apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I know its a little far from the kitchen, but the bottom corner would be a great place for a round dining table. Then you could do a more traditional living room arrangement in the centre of the room. And I find you tend to enjoy a view far more when you're dining then when you're sitting on a couch.

My current apartment is shaped EXACTLY like this. It has been a pain to arrange furniture in... I've used the corners for storage and it's worked out well, but the awkward shape still drives me nuts 2 years later.

I actually have almost the same setup---except my living corner has a fireplace, which I have found totally difficult to furnish around. I did not want to purchase a tv/media cabinet, as I felt the top of the fireplace was a great place for my tv (very much a cool space-saver)......however, it limits my seating arrangement. (the sectional couch I have has to face the tv/fireplace)
What I have found that works well is to divide the living space with the kitchen/eating space---I used tall shelf with 'cubes'. It doesn't look that bad.....plus, a console or parsons table behind the chaise part of my sectional also assisted in sort of making my living room "sectioned off" from the eating area. I feel your pain though!

This doesn't address the whole furniture layout issue, but I've seen people with awkward corners in their floor plans fill up the space a little by lighting it well (sculptural lamps, perhaps?) and/or using plenty of plants - trees, even!. The room felt more regular-shaped with the extra volume in the corner.

put a large plant in that far corner -- it will draw the eye toward your great view and the sunlight would be put to good use.

if you put a table in the corner and decide you don't want a dining table you could do a round games table or a bar height table for enjoying drinks when entertaining, might give the feeling of being on the outdoor balcony of a pub if the view is great.

I agree that making that triangle a little indoor arboretum would look amazing. I think part of the problem with odd angles like that is that any furniture you put in them just looks wrong because unless it's custom made it can't fill the space appropriately. But plants would be the perfect solution. If they blocked or partially blocked your window they would filter the light beautifully. And you'd be left with a much easier space to furnish.

I'd embrace the triangle. Place your sofa about 1/3 the way into the room and angle it toward the corner. Now you have 2 triangles. I'd make one the living area, with the couch on the left, a cozy chair against the right wall (and any media cabinet there as well). Then the seating looks out the window. Behind the couch I'd have a dining area. Maybe a small rectangle parallel to the couch or a small circle in the corner, against the wall by the hall.

I think the bar idea sounds really good. The barman should have their back to the view, you could use a neat hallway console table as a bar (something like this maybe - http://dwell.co.uk/102747), with two mid height stools facing out over the view. On the wall to the barman's right you could put a set of three shelves the exact same width (so they form a sort of square shape on the wall) and put some nice crystal decanters, glasses and bottles of alcohol.
And you should definately have a plant in that sharp corner too. It would have wicked feng shui energy, plus bring the outside in. send pics of what you do.

If you have floor to ceiling windows, I`d opt for a lounging area with floor cushion, circular glass/ perspex table (make the most of that view), with a sculptural lamp (base situated in the right hand corner) overhanging the space to make it more intimate; preferably round to soften the angles. Use sheer curtains draped on the floor (white or dyed (not an intense shade) to compliment your colour scheme; unless you have a white carpet- in that case opt for a dyed sheer colour). TV cabinet on left hand wall, with a chaiselongue corner sofa facing it (situated against the right hand wall in a backwards L shape, with the chaise longue side next to the lounging area. Extend the width of the breakfast bar and lower it to dining table height and use this as your main dining area... then retiring to the lounge area for coffee and desert!
Alternatively or if you don`t have floor to ceiling windows as suggested, place a glass dining table in place of the coffee table idea, same TV/ sofa positioning, and keep the breakfast bar as a quick meal area.
For the bedroom, bed against left wall facing the door with a vanity table or wide chest of drawers (against the right wall) with a large mirror mounted on the wall above and material cushioned stool. Opt for heavy material drapes in a tone that compliments the bed linen- to soften the angles and create a more lux. atmosphere.
Just my pennies worth but hope it opens up more ideas for you.

Since the triangle area is the place with the most natural light maybe it would be a good place for an office desk? You could get a corner styled or "L" shaped desk that maybe would mask the triangle effect in the room. That would bring a lot of use to the corner.

I think the corner would also be good as a reading area, and could have a comfy chair and footrest. It wouldn't have to fit into a traditional seating area for the rest of the space.

I'm torn between either making the awkward corner either a reading space or a plant space...

On to more productive comments:

I would get a small-ish rectangular dining table and put it on the other side of the open kitchen bar. Then I would have the couch just past that (facing the angled wall as if it were straight) with the tv on the wall with a pivot mount. There would be a thin console type table on the side of the couch facing the dining room to break off the "eating area" from the "relaxing area." In the corner I would do either a comfy reading chair or plants (still undecided....). Put a desk against the side wall (left wall when looking at the floorplan) and then depending on how big the couch is and how the windows are situated another chair on the far wall between the couch and the awkward corner.

I agree that the outside corner of the living room is the perfect place for a small dining area - it doesn't have to be large, just a 36" round table and a pair of upholstered armchairs that can be turned to face the seating area.

Your niche between the hall closet and the center column is the perfect place for your media/bookcase area - Perhaps a system from ISS Designs? I'd plan it so that the TV is closer to the outer column and a droplid desk area is closer to the hall closet - this would be a great place to drop cellphones, etc.

Opposite the TV, I'd place your sofa and coffee table centered on a huge round rug and a round coffee table - Don't worry that the back of the sofa won't be flat against the wall because of the bump-out. Your two dining armchairs can be brought in for seating on the window side, and a comfy loungechair with ottoman can be placed with it's back to the kitchen area. Don't forget a pair of end tables and lamps flanking the sofa, a small side table and a lamp next to your lounge chair, a floor lamp in the far corner of your living room behind your dining area, and some lighting for your media wall.

I would use the angled window wall as the "orienting" wall and place a sofa facing and parallel to the window. This will make the triangular corner seem more a part of the room, no matter what you place there. Could be a petite chair or a big plant as others have suggested. I'd use the bar as an eating area and add a console table behind the sofa to further define the space and function as additional serving space.

I would put a large potted tree in that corner. A potted tree would love the light, you'd introduce an organic element into the room, and it would help bring the outside in. It would also help reshape the room so that it's more square, making furniture placement easier. If you have high ceilings I would suggest a fiddle leaf fig, which has huge fiddle-shaped leaves. They love bright light and are easy to care for. I think the scale of the leaves sort of gives it a modern and whimsical edge over a small-leafed tree like a ficus. If your ceilings are average hight a ficus tree would work well in that corner, too. Potted bamboo and a palm tree would also be good choices.

Years ago I purchased a similarly shaped unit in a nice building. It was all I could afford in that wonderful building so I didn't complain, but I just had to toss out any traditional concepts of decorating and PLAY! A carpenter friend was hired to build a fitted windowsill-height platform in the goofy corner which I carpeted and used as seating. Its front was hinged and its interior made up for my lack of storage space. Above the window seat I built a wooden transom-like canopy to suspend hanging plants from. It absolutely made my unit unique and personal!

that is a parallelogram.

...just sayin'

I'd place the sofa on the short wall with a round coffee table in front of it and two pictures above it. (I am not having you use the breakfast bar for eating. Directly across from the sofa, I'd have a chair and end table on the left side of the room, with the t.v. hanging on the wall. In the right front corner (as you are sitting on the sofa), I'd have a round table with two chairs so you can see out the window. I'd place some tall fresh flowers on the table to visually fill up the space yet not block the view. I'd make the chairs a swivel chair so you can see the view or turn towards the sofa. In the space on the far right (as you are sitting on the sofa) near the table, I'd place three ledges/shelves. There you can display pictures or things and it will fill in the space on the wall near the table, yet not take up any floor space. I'd keep any knick knacks or accessories to a minimum.

I'd keep the colors somewhat monochromatic and use a lot of texture. That way, the view can be the star.

I got a chuckle when I saw that plan, since I instantly recognized the building. Let us know how your layout works out.

You could put the sofa along the wall on the right in the diagram, maybe with a console table behind it to help fill out the recessed section of the wall. (Then you can see out the window or across to where the TV could go.)

Then I'd put two smallish scaled chairs in front of the window, swivels would be excellent, and a small end table between them. Leave plenty of space for people to walk around the furniture to the windows, to enjoy the view.

I agree with putting a fairly large plant (potted tree like a ficus or some large leaved tropical variety) in the pointy corner.

My living room also has 1 angled wall with the front door in the corner. We have the long side of our sectional sofa parallel to the wall opposite the angled wall. In the triangle of space behind the sofa we have a tall potted rubber tree which looks nice behind the sofa and gets a lot of sunlight from the windows of the angled wall.

In our living room the wall opposite the angled wall has a fireplace with a flat TV above it. One focus point. YESSS!

Do a dining area in the triangle - yes its far from the kitchen but you'll appreciate the view much more while dining.