when it comes to furniture but let's see if I can throw some ideas out.
If that fireplace is movable (faux makes me think it might be), how about thinking of using that wall to also house your entertainment things (maybe using the existing unit or buying something different which might give you the option of having an identical piece on the other side of the fireplace...thinking of maybe two tall bookcase type units that go near or up to the ceiling and some trim to make it all look like one big built in wall)? That would make that wall the feature which is doesn't seem to be at all in the photos.
Then I'd move a sofa much closer (maybe so it's even with the edge of the window) facing that wall and put something like a sofa table or some kind of piece to really make that seem like the entrance to the room and still leave you room for people entering the house (maybe a bench beside the door and the sofa table makes for a place to hold keys etc. (units come sofa height that contain drawers and baskets and still have room for lamps and accessories on top).
You could arrange chairs to suit either in front of the window and bookshelves (on the side that doesn't have the TV) to make it all cozy and a swivel type could allow for all manner of things when it comes to which way it faces for either TV watching or conversation.
Your sofa could be closer to either the window or that wall facing the doorway just as long as it's closer in to the main part of the room. That wall could even be used as a nice gallery wall with nothing else on it to leave it as the traffic route.
Otherwise...if that fireplace is movable...maybe putting it so the back faces into the dinning room and the entertainment unit stays where it is gives you the focal point for the room and the sofa can go in front of the window with chairs on either side or on the side next to the long wall facing the door.
I like the suggestion of an area rug to help really define the living room space and maybe a complimentary one for the dining room (that would not include any office space you may figure out).
The other thing I would consider (being as I have a pet peeve with front doors that allow anyone coming to the door to see into my space... as well as drafts from opening the door during the winter) would be to put the fireplace and maybe the two units I suggested with their backs facing the front door. You can rig something up to make the backs really nice (or add that sofa height table with drawers on the other side to hold stuff like keys and gloves) and it would give you a private living area and make a defined entrance to the house that doesn't give every visitor a full view of all you have. Then you could put your sofa on the long wall instead. Something like a sofa with chaise end (you can get them so you can reconfigure the chaise to either side or make it a sofa/ottoman) you could have the chaise side to separate the dining room side from the livingroom.
In one house I had with an L-shape the darned window made it a pain to center things because it wasn't centered (can't tell if this is an issue in your room or not). To solve that the curtains were extended to cover the entire window and wall next to it. That really opened up the possibilities for furniture as things could fit the room without worrying about the off-center window.
I like your idea of using that hutch to separate out an office space without losing it's storage. I'd just watch how sensitive you are to light as you may lose whatever comes in from that patio door (I assume it's a patio door).
CJDesign: I still could not insert the resized pictures I made in Paint (saved as JPeg) and it would not copy and paste either. Not sure why so I was able to copy and paste onto an email I sent to you.
One other suggestion is plainer/straight hung curtains - maybe with a small pattern - instead of the curtains you have now. You could put up some rattan/wicker type roller shades underneath for more texture and layering.
can you email me the images, they aren't showing up. cjblackford@optonline.net
Love your suggestion but would like to see them. Thank you so much and will send you an update.
Thanks for the pictures, that really helps. First thing I would suggest is 2 area rugs, one for the tv area and one for the fireplace area. I have tried a couple of floor plans for you, see what you think or these suggestions might start you in a different direction.
Layout #1 keeps your tv in the same spot but try putting the couch against the wall with the windows. This should open up the space a bit more and make it more inviting for people coming in the door - not blocked right away with a couch. Set up a seperate area by the fireplace with a couple of comfy chairs. They could always be swung around to face the tv area.
Lay out #2 puts the new flat screen tv above the mantel of the fireplace with a new sectional or couch with the lounger at one end. Put a sofa table behind the couch with a couple of lamps. In the other area you could put a desk area and across from that a couple of reading chairs with a lamp between them.
Instead of the desk you could do a long book shelf wall with 4 chairs - 2 where I have them and then 2 more facing them with a round coffee table in the middle and the chairs are more in the center so you can walk around them.
Excuse my drawings, they are pretty rough but you get the idea. Take inspiration from other pictures or from Ask A Designer -or better yet, submit your question to Cameron.
Sorry for some reason my drawings from paint are not showing up - I even resized them. Will try something else later.
i've attached pics to my post
Thanks Mrs. Peacock, I have attached pictures to my post. Any info and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Let me know if you need more info. Thank you!
Pictures of your place would be very helpful. Unfortunately, the link to the House and Home ask a designer page is not working.