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Thread: Help with Small Room Layout

  1. #1
    sofatime Guest

    Default Help with Small Room Layout

    Hi everyone,

    First, thanks to Duane and all active users for making this such a great and informative forum! I felt condemned to Pottery Barn before finding this, since information is otherwise pretty hard to come by.

    I'm moving into a new apartment in downtown Boston in about 6 weeks, and I need some new seats (sofa, chairs, small sectional) for my living room where I will watch TV and/or relax. The other important consideration is that I will only be here for at most 2 years, so I want something that will also work as part of a bigger space down the road. As a result, I would like to get something more than a loveseat, and if that's all you think would fit, I'd prefer chairs.

    See attached floorplan at the bottom.

    The space in question is what is shown as the living room plus dining area. I realize that it may be hard to incorporate the dining area because of the hallway but otherwise it will probably just be dead space, as I do not plan to actually dine there. I believe the length between the window and the hallway is about 12'. The TV is too large to put on the small wall between the office and the hallway. My current thought was to put a couch in front of the office opening with the TV on the opposite wall. Then put a desk behind the couch, and have a large mural that could either be rolled up to allow the desk user to see TV or rolled down to totally separate the spaces and appear as art from the living room.

    I would love to hear if anyone has suggestions, and thanks in advance!

    Attachment 3616
    Last edited by sofatime; 04-14-2012 at 07:29 PM.

  2. #2
    MJM_CA Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Nice floor plan. Are your ceilings very tall? I would pay a contractor to extend that small wall so you can mount the TV. It shouldn't be too expensive as it would be non-load bearing. Then, I'd put a couch along your long wall facing the TV. One or two club chairs in front of the windows and a small swivel or occasional chair near the hallway as you enter the room.

    I would still put a small dining table in the dining area.

  3. #3
    sofatime Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Thanks, that sounds great, but unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to extend that wall, since it's a rental. I believe the ceilings are about 9'.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Based on the floor plan, I think I would put a small table with 2 chairs in the 'dining room' pushed up against the "L" corner wall and at a 45 degree angle. Even though you say you won't be using it - you really want somewhere to serve a meal other than on your upholstery and it will look odd to have nothing in that space. If you are REALLY committed to not using that space for a table and chairs, then your desk can go in there on that wall.

    For the Main Living Area, a 90" sectional would be the way to go, with a cocktail ottoman. It will fit nicely in there, give you plenty of room - and if need be you can put a small chair in the corner by the window but I'd not do that until after the sectional would be in place. For an example of a sectional that size, go to Bradington Young > Sectionals > Tappan Sectional in red. Then a small sofa table on the backside of the sectional facing the dining area.

    If you can supply photos of the area, that helps layout thinking even more.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
    sofatime Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Thanks so much! This is really helpful. I'm hoping to get in there to take some pictures and get some more detailed measurements soon, but I haven't moved in yet so am at the mercy of the current tenants

  6. 04-17-2012


  7. #6
    sofatime Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    I was able to get into the apartment today and took some more measurements. Apologies for the sloppy hand-editing. The doorway width I wrote does not account for the width of the door itself when fully open which is probably about 2", though I forgot to specifically measure that.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I think I will put the TV on the small (3'6") wall. It is only 6" too wide, but I will angle it towards the window maybe 25 degrees. That means it will go roughly 1.5" past the wall into the office. I will also have a curtain to separate the living room and office, and the TV will not extend past where that will hang when fully open.

    Also, the dining room section is more complicated than it looks because there is a closet door there that is not shown in the floorplan. I will definitely try to fit a table in there though.

    Given the angle of the TV, I'm thinking that I'd rather have a couch on the long wall, as opposed to a smaller sectional, and a chair in the corner, if there's extra space.

    Now, my main concern is with what will fit with the two tight turns it takes to get from the hall to the living room. Some of my top choices were York (NC303), September (9749), and City (9844). Would any of these fit?

    Thanks so much!

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
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    15,890

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    I'm not sure those doorway measurements are accurate on your layout drawing. Front door egress is how wide? 34" is good, 36" is even better. It you have 9' ceilings, the most any sofa can be stood on end to get in the room.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  9. #8
    sofatime Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Sorry, my drawing is unclear. As written to the right of the door in the picture, the front door egress is 34.5". But the door can only open 90 degrees, and thus blocks the opening a little bit. I think the width of the door is likely to be 2". The door frame is 6'10" high, and the ceilings on either side of the door are 7'6" tall.

    Given the lower ceilings, I'm worried about the two turns that one would need to make to get the sofa into the living room. One would walk it down the 4'7" wide exterior hallway, turn 90 degrees left to get it through the door, and then 90 degrees right into a 3'7" wide interior hallway. When the door is closed, the space just inside the door before getting to the hallway is 5' wide (from the closet door on the left to the closed door on the right). Thus, when the door is open, the space from the closet on the left to the opposite side of the exterior hallway on the right is more than 10'.

    Is that more clear? Do you think any of those sofas might fit?

  10. #9
    Join Date
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    Location
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    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    With 90" ceilings, you can pretty much get any sofa that is 86" or less in the room by standing it on end and 'walking it' around obstacles. In the case of the door, that would limit you to sofas that are no longer than 80" or 81" Max. As long as they're not the super-deep ones (over 40" deep) they should go in without difficulty.

    The York is easy, the City should go in with little drama and the September is the biggest of the bunch, but the bun feet can come off that one and free up a couple inches if need be.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  11. #10
    sofatime Guest

    Default Re: Help with Small Room Layout

    Thanks, this is really helpful. Let's assume I can remove the door from its hinges, which will leave the door 34.5" wide and 82" tall. Again, ceilings on either side of the door are 90" high. I'm assuming we will take any piece vertical (or at least at a steep angle) to round the corners.

    I'm really liking the September 9749 sofa at this moment, and there is a dealer nearby where I can sit on one. I just need to rent a car to get there.

    Given that 9749 is only 86" long, I think it will make it around those corners by going vertical. Then the doorway is the only trick, like you said. If I take off the door and remove the feet, do you think it's safe to say it would fit?

    Also, do you think the September sectional 9748 LAQ/RAQ would be likely to fit? It has the straight back, so is 2" shorter at it's tallest point. However, each piece is 90" at its longest (as opposed to 86" for the 9749 September sofa), making it a little bit tougher to go around the corners. I think the angled shape of the end of the piece should work to my advantage (rather than just a standard 90" long couch).

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