Furniture for basement family room and bar

I am finishing our basement. First furniture priority is the family room, and a few bar stools for the adjacent bar. I will attach a drawing of the space. The family room is a big area, 242" x 204", and my wife is insisting on sectional (which I am not crazy about) in fabric. I may be able to change her mind; though if I do, I will hear for years about how she didn't get to choose :( .

I would appreciate any suggestions on the sectional configuration/layout. Most of the in-stock ones I see are the standard 3x2 L shaped layout (112"x90") but think for our space, may need something larger in a U shape since the 3x2 layout still only sits 4 people.


Here are a few constraints:

1. Stairs coming down to the basement are tight due to their being a winder staircase. Bottom of the staircase is only 36" wide and there are some height constraints as well. I will definitely have to use Duane's suggestion of mocking up a cardboard model of the pieces to be sure we can get them down there before buying.
2. Layout of the space is somewhat dictated by where the wiring for the TV and other electronics are.
3. Local stores are dominated by Ashley and other junk. We are limited in what furniture is available to us even driving up to 4 hours. We do want to sit on the furniture (at least the series) and that limits us even more on where to shop. Smith Brothers is probably the best brand where we have a couple dealers within 3 hours and have some floor models to sit on.
4. Since this area will be used a lot less than the upstairs living room and mostly for the kids (15 and 18) I don't want to go crazy on price. Our living room furniture is Huntington House and has held up great for 18 years; but this will probably be out of our budget for a sectional (~35% more than Smith Bros) Also, the only HH dealer in the state said October is probably the earliest something would probably ship. I am aware of Smith Bros. using sinuous springs vs. the 8 way in the HH we have upstairs.

Second question, Duane in the past you mentioned you carried Canal Dover as a low end line. I would like some bar stools like their Harrison 30" bar stools in Natural Cherry. Are these still available and what would the cost be with and without upholstery?

Thank you so much for this tremendous forum and all the knowledge you share.

Dennis

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I’m not a fan of a sectional in that space, it creates a massive upholstery piece that traps the users into the space and eliminates walkways, as if it’s designed as a TV watching mosh pit. Unless that’s what you want, I think I would set it up more open with the ability to walk into the space from the back corners of the room. I would run two long sofas up the walls facing one another with an upholstered ottoman in the middle and a Single recliner to anchor the far end.

We have not carried Canal Dover in years…..sorry!

Duane,

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. To clarify, the door on the left rear corner (behind the sectional) is a storage/electrical room and the right rear corner is just a corner, no doors. So no real traffic from the back corners. The main use of the area will be for the kids and their friends to hang out, watch movies, video games, etc. and for adults to talk, watch sports etc. While this won't be a home theater (we have a dedicated home theater over the garage) it will have an 80" TV so that will be the focal point of the room.

Thanks again for your help.

Could you move the sectional all the way to the left wall? Leave walking path behind for the electrical room. Then a recliner or two on the right side? There's also that company https://havenly.com/ that will model up an interior design plan for $200.

EricCT,

If we do go with the sectional, I could certainly flip the layout of the so that the chaise is on the right side and the shorter side is on the left which would make it easier to get to the storage room, though even centering the sectional in the space would still give almost a 4 foot walking space. Today, we probably only go in that room once every couple weeks, usually to reset the wireless router or the cable modem.