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Long, wide living room... how to decorate? furniture?
We just bought a great 1950s bungalow with 1500sq ft.
The issue is- the living room (when you walk in the front door, there is a low wall to your right, which seperates the entry from the living room, and is where the TV cables are in the wall)... it is about 22' long, 12' wide. If you put the couch against the wall, you're literally about 22' from the spot where the TV cables come into the house. WAY too far. We have a large overstuffed couch, love seat, 2 leather club chairs, matching retro style coffee table and side tables, a 40" lcd tv and stand. We had a small home, and everything fit very nicely, and seemed really cozy and family friendly. Now, we have double the space, but still the same amount of furniture. We bought all our furniture new in the past 2 years, so replacing it really isn't an option.
The living room also opens up onto the dining room (a big L shape, the small part being the dining room, so we really can't put a dining room in the big space of the living room to fill it up. I don't want to have a big empty spot in the middle of the room, between the TV and couch. And, I want to be able to entertain without people feeling stranded in an empty, non functional room. This room has me baffled. We move in June 1st and i'm almost having nightmares about how to go about furnishing the room, setting it up. My plan is just to stick the furniture in there and rearrange it till I'm satisfied.
Also, on the wall seperating the kitchen and living room (which SOMEDAY we want to cut a pass-thru into) I am planning on stenciling a large tree onto the wall, and hanging family photos on the tre...a family tree... and was thinking of putting the 2 club chairs against that wall with a stack of antique trunks in between them, as a table. That's the first wall you see when you come into the house.
I was thinking about putting the couch in the middle of the room, but then it would be in the way of the nice window seat that's there. I would love to be able to fit a home office in there somewhere. Move the couch from the wall, put a funky desk behind it, which would move the couch away from the wall and closer to the tv???
Colous will be green, grey, brown, very nature toned and calming. The room gets a TON of light. I want to make the room seem SMALLER, not larger.
Any tips?
The issue is- the living room (when you walk in the front door, there is a low wall to your right, which seperates the entry from the living room, and is where the TV cables are in the wall)... it is about 22' long, 12' wide. If you put the couch against the wall, you're literally about 22' from the spot where the TV cables come into the house. WAY too far. We have a large overstuffed couch, love seat, 2 leather club chairs, matching retro style coffee table and side tables, a 40" lcd tv and stand. We had a small home, and everything fit very nicely, and seemed really cozy and family friendly. Now, we have double the space, but still the same amount of furniture. We bought all our furniture new in the past 2 years, so replacing it really isn't an option.
The living room also opens up onto the dining room (a big L shape, the small part being the dining room, so we really can't put a dining room in the big space of the living room to fill it up. I don't want to have a big empty spot in the middle of the room, between the TV and couch. And, I want to be able to entertain without people feeling stranded in an empty, non functional room. This room has me baffled. We move in June 1st and i'm almost having nightmares about how to go about furnishing the room, setting it up. My plan is just to stick the furniture in there and rearrange it till I'm satisfied.
Also, on the wall seperating the kitchen and living room (which SOMEDAY we want to cut a pass-thru into) I am planning on stenciling a large tree onto the wall, and hanging family photos on the tre...a family tree... and was thinking of putting the 2 club chairs against that wall with a stack of antique trunks in between them, as a table. That's the first wall you see when you come into the house.
I was thinking about putting the couch in the middle of the room, but then it would be in the way of the nice window seat that's there. I would love to be able to fit a home office in there somewhere. Move the couch from the wall, put a funky desk behind it, which would move the couch away from the wall and closer to the tv???
Colous will be green, grey, brown, very nature toned and calming. The room gets a TON of light. I want to make the room seem SMALLER, not larger.
Any tips?
3 Answers
Just put you TV on the short wall where it goes, then decide how close or far you want to be from it. Put your love seat width wise there. Put your couch lengthwise at the end of love seat with the front edges (corners) only touching each other. Place an end table in the corner (L) the two couches create.
Break the room up in multiple functional areas. Get that sofa that at the right distance, like the first answer said and everything behind it is, in practice, another room. A sofa table will break that up nicely. Maybe not a desk because, if you're going to work at it, the TV may distract you.
The club chairs sound like a great idea for a corner with a side table. That's a reading, conversation, or socializing area. With an ottoman, you can set board games up on it and use the chairs and the floor for player seating.
You may not want to draw the stencil if you're thinking about knocking down that wall. The more you like your handy work, the less you'll want to eventually get rid of it by knocking the wall down.
If you're going for smaller in the room. The room within a room idea is where it's at. Going with a darker wall color and window treatments will definitely shrink it, as well. A darker color on the ceiling with close it in, as well. Whatever you do, no mirrors - especially not across from windows. They reflect the incoming light and make the room bigger.
Sounds like an interesting canvass to work within. Have fun with it!
The club chairs sound like a great idea for a corner with a side table. That's a reading, conversation, or socializing area. With an ottoman, you can set board games up on it and use the chairs and the floor for player seating.
You may not want to draw the stencil if you're thinking about knocking down that wall. The more you like your handy work, the less you'll want to eventually get rid of it by knocking the wall down.
If you're going for smaller in the room. The room within a room idea is where it's at. Going with a darker wall color and window treatments will definitely shrink it, as well. A darker color on the ceiling with close it in, as well. Whatever you do, no mirrors - especially not across from windows. They reflect the incoming light and make the room bigger.
Sounds like an interesting canvass to work within. Have fun with it!
Hi there,
First, I think you must definitely keep the couch near the wall. That way you save space while still being able to play a bit with the rest of the room to reach your "small effect" you're after. Now, I don't believe it's a great idea to simply add furniture to make the room look smaller. To do that, all you really need is to make your space fit different purposes. Add a desk and transform half of your room into a home office.
Below, you can browse for some models:
http://www.offi… - a light, soft solution
http://www.offi… - this one is cute if what you're after is a modernist style or
http://www.offi… - lots of drawers :).
As for the colors, use brown or b/w. Green gives the appearance of a larger space...
Cheers,
LloydBurrell
First, I think you must definitely keep the couch near the wall. That way you save space while still being able to play a bit with the rest of the room to reach your "small effect" you're after. Now, I don't believe it's a great idea to simply add furniture to make the room look smaller. To do that, all you really need is to make your space fit different purposes. Add a desk and transform half of your room into a home office.
Below, you can browse for some models:
http://www.offi… - a light, soft solution
http://www.offi… - this one is cute if what you're after is a modernist style or
http://www.offi… - lots of drawers :).
As for the colors, use brown or b/w. Green gives the appearance of a larger space...
Cheers,
LloydBurrell
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