Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Help: Small, quirky living room

  1. #1
    AilFin Guest

    Default Help: Small, quirky living room

    I desperately need help. Otherwise, I wouldn't post this embarrassing mess.

    The back story is that we moved, and my husband rented a house that I didn't see until the kids and I moved here. He had no choice because the rental market here is dismal when you need 4+ bedrooms *and* it had to be near his equally hard to find 3500 sf office.

    He gave me the wrong dimensions for just about everything. My son came up with correct dimensions the day before the moving van came. Most of our furniture would not have fit through the front door. I purchased a bunch of living room furniture on Craigslist that did fit, and the movers picked it up for me.

    Naturally, the furniture and rugs looked awful in the room. By the time I got set up to buy furniture, we had a very bad year. My husband had 4 strokes, I had a heart attack and two operations, one of our sons was hospitalized for 2 weeks, and our beloved collie died.

    The pics don't look great -- they were taken awhile back, mostly, while everything was cluttered, and a desk had been moved in so we could supervise our son on the computer. I can't take better ones right now as I am recuperating from an angioplasty/stents procedure right now. Anything that looks destroyed, is ... by the dog when he was a puppy. Thanks to him, I found out that some of the Craigslist furniture (which sold for a pretty penny new) had cardboard inside!

    I can paint the walls and the paneling, but not the woodwork. I plan to purchase new furniture, curtains, and rug for the living room. No neighbors except cows, and only the front of the house faces a road. Sofas will be small (max 80", 34" high, <38" deep), chairs have to fit my husband (6'2", 250 lbs). Need seating for 6 family members -- all adult sizes.

    We will live here for 2-3 more years and then buy a ranch style house, so the furniture I buy now will definitely fit there.

    Rule #1: No red. I am tired of feeling like I am sitting in a dark, cave-like blood vessel when I'm in the living room.

    Preference: I am partial to blue, green, soft yellow (sky, trees) - pale to medium clear colors, if they don't clash with Brazilian cherry floors ... there is an undertone problem lurking here, with my luck.

    Rule #2: If possible, no sectionals.

    Rule #3: I do not like a rustic, country look. I like slim-lined furniture, no mission style, no arts & crafts, no cottage/country. Probably transitional bordering on modern. I do not care if the style doesn't match the house, but I'd like it not to look like I plopped a Manhattan apartment down in the middle of a cornfield. I hate the fireplace, the beams, the paneling, the dark woodwork, and the fireplace sconces -- but I'm stuck with it (although I can paint the paneling). The owner renovated this 100 year old house and he is very proud of it, so I have to be tactful -- asking to paint the paneling was about as far as I can go, so his beloved sconces have to stay.

    Rule #4: My husband has physical problems after his strokes, so he needs either a recliner or tilt back chair he can get up from -- it takes him several minutes to get up from our crummy couch. Lord only knows if one of those will fit in this room.

    Here is the plan of the living room, done by me a total first-timer amateur. (You have to click on it to make it larger.) The top of it faces east, the front door faces north.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	RoomPlan.jpg 
Views:	418 
Size:	160.6 KB 
ID:	3589

    Here is the link to my Photobucket account that has photos of the living room (please excuse clutter & mess):

    http://s1148.photobucket.com/albums/...Living%20Room/

    I forgot to say what kind of help I need! The #1 problem is that I cannot figure out a furniture layout for this room that will seat six people comfortably. I have tried every configuration and loveseat, sofa, chair, sectional combination I can think of. I cannot buy furniture until this is done. I plan to begin with purchasing a sofa (or 2 small sofas) in a light neutral color, IF someone can figure out where to put them!

    Thank you very, very much,
    AilFin
    Last edited by AilFin; 03-25-2012 at 09:42 PM.

  2. #2
    sofaman Guest

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    Looks like a real project Have you tried placing the sofa kit corner to create more space It worked once for me

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    I don't often do this, but in your instance I think its beyond what you can get advice-wise in a forum. You may want to consider bringing in a pro decorator, because I think you will need someone on-site to help create the look you want within the environment you have. Trying to do it via email and forum posts would be doing you an injustice. Its not so much spatial layouts - that's manageable, but to try to find a decor that's acceptable in room you really don't like is a tough nut to crack. Only a good decorator can pull that off.

    Looking at your drawings/layouts - the only way you'll get seating for (6) is a small sectional in the right side corner, the one small table pushed in and up to the wall is unusable for the most part anyways. Your sectional needs to be small and compact...
    Last edited by drcollie; 04-03-2012 at 09:36 PM.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  4. #4
    AilFin Guest

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    Thanks, Duane. I am in touch with an interior designer. I just don't know if I want the hassle of dealing with her. Most of the ones I've dealt with in the past have little imagination -- everything they do looks the same the same to me. Nice enough, but bland. This is not the one who thinks EA furniture is higher quality than H & M.
    Last edited by AilFin; 04-05-2012 at 08:09 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    If that were my room, I'd do a small compact sectional like this one:

    http://www.bradington-young.com/prod...0000&style=654

    Then a single swivel rocker / recliner like this:

    http://www.bradington-young.com/prod...0000&style=654
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  6. #6
    AilFin Guest

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    Duane, the Tappan is 39" deep, and won't fit through my front door.

    I can get seating for 6 with a loveseat, sofa, and chair. That will solve the problem presented by using a small sectional. My family reads a lot, and end tables are essential as a spot for putting drinks down without having to stop reading while doing so. This is why I don't like a sectional for this room. Everyone will complain if they have to use a coffee table or a sofa table instead because they will have to watch what they are doing. Plus, the dog will stick his snout in any drink that is placed low enough for him to walk by and do so, which is what would happen with a coffee table.
    Last edited by AilFin; 04-06-2012 at 09:08 AM.

  7. #7
    mfabian Guest

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    The Tappan is a nice compact sectional ideal for a small space. Although I understand your reasoning for a 3 piece setup it does seem that the additional tables would suck space and clutter things up a bit. I have a large square ottoman in the middle and, as far as end tables go, one option would be a couple of narrow drink tables for each end.

    I also have big dogs so there isnt an end table high enough but they can learn and as far as complaint about a new setup, I tend to think that while there might be some grumbling about a change, if you get something that works better overall for the space, people adjust - besides if it goes on too long, just tell them to suck it up and deal with it

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    Quote Originally Posted by AilFin View Post
    Duane, the Tappan is 39" deep, and won't fit through my front door.
    You can't use that depth measurement to compute doorway threshold space needed. I can fit a sectional like that through most doorways 32" to 33"
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  9. #9
    AilFin Guest

    Default Re: Help: Small, quirky living room

    My doorway is 30" max. It is part of my problem.

    IIRC, one section of the Tappan sectional is 87"w x 39"d -- don't recall height.

    I have an 83"w x 38"d sofa that barely made it through the front door. It was a very tight squeeze.

Similar Threads

  1. Advice Needed!
    By ldematte in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 11-28-2011, 10:38 AM
  2. H & M cushion and program help needed
    By CP Thompson in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 09-17-2011, 11:47 PM
  3. Style Advice needed
    By tadav in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 04-01-2011, 04:50 PM
  4. Camping Recommendations Needed
    By Bean in forum The Campfire
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-12-2010, 07:26 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •