how exciting! however, if you're after "flow," i think the coffee table is a little floating island of "flow-block." it looks like you'd still have plenty of surfaces without it. TV by fireplace makes me a little sad too, but maybe not terrible... i don't know how much work you do from home (or how important it is for you to have your desk by the window, but maybe shimmy the living space down and bring the desk close to the hallway door--that way you get the "functional" out of the way and people walking in just see lovely arrangement by the fireplace.

If you wouldn't be averse to it, swinging the ottoman around to the other side of the proposed floor lamp might give you a bit more space to move (as it's laid out now, it looks like the walk between the ottoman and the coffee table might be a bit tight). I'd probably put the sofa back toward the hallway rather than along the wall, but I have a strange desire for "entrances" to seating areas, which I think may be diametrically opposed to flow as recommended by AT.

My only thought (so far) is to suggest putting up a screen to the left side of your hallway wall and placing the TV set in front of it. Then move the lamp into the upper left corner and place a lovely large plant on the floor beside the fireplace on the left. Alternatively, if the TV is in a cabinet or armoire, then you can leave it and place another chair in front of the screen.

I'd also like to see a very small round surface beside the chair next to the wall: perhaps nothing larger than a small wooden "milking" stool--or drum table--whatever.

Do accessorize with a few round things: bowls, candlesticks, vases with organic shape. The room is quite boxy as it is.

My living room is almost laid out exactly like yours and I was just thinking yesterday how difficult it is to acheive flow when the room is narrow.

I would turn your desk 90 degrees to be under the window, so that your chair doesn't bump in to the end table. Plus I would hate to see your desk block part of the fireplace. And I would put the TV across from the sofa where #7 is so you can watch without straining your neck. With the TV where #7 is, the #7 lamp you buy should go between the wall and armchair- great for reading. The floor lamp should be a delicate piece so it doesn't block your view when you walk in to the room. Have fun!

What software did you use to create the floorplan? I am moving into a new place and would love to create a floorplan that could be saved and emailed.

Um... where is the entrance into this room? Also, is it me, or does it seem odd to place the TV behind the club chair? No offense, but I think this layout is awful.

My advice:

-Place the desk/chair up to where the #7 floor lamp currently sits, but right up against the hallway wall.

-Place the TV next to the desk, but above the current #7 lamp. This allows you to watch TV and work at the same time. Plus, if in the future you get a home theatre system, you can connect the audio from your computer and play it through the stereo. Oh, and this also places the TV in front of the sofa.

-Push the sofa & end tables up until table #6 is centered under the window.

-Move the club chair and ottoman to where they are perpendicular to the top edge of the area rug. The ottoman would be on the rug and the chair would be on the bare floor.

-Consider putting up some shelving on either side of the fireplace.

Have fun!

I personally don't like the flow. I would put the sofa facing the fireplace. (even if it doesn't work it is a focal point). Then place your desk and chair behind it so it can act as a desk and sofa table. Place your chair in the area where your desk is now. I would use the ottoman as a coffee table or an end table unless you use it alot with that chair. The #7 floor lamp needs to be closer to the chair or the couch and not floating. Lastly reposition the rug so it is square in front of the couch/fireplace.

i would probably try to find a slightly smaller sofa and put it facing the fireplace. then, use the desk as a console table behind the sofa. keep the TV on one side of the firplace, and put the lounge chair on the other for a ballanced look.

I worry that there isn't enough room to pull out your desk chair. Since you're getting a sleeper sofa, you probably should make sure that there is room for the bed. I like labchick and svetla's solution. By the way you can special order Troy full sleepers.

I like the idea of shelving on each side of the fireplace. It looks like the front edge of the bookshelves might go right up to each window, but it's a little hard to tell.

Regardless, I like the TV where it is. I think I'd rather see the chair-and-ottoman in the corner where the desk is now, with the back to the corner, and with a lamp over the shoulder of the sitter, so they could read by the fire, or look to their left to see out the window, or watch TV by looking to their right.

I'd like to see the sofa at an angle facing the TV, and have the rug keep it's relationship with the sofa, so that they're both at that angle. and have the desk on that bottom left wall, so that Aeron chair could fill that seating triangle when necessary.

Actually, if that really is a non-working fireplace, I'd prefer to the television actually IN it.

Thanks for all of the advice. The software I used to create the floorplan is on the la-z-boy.com site under "room planner."

FYI... the "wall" from the fireplace is not a wall at all, it is completely open and the real wall is actually a couple of feet beyond--the apartment is typicall NYC with a long hallway with the rooms off the hallway--which is why I hesitate to put any big furniture at the bottom of the picture.

And, unfortunately, the fireplace is really nothing to write home abou--having the exposed brick is nice, but the "fireplace" itself is not so attractive.

I was also hesitant to put the desk at the bottom of the picture because I wanted to tuck it away and not be the first thing someone saw as they approached the living room. The approach is from where the sofa is currently (the sofa butts up against the wall to the kitchen).

Thanks again--I have lots to experiement with!

Hey CG,

Thanks for letting us know about the la-z-boy site. Very helpful!

BB

melissa4981, hejiranyc: you don't get it. The reason the TV is in an unwatchable position is so cg can pretend she never watches it. (But of course we all know she does, or else she'd get rid of it and gain flexibility in this room.)

Um, how is placing the TV diagonally opposite the largest piece of seating in the room making it "unwatchable"?

heijira, "no offense" but, while it's great that you offered lots of advice, but do your intros always have to include words like "awful", "hate", "dumb" and "crap"?

And, if you read the intro, she says the "wall" opposite the fireplace is actually an open hallway.

Dear CG:
Hi! First, congratulations on your redesign!
Just a few more ideas to throw into the hopper. I actually went on the Lazy-Boy site and fooled around a bit with your room--it was lots of fun.
Even tho the fireplace is so-so, I'd suggest doing something with it and making it your focal point wall--good art, redo with molding, something. It'll give you a way to balance the room.
You might then try putting the couch perpendicular to the fireplace wall over from the right hand wall, with maybe even a sofa table behind it against the right hand wall for light, display. Coffee table would go in front of sofa, of course. You could put the TV right opposite the sofa on the left wall. Bookcases, lights, whatever to each side of the fireplace.
Then you might try the chair and ottoman on the left lower corner of the room, facing diagonally into the room, with a light behind, as a separate reading area...it would have its back a bit to the open wall at the bottom of your plan.
This would enable you to easily move the coffee table to open the bed, and pull in the ottoman and chair, and even the desk chair, for seating nearer the couch when you have company.
Desk could go on right bottom against wall, to balance the chair/ottoman.
Just a different way to think about the space.
Have fun!!