requesting advice for family room furniture selection/arrangement

Hello, I have spent many hours over the past few days reading the posts on this forum. I cannot thank you enough for the wealth of information provided here. I am shopping for a leather sofa and have been completely confused by all the terms used by the salespeople I have encountered. I don’t understand the terms they use when talking about leather, and I haven’t been able to communicate with them very well. This site has really helped me learn more about the choices available and what questions to ask when shopping. Thank you!

After 18 years, we are replacing the furniture in our family room. I’m posting today to request advice on selecting and arranging new furniture for this space. I am including a floor plan and photographs of the room as it is currently arranged. (Please note that the large recliner by the window in the photos does not belong in this room. It was moved in for a large family gathering and hasn’t gone back to its room yet.)

The furniture we have now was comfortable when we used the room for lounging and watching television. However, the deep seating is not conducive to the current use of the room which is for conversation and entertaining. We don’t like the large rolled arms on the sofa, loveseat, and floral chair (I never cared for the large pattern on the chair, but it came as a set). We have found that three people rarely sit on the two-cushioned sofa even though it is long enough, so we want the new one to have three cushions. Over the years this furniture has been in a variety of configurations. The current arrangement is comfortable for conversation, but may not be the best use of the space. We are preparing to have a covered porch built to replace the deck, so direct sunlight will not be an issue in the future.

We are currently thinking of replacing the sofa and loveseat with leather pieces, then selecting two chairs with fabric upholstery, but I have no idea what style chairs. We are undecided about having a coffee table or simply using side tables. I’ve never been sure which direction to place the area rug, or if it is the correct size and shape for the room.

There is only one store in our area that carries high end furniture such as H&M, but sadly they have a very limited selection. Our favorite sofa of the ones we’ve seen so far is the BY Richardson. My husband and I both think it is comfortable and looks nice. The overall length of the Richardson sofa and loveseat is comparable to the existing sofa and loveseat.

I welcome any suggestions on arranging the room, as well as specific pieces to consider. Thanks in advance!

Your photos are so small I can't get a good feel for the room, sorry. It appears to be quite full, and you would probably like something more airy and not as heavy looking. I'm all about free space rather than overfilling a room. Your style looks traditional, and you can get some pieces that are lighter in appearance and still keep that look, such as the H&M Carmen or H&M Utopia sofas. I have a B-Y Richardson in my store and its fine, but lacks some of the style components of the Hancock and Moore pieces if that's important to you.

If you can, post larger size photos. Thanks

Duane, I don't know for sure how to enlarge these photos on a standard PC, but on my MAC all I ever have to do is click once, and then click again on the resulting pup-up picture to be able to make the photo any size. When I read the room dimensions vs. the photos, it looked a great deal smaller than the dimensions would imply. I think their idea of going with a style with much smaller arms is a great first step. I also think if they need as much seating as they currently show (excluding the recliner) then deleting a coffee table is an excellent idea. No doubt, H&M choices such as you suggest would be gorgeous.

Thank you for your reply! We agree that the room is too full. Especially with the scale of the furniture we have. Those big arms really eat up a space! You are correct that we like traditional styling. We like older pieces and things with a history. But we like comfort, too.

I believe we sat on the Utopia sofa at our local shop. If it's the one we are remembering we preferred the feeling of a cushioned back to its back. I'll see if the have the Carmen in stock. We don't usually like a tufted back, but it's hard to tell on the screen. We both love the look of the Tides sofa on the website, very old world, but it's dimensions sound too large for our room. And of course we have no idea how it looks or sits "in person". What drew us to the Richardson was its comfort and scale. A lot of the leather sofas we've found locally have high backs and large arms, and many have deep seats. Some of them lean so far back that I feel like I'm sliding off. I'm frustrated that I can't find a wider selection of H&M near our home. By the way, the Richardson we sat on is in the lighter of the "married covers". That's one of the terms that brought me to this forum! Along with "family room leather" and "protective coating". What a long list of things there are to learn about leather.


I'm posting new photos. Hopefully bigger, but also with less furniture in the room and a different arrangement. If we can find the right scale of furniture, we would like to have two sofas or a sofa/loveseat combo and two chairs. Maybe a square table in the center of the room? But we are definitely open to other suggestions on pieces or arrangements. We want to find the right balance between having enough seating for entertaining without overloading the room. I agree with you about the style components on the H&M pieces. Let me know if the new photos are easier to see. I'm not sure what the upload size limits are for this program. It won't let me upload my original file sizes.


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Thank you!

I'm adding a couple more photos.

I have no idea which sofa style I want yet, but after spending all day readings posts and looking at photos, I'd love to purchase a Hancock & Moore. And I'm head over heels with the Tiburon Java I've seen on some pieces. It's at least a start!

Thanks for the comments, wisejd! The piano takes up part of the room, but it's really the best place in the house for it. Those arms really close things in as well!

I am headed out to our local furniture store to see what they have on display from H&M and to check out some leather samples. I though I'd post a few photos of some pieces we have in the areas adjacent to our living room. I'm sure a trained eye will spot a lot of decorating faux pas, but maybe it will give an idea of the style of furnishings we like. We have a room upstairs with comfy furniture for laying around to watch TV, so the furniture we are seeking for the room in question only needs to be comfortable for sitting and not necessarily for lounging.

The dining table and chairs were purchased by my grandparents when they married in Atlanta in 1941. They aren't the most comfortable, but very sentimental. The other pieces are from antique stores and estate sales. Most of the things sitting around on tables and in the china cabinet are sentimental items as well.

Thanks again for sharing suggestions on particular pieces of furniture to consider, or alternate ways of arranging the family room.

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Much better photos and YES - the existing pieces you have (upholstery) are really dragging the room down as a whole, they have a very 80's / 90's look to them. I think you will find there are many, many pieces that will work in the room that will totally change the look just by streamlining the visual weight of the upholstery. Here's a couple ideas that won't take you out of the realm of traditional furnishings, but put space and air in the room because the styles are slimming, yet still full-seating.

Remember too, that airspace UNDER the sofa is one of those components to add visual space. The B-Y Richardson you looked at previously is low to the floor and that makes it look "heavy" in the room. My suggestion is to go visual space first in whatever new style you select, then target comfort afterwards. All too often, customers are so focused on the the "sit test" when they come in the store they don't consider how the space flows in their room. It's not that hard to find a comfortable sofa, but it's far trickier to get the space/proportion right. I can't tell you how many times we deliver furniture to a customer's home and my delivery guys come back and say "Wow, we really jammed that upholstery in there, it was way too big for the room".

Your room actually is very nice, it just needs to be de-bulked in the furniture. Here's a few to consider:

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/Produ...s/Ashmore-Sofa
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/Produ...s/Martini-Sofa
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/Produ...ugby-Club-Sofa

Most likely you will find your local dealer only has a few pieces of H&M, its pretty rare to find more than about half a dozen pieces at most dealerships (I keep closer to fifty styles of H&M in my store).

The large round table by the wing chair in your room is far too large, consider something practical with a much smaller footprint instead. Along these lines.

http://www.fauld.com/product/807/category/228

I'd skip a coffee table, and perhaps go this route if you want a piece between the fireplace and sofa:

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/Produ...cktail-Ottoman

Lastly, I'd not have a chair in front of your window. One chair (where the wing chair is) should suffice. Hope that helps. A professional decorator local to you can also help you with a great look if you want to go that route.

Thank you! I like your suggestions. Especially the point about considering the space under the furniture. You are correct that the local store has a very small selection of H&M pieces. I'm going to call around tomorrow and see what a road trip to Atlanta, Nashville, or Birmingham might provide. Unfortunately, your store is about 12 hours away or I would be trying out those 50 pieces! Thanks for taking the time to reply. You have been very helpful!

I love the table you suggested. It's very much the style we like. I'm guilty of bringing things (like the large table) into the room because I like them without really thinking about how they fit in the space. The cocktail ottoman is also a great solution. My husband really wants to ditch the coffee table and had his eye on pieces like this when we were shopping last weekend.

I hadn't considered having only one chair by the window, but it makes perfect sense that it would make the room feel much more open. We can always bring in a dining chair if we need an extra seat when guests are here. What do you think about the love seat in front of the column opening? Someone I was showing my photos to said it looks bad blocking the opening between the columns. Like we just moved in and haven't purchased the proper pieces yet. We were actually considering putting a full length sofa there and having two sofas. Is that a mistake in your opinion?

You may be right about a decorator. I have so many questions! I think we also need a bigger rug. And nicer window treatments!

We spent a lot of time last night talking about the room and looking at photos of furniture her in the forum and room layouts online. We are struggling with the expense of what we want to do and trying to figure out how we can do this room, as well as some other projects we have planned this year, with the budget we have available. I don't want to do this room in pieces. This awful furniture really needs to go, and I've waited too long as it is. Are there sofas in any other brands you would be comfortable recommending for our space? We definitely want leather and definitely don't want one of the chain store brands. I feel like I'm settling for less if I don't purchase H&M, but I'm hoping there are options out there that would be a reasonable compromise for us.

Thank you again for your suggestions and for providing this forum. I have learned so much here. You and the other members are very generous with your time. The knowledge that you share and the photos everyone posts are so helpful. You can't get this kind of information standing in the average furniture store. I have a lot to figure out and many decisions to make, but I am growing in confidence the more time I spend reading here.

I have some ideas, let me ask you this - how many people use this room on a daily basis?

Is this your primary TV room?

I don't really like the loveseat there and would prefer to see (1) sofa and (2) chairs opposite one another, that's why the number of people using the room come into play and how you use the room.

I think the piano is just fine where its at, and does not need to be moved, btw.

It is not our primary TV room. We have a room upstairs with comfy furniture and a large TV.

On a daily basis, two people. We are empty nesters. This is the room you see through the foyer when you walk in the front door. We usually sit in here for reading and conversing, and occasionally to watch television program in the evening. Right now I am using my laptop in the room. But this room is used more for entertaining family and friends, which we do frequently. Actually, the dogs seem to spend more time in this room on a daily basis than we do. They like the windows. I think we will spend more time in here when it's made over.

O.K., here's my recommendation taking note of your budgetary concerns. Use the Hancock and Moore in the Just in Time Promotion, in the Juno Soft Blue leather (or the Juno Dove). Either will work nicely with your existing rug though I'm partial to the blue. (1) Sofa, (2) Chairs, (1) small ottoman and start with that. Price is very aggressive in that promotion. You'd be looking at those four pieces for around $ 6,300 and then appx $ 430 in delivery fees. I think that set would transform the room and you would get H&M quality and comfort. Photos are not of the correct color leather, obviously.

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Juno Soft Blue

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That's very pretty! I haven't considered blue, I tend to get stuck in the traditional thought of leather being mostly brown. It would be really pretty with the rug. I'm going to see if I can find this style somewhere close enough to check it out. That is a great price for four pieces.
Thank you!

My husband just posed an interesting question. He said he would like to know what you would do differently if we could spend an additional $2k, and what you would do differently if we could spend an additional $4k.

When I first posted here we were considering two Richardson sofas (quoted $3718 each locally, with King Street Heirloom- probably high, but only one local dealer), two chairs (probably upholstered), and a square coffee table or cocktail ottoman. That would have put us in the $10k range, depending on the other pieces. We are in agreement that two sofas is just too much for this room. So that's a savings right away. Not that we are in a rush to spend it all on this room, but if you have time to make suggestions, we'd love to hear them.

I'm posting some photos of the room with some of the furniture removed. My iPhone doesn't really work all that well for interior, wide angle shots.

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For the extra $ 2K, I'd get a cocktail ottoman and maybe knock off the ottoman for one of the chairs if you do.

See how much better your room looks already? HUGE improvement just clearing out the old pieces. I selected one of the least costly H&M items, so if the budget expands some you can always move more into a different style or series outside of the Just in Time program to get a frame or leather you may like more. You can also go into a pair of swivel chairs as well, which might be nice. Lots of possibilities.

BTW, I sell that Richardson in King Street leather for $ 3,044 and delivery fees would run about $ 240, no sales tax collected. Just as a data point for you.

Ditto ditto ditto. It looks so much bigger and airier already!

We have a similar set-up in our small living room (small couch, 2 chairs). After much agonizing about cramming more seating spaces (vs. being realistic that the room's used by 2 people the vast majority of the time), I started thinking very selfishly: how do we use the room?

We have no coffee table, but rather a small ottoman and a small round pedestal table that are pulled over to where they are needed, from couch to chairs. THere's a second small ottoman (pouff type) with a round rattan tray on top; in a second it converts from table (next to my H&M recliner) to a footrest (when I sit on the couch to watch tv).

When guests come over, it's easy enough to bring in the dining room chairs. On a pretty day, what's to stop me from pulling up and turning a chair to face the window to enjoy the view, read? Nothing! :) Those are the things you can do when you have space around your furniture.

I agree you will really like having room to walk, and having an uninterrupted view of those windows and the outdoors.

Take a page from landscaping design, where you should think of what you want to see looking out your windows, not just what you see outside. Ask yourself: what do I want to see when I sit down? That will help you get rid of things you don't love or use.

Yes! It feels so much better with the space opened up. I sure am glad I came here looking for advice! The columns are much prettier without furniture blocking them, and we are enjoying the unobstructed view out of the windows. Especially the dogs. Lol. It's just a more comfortable area to sit in without feeling cramped. The only downside is seeing the difference in the flooring where it has faded. The furniture made it less obvious. But that's a problem for another day.

Thank you for the pricing info. Your price is definitely better than my local store. I will probably keep working with them for this room since they have spent so much time with me lately. But it is nice to know I have options when we move on to the next room.

Thanks for your input, cat@ati. It's taken me some time to shift my train of thought from decorating for guests as opposed to what we need and will enjoy on a daily basis. Just because we have the space is not a good reason to fill every nook and cranny!

We keep coming back to the BY Richardson sofa, mainly because it's the only one we've found locally that we both like the look of and the way it sits, but doesn't take too much of our total budget.

I have a question about leather. We'd like to go with aniline, based on all we've been reading here and its more natural state. I have a sample of 9131-86 that I'm going to play with and see how well I can rub out scratches. It's bound to get some scratches with our sofa-loving retrievers around! Any comments on 9131, or another one to consider? I've seen mention in the leather section of 9055, but haven't seen it in person or checked the price difference. My favorite feel of an aniline plus so far is the 9417. I realized it is protected. It's soft and has some character. At least the sample I have does. We don't like the samples we've seen labeled "finished" leather. Having never custom-ordered furniture before, I had no idea how hard this selection would be!

Comments and suggestions much appreciated!