apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love the idea of a big round low coffee table with four different armchairs surrounding it inviting everyone to come in through one entrance or another and have a seat. Sunday mornings with the paper spread out all over the table... Board games with friends... A casual buffet over the holidays...

Can you clarify if all three doorways are double or single wide?
Does the bedroom open into another room, like a bath?

Does it have to be the living room and does the room through the arch have to be the dining room? A lovely big round dining table in the middle, with chairs against the wall when they're not in use, could turn it into a statement entrance rather than wasted space, and a lux dining room when you have people round. Difficult to say without seeing the floorplan of the rest of the bunglow, but that's the way I'd be leaning...
Good luck!

treat it like a room without entryways, don't but the furniture up against the walls. couch facing the fireplace with coffee table in front. Large area rug under front legs of couch and coffee table. smaller chairs facing couch. lots of lamps. You can walk around the back of the furniture to access the doorways. You should leave at least 3 feet of space.

I adore bungalows and yours has all the woodwork and detail I like.

4 angled armchairs on an area rug would be nice. Or, if you don't feel like you have to have seating, it could be nice to have a large round entry table on an area rug and add a flower arrangement / other grand centerpiece. Then, this would be the perfect 'mingle' room at parties.

I agree with the others; 4 leather lounge chairs surrounding a 36-42" round wood cocktail table centered on a large oriental rug.

I agree with all of the above. That room could be anything you want. It's beautiful. Lucky you!

I live in a bungalow with a similar entry room. I also have not figured this out entirely, but in case it sparks any thoughts: what we did, essentially, was divide the room into two separate spaces defined by a "hall" - one long carpet -leading to the dining room.

The area directly in front of the fireplace is our "library" with a small funky table and two chairs (we sometimes use this as a breakfast nook too.) The opposite end of the room is our living room, with sofa and coffee table facing two chairs (which are against the front door wall.) I'm envious of your cabinetry around the fireplace - perfect library shelving!

It depends on the layout of the house, but here are a couple of ideas...

Armchairs and/or a chaise for lounging, reading, or drinks with friends... with a couple of small side tables and or stools mixed in?

If you have to use this room as the living room, you could put a sofa in front of the bedroom entry (facing the fireplace) but away from any wall (almost centered in the room). Work other chairs and tables around the sofa.

I also like the idea of using this as the dining room. I can see a round table right in the centre, with chairs that either tuck under or are moved to a side wall when not in use. The room could then double as a library and a place to work.

You could arrange the room like the library/study of olde-historical houses:

Desk in front of fireplace - facing out towards the bedroom door. Can serve as your "landing-strip" for the mail.

Seating area facing desk. Two comfortable chairs with a side-table in between. Rug to anchor.

Probably need a coat-rack/bench to go to the immediate left of the entry-door.

And, if it fits in the upper left corner of your layout, an upholstered chair (or chaise lounge) next to another small side-table with a lamp on it.

I don't know if you have enough space in the room for this, but you might consider putting a book case or shelving unit near the front door to act as a screen. This would allow you to direct traffic around the room instead of directly through it. Also, it would allow you to place a couch, chair, or table directly against it without having to worry about blocking the door.

If you think this might work, I would recommend an open ended unit, like the Expedit, to avoid making the room feel small.

I agree with raisinette and Jen PDX. You could do a reading area near the fireplace with two really comfy chairs, an entry area near the door, and a desk/office area near the bedroom entrance. It'll be a cozy space to escape to and very useful. The fireplace will get a lot of use too!

Huge (HUGE) ottoman, incredible rug, and a couple lovely mismatched chairs... I feel like too rigid an arrangement would actually discourage anyone from -using- the room.

Here's what I immediately thought of, in terms of objects and the loose arrangement, not so much the room itself-
http://www.dominomag.com/images/galleries/objects/gasl_prada_08.jpg

oooh, and in keeping with the lounge idea, if those are frosted cabinets I spy, that room could host a most excellent bar!

I think HMR as well as a few other commentors have the right idea using armchairs rather than a sofa. My living room is almost the exact same configuration although I also needed to work around a TV on the wall opposite the fireplace and not block the fireplace. The key for me was to have smaller more versatile pieces that allow me to configure the room in multiple ways depending on the function. Ottomans can provide additional seating and benches along one wall can be placed together in the middle of the room for entertaining when I want a larger coffee table. Small tables double as stools for additional seating or can be positioned as side tables. Pictures of my living room can be found on this AT house tour. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/house-tours/sf-house-tour-daniels-collection-of-travel-and-art-042050

I had this LR once, and here's what I did:

* small sofa facing fireplace, ottoman in front of sofa.
* sofa table behind sofa. almost directly in middle of room, but easily passable. used as landing strip.
* desk in upper left of floorplan
* coat tree, rack on lower left
* small side chair in corner lower right

I used to rent a bungalow too. It's hard to have large anything in the small ones.

Loveseat/small sofa/or two club chairs side-by-side as if they were a couch (but not touching_ facing the fireplace with a coffee table in front and a narrow console behind so that there's a "view" from the back.

A standard coffee table with two chairs, or two small coffee tables with one loveseat makes the lounging area flexible and feel bigger, IMO. (I had one loveseat/two small tables).

Then I put mismatched small-scale chairs angled out on either side of the fireplace. There were built in shelves, and the space had a nice mini-library feel.

Congratulations on your new bungalow! I adore craftsman style homes and I recommend going to your local bookstore and flipping through any one of the design books on modern bungalow decor. This living room layout is pretty standard for bungalows so you should be able to find lots of ideas.

Try:
Craftsman Style
Bungalow Style
Inside the Bungalow
Bungalow Basics
Arts & Crafts Style

There are also bungalow websites and blogs if you care to go that route, but I love glossy pictures. Good luck!

We have a very similar room in our Tudor -- living room with each wall having an entrance and it's also the first room you see when you enter.

We separated it into two areas. When you enter, there's the tv area -- tv against a wall, area rug and couch a little ways across. Then, behind the tv we put the Bonde sideboard from Ikea to help separate the TV area from our 2nd area which is the library. Library area has a 2nd area rug, a chaise lounge some bookshelves and another chair. This is also where the fireplace is. Works out nicely and turned the room into 2 really useful and comfy distinct places. We were concerned at first for the same reasons you are, but we ended up benefitting from the room requiring us to be a bit more creative. Good luck, it's a gorgeous room!

how about 3 different areas?
the entry-to the left of the front door. a small armoire for hanging coats and a small table or cabinet as your landing pad, with a mirror above.
the library- table set in front of the fireplace, slightly shorter than standard, and two upholstered but upright chairs, lamps, books. you could lean back and read, or spread your material out on the table. also nice for tea, or cocktails for 2.
wild card- the other corner would have special shelving for your snow globe collection, or a cabinet to store your candle making supplies, or...well, you would know best.

2 chairs facing each other on either side of the FP, with an ottoman or low table between them. Then, leaving enough room to pass thru from the front door to the dining room, a sofa floating, facing the fireplace with a console table behind it. All anchored on an area rug, of course. The back corners could have bookcases, storage armoire, desk, etc., depending on your needs.

Obviously whoever designed the room had no idea about feng shui.

It's not an ideal situation, but I'd second erinorea's suggestion: put a small couch in front of the bedroom door, facing the fireplace, with a couple of armchairs on either side of the fireplace facing into the centre of the room. A high quality round or square rug in the centre will help make the space more of a coherent room rather than a thoroughfare. It'll lend a balanced look that suits the age of the house.

Unfortunatley this layout will force newly arrived guests into the centre of things without a transition space, but the alternatives are worse. Putting a couch in front of the door will make them feel unwelcome, and putting a couch in front of the dining room entry will make your seated guests feel exposed.

And I think four armchairs, as others have suggested, will make it look like a waiting room.

The only other suggestion would be to play with heights and colours to encourage the eye around the room rather than ploughing through the middle of it.

It sounds like it's a bonus room. Think about your passions and build around that (reading, entertaining, artwork, home office).

http://www.chicagobungalow.org/documents/OldIrvingPark.pdf

Good luck!

The fireplace is a lovely focal point. However, you probably won't be using it while you're sleeping, or during the day, or during summer. So you have a black hole in the middle of your space that you want to have open, but you will ONLY be using it limited times.

So, one idea is to consider a stained glass screen for it, that could be lighted from behind, all year round. Fire or no fire, via a lamp. There are all kinds of them, some are very expensive, some less so.

http://www.homedecorators.com/Home_Decor/S/fireplace/Home_Accents/Fireplace_Accessories
http://www.touchofclass.com/product/code/J360-001.do?code=CMX2007
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Stained-Glass-Fireplace-Screens
http://www.target.com/Fireplace-Screens-Decorative-Accessories/b/601-3223057-1092912?ie=UTF8&node=1041534

This IS something that you could use year round:
http://www.target.com/Contemporary-Tealight-Fire-Screen/dp/B000H3ZMKS/qid=1204865787/ref=br_1_8/601-3223057-1092912

Although it is poorly designed, with one tea light cup below another, which WILL make the upper candle melt.

There are also in-fireplace candle holders. Those can be used too.

But if you plan on using the fireplace AS a fireplace, you will also need the fireplace tools, a place to store wood, perhaps. And you will want a spark guarding screen. A fireproof mat for around the hearth area. And you do NOT want furnishing next to or close to the fireplace itself, unless you like fire everywhere.

Those considerations, just to start with, are VERY important. You could have chairs cozied up to the fireplace all year, except when you want to have a fire. Fine. but you also have to have a place to MOVE THOSE CHAIRS far enough from the fire so there is no risk of a wayward spark hitting that furniture and smoldering for hours before igniting.

I'd suggest this layout:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/how-to/data/2381.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/bhg/category/data/house_home.xml&page=7

The chairs by the fireplace, those would be basically small, easy to move, occasional seating, perhaps employing extra dining chairs for that purpose. If you have a dining table that extends, keep it small when it's not needed to be huge, and keep your extra chairs available for your new living area. They can be moved easily from room to room.

I have IKEA up, chairs like this would work:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29805041

Little two-seater loveseat:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69840491

Some of the covers for the chair match the covers for the sofa. Others you can mix.

Add in THE practical item for that front room, for your landing strip, a desk with many spots, like the ALVE:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/07758/

You can use the secretary, the add-on hutch for the top, and maybe even the drawer unit. THIS becomes your "financial center". Mail, keys, bills, checks, records.

This is for one of the corners, the one that is by the dining and the bedroom. The other corner is your parking spot. LOL! You don't have a coat closet right off the front door. You don't have a place to remove muddy boots.

So that's where you place your bench with storage for shoes and boots. Coat rack or hooks. Or even a standing wardrobe to accommodate jackets, coats, sweaters for you and for any guests.

That desk can use one of the dining type chair too, or another style. And you'd have a bench to sit on right at the front door. If it's a small bench that is easy to move, you can instantly move it in front of the love seat, as needed, for a coffee table.

You can make the desk into the computer area. You could have a small sound system for music. A room that has a variety of purposes, and welcomes people into your home.

the layout as shown by trueblue and described by others (more or less) is the only really functional and comfortable one for the space -- ie, small sofa oppposite fireplace, console behind, coatrack or other entryway things to the left of the door, etc.

The trick will be getting the right furniture -- something that is the right scale, and works with your lovely authentic bungalow (if those are original lights, don't get rid of them! hard to tell from the picture, but they look good).

My suggestion would be and LC2 or LC3 2-seater Corbusier sofa... it is small in scale (I think the LC2 will fit better), and will provide a nice counterpoint to the Bungalow-style woodwork.

http://bauhausclassics.com/prod_gen.cfm?catid=1007

the LC2 club chairs are also rather good for small spaces (and comfortable), but it may be too matchy...

Monika, remember that those cabinets next to the fireplace have doors that swing open. And I'm guessing that the area will be used for books? Collectibles?

If it's books, it would have to be accessible to read them. And if it's collectibles, it would be nice to have it visible.

So the cubular (I made that word up) LC2 chairs would block everything.

I started looking around to see what folks used for furniture, and browsed the old Sears homes:
http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/1921-1926.htm

Like the Elsmore above, they have three chairs, one table, one lamp and "space for entertainment" aka a piano. It was set up basically for listening. And dancing. And reading. As some have the built-in cabinet or mention a library table for the center of the room. I guess that the three chairs (not to be confused with The Three Bears) would be pulled over to the library table to read. I don't know. That's The Bandon, in the 1915-1920 section.

Some don't even have bathrooms. Oh, the things we take for granted now, like indoor plumbing. Or, uh, just plumbing in general. Ha!

Anyway, I had another idea. Does anyone in the household play board or card games? The library table gave me the idea of having a pair of chairs and a game table. Backgammon. Chess. Monopoly. Whatever games are something the family might enjoy.

Those games could be stored in the cabinets, out of the way. The table would not need to be front and center causing all who enter to fall onto it. It can be more towards the fireplace.

So what I just did was cram two chairs for gaming and a table over on the fireplace end. Table and chairs are able to be used, like for a breakfast area. Could have a big bouquet. Could be a gateleg table.

With those lovely golden tiles as the backdrop.

But come game night, it gets pulled out, and a couple chairs from the dining room moved in, and there's plenty of room for cards. Do people still play bridge? Cribbage?

The overhead light (which I like too) would be shining down right on the game table. The inset lights are probably on a different switch, turn those off. And have a fire or light up the glass screen from behind.

The table can serve as extra seating if there is a big family gathering at holidays.

Last, one more consideration. Do you celebrate Christmas and if so, do you have a tree? If you do, where are you going to put it?

You will want to enjoy it, and enjoy a fire, without setting the tree on fire. It would probably have to go in one of the corners to the left of the front door.

true blue --

it is pretty hard to say if something will fit for sure without the benefit of the actual measurements -- especially in this space, which is actually quite tight when you consider necessary clearances, as you point out. In any case, the furniture will need to be rather small scale in order to fit the space. I am guessing that there will be about 10' for the living area portion, and 5' for the back portion with table, coatrack, etc.

other ideas for chairs to coordinate with the LC2 and be placed in front of the fireplace (I envision them as being as angling back, opening up the area in front of the fireplace) include:

* the André Dubreuil Spine Chair
http://www.virtualmuseum.info/collections/object.asp?galleryid=101&row=18&ckid=1358

* the Marcel Wanders Knot Chair
http://www.unicahome.com/catalog/item.asp?id=3133

-these are both light and airy (!) and small... only one of either though...

-or some small-scale slipper chairs, along these lines
http://www.donghia.com/furniture/upholstery-seating/milo_cooper_slipper_chairs.php

or a petite version of this chair
http://www.donghia.com/furniture/upholstery-seating/shell_collection.php

and like blandwagon mentioned, defining the 2 areas with rugs will really help pull the room together, creating disctinct but interrelating areas (less like a waiting room).

how about a Paul Smith Swirl or Kim Parker Mums and Asters or Amelie?

http://www.therugcompany.info/default.aspx

It looks like a beautiful house, and is a fun room to work with -- it may seem limiting, but there are actually many options to create a stunning and comfortable space. good luck!

(and if that isn't authentic period lighting, find some in a vintage lighting store!)

Can the dining room become your living area? I envision making this a grand entry--convertible to a dining room. A nice round table with a big vase of flowers could be your landing pad, and then your dining room when the need arises. Small chairs could form a little nook by those shelves is there's room.
It just seems like making this your living room will be so limiting and there's another room you could use instead. Or am I missing something?

I'd start with two ample upholstered chairs or "chair and a halfs" facing each other and placed prpendicular to the fireplace with a rectangular ottoman in between them.

The rest of the space plan would sort of be predicated on how you wanted/needed the room to function.

I agree with the rug/runner from entryway to dining, splitting the space in two.

Club chairs on fireplace side.

Art(work) and daybed on bedroom side.

Art, rug and furniture keeping with the historical style of the house of course.

is the wall between the "entryway" (living room) and the dining room a structural wall, or can the wall be removed to open up your floorplan?

That will solve much of your design dilemma--I do agree with two seating areas b/c of the fireplace location.

DEFINITELY PAINT the woodwork and crown molding, the dark wood is shrinking the room.

Try to remove the wall betw the living and dining spaces.