I want to buy some new living room furniture, but need some ideas.

Hey all,

My wife and I have had the same furniture from when we first got married: An old ikea desktop, the base to a large entertainment center my father built, and some items from the room store: sofa, chair, end tables and a coffee table. Now, in our 12'x23' living room (in the basement), we're thinking about buying a new set of furniture.

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That's our current layout.

First, my wife and I have been sharing the same computer desk for years. We face each other at the same table, glancing to the monitors at our sides, as we type on our keyboards which are inches apart. In this corner of the room we have an area that is 8x9, and this cheap desk just sits in the middle of the space. We need a two-person solution for this space. She and I often work from home and our current setup leaves little room for papers, books or an extra laptop. This is where the true dilemma comes into play.

We have two ideas in our minds. The first is a large corner desk that can seat two at the opposite return ends. We haven't found any furniture to actually fit this role, aside from paying many thousands for a custom set (which didn't quite fit the bill) or using some gaudy modular office furniture.

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The second idea is to find two matching desks (with hutches), but with the filing cabinet on either side. I'd be fine with a detached file cabinet or a manufacturer that has the option to shift it from one side to the next. The reason is we don't want the chairs to be sitting right on top of each other. We'll already be close, but bumping elbows with the back of my wifes chair doesn't seem right.

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Then, in the other half of the room, we want to open the space up more. We're looking for all sorts of options for the area, from a sectional sofa to a less plush couch and smaller chair, etc. We're kinda tied with the placement of the television because all the AV cables are hidden in the wall... the nice thing is the TV is hanging on an articulating wall mount, so I can angle it more towards the corner if that's the best viewing angle. We're open to smaller coffee table, end tables and TV stand... and, in fact, my wife even mentioned getting rid of the coffee table altogether, but I don't know where we'd set snacks and drinks when we have guests over. I've already decided that I'm downsizing on the entertainment center base, getting something that is several inches shallower, shorter, and about five feet wide (if I can find something). Everything else is still in the air.

Another pain in the rear is her insistence on a sleeper sofa. We have a three bedroom house, but with one room occupied by one child, and the other eventually being occupied by another, she says we'll need a place for out of state visitors to crash. That's what the floor is for, right?

Anyways, do you all have any ideas on which furniture brands or styles would work best in these areas? I live near Fredericksburg, Virginia, if that matters.

At 12' wide, you should really look at moving the TV to the wall to the right, and going big screen there - even if you have to re-wire. Otherwise you will always be jammed up (at least based on what I can see from the drawings). I would do that and them go to 3-abreast theater seating instead - in front of the TV, similar to something like what you will see if you go to the Hancock and Moore website and look at the Monterey series.

You're on the right track for the desks, Hooker Furniture does several series that might work and you just pick components to get the desks and hutches you need to go in your space.

Skip the sleeper. Get an air mattress, queen size, with a motorized blower and you're in business.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, moving the TV is a no-go with the wife. We're stuck with a cluttered room, I guess. :P

She and I spent hours talking about this... I think we've finally settled on an idea.

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* A 60" wide TV stand (something that stands no higher than 2' tall)
* An oval coffee table
* A credenza with a hutch (60-68" Wide)
* A left-seating computer or writing desk (50-56" Wide)

We found a TV stand that we liked. The color and straight-line style is right on point for our tastes, and we'd like to have some continuity between the styles of the bits in the room. Unfortunately, the price seems kinda low and the brand is one we've never heard of... so, we're approaching it cautiously.

Do you know any furniture makers or collections that are less ornate than the Martin collections and have the same plain and straight styling of the Sonax TV stand? After my wife set her sights on specific sectional, our budget for the four pieces is sitting around $3,500... but, the less we spend, the better we'll be.

I think you have the best layout you can get within the limitations of the TV placement. Can't say I can recommend anything with a $ 3,500 budget for two desks, table and sectional. That's pretty much going to keep you locked into mediocre imports at best, if not even going into lower quality product. Good luck.