Get away from "the furniture must be placed against the wall" mentality. This idea comes from small homes that have no room.

Pull the couch from the wall and ut the couch perpendicular to the fireplace. Place the chairs opposite. Put a rug between with coffee table in between. Move the big display case next to the opening to the room. There. Done.

I agree that the TV looks strange over the fireplace. Is this the primary room where you watch TV? If not, you may consider not having a TV at all in there. Alternatively, it may look nice to put the TV where the mirror is now and create almost two rooms in one with the TV area being a smaller nook.

Keep your grandmother's sofa. A classic, well-made piece can be reupholstered. You would be spending a lot to get something new in a comparable quality.

Totally agree, the furniture placement as it is isn't working, all your chairs/couch etc are shoved against the walls, making for an awkward arrangement.

As has been said, pull the chairs and couch away from the walls and I like the suggestion of moving the couch out and into the room, creating a break from the hall so you have to go around it and having it face the fireplace, that is, if the living room isn't so narrow, which it may be. If long and narrow-ish, then leave the sofa where it is, but pull the chairs out from the corners, with one near one end of the couch, angled in so you don't have to bend around and shout to whomever is sitting in it,

The same with the other two, pull them out in to the room, opposite the couch, and pull the couch away from the wall a bit as well.

I would move the TV to one side of the fireplace, and maybe replace it with a bit larger one so it's scale is not so far off from it as well. Is the living room the only place for a TV, if not, I'd reconsider whether one is even needed in there at all. Right now, it looks lost, and off kilter from the fireplace itself, if it's to be mounted above the fireplace, go with at least a 40, if not a 42-46 inch model, and center it, mounting the bottom of the set just a few inches above the top of the mantel.

Otherwise, the couch works just fine in the space with what you have, just recover/reupholster it and maybe the other upholstered chair in something nice and lively perhaps to update the couches itself, but still allows you to keep it and you can always add more modern/contemporary pieces to the room to compliment in the future.

Good luck.

I have a 'real' fireplace and honestly, I wish I hadn't. But that's my problem, not yours.

I agree about the TV and possibly re-locating it. I also agree to get the furniture away from the walls and float them in the space. It will look warmer and much more inviting.

You can make separate areas. I like the idea of moving the sofa facing the fireplace. I would take the small lover seat and place it facing away from the window. Depending on the space, you may be able to put the two chairs facing each other with the small 'blonde' end table between them as a small 'game' table or a place to have coffee.

love seat, not lover seat...sorry! :o)

I agree that the TV is small for that area. If it can't be placed in another room, then you could try grouping some art around it or adding sconces on either side to balance it with the fireplace. For furniture I would take the two gold chairs and flank the fireplace with them, and place he sofa facing the fireplace with the coffee table in the middle. The hutch can go next to the opening and the small white chair (maybe with a small desk) on the opposite wall. If the sofa is too long to sit in front of the fire place, you could opt for a non traditional look of 4 comfy chairs positioned in a circle in front of the fireplace. Something like this http://www.houzz.com/four-chairs

Put couch directly across from the fireplace and put each chairs at the end of the couch at 90 degree angle so as to form a U-shaped sitting area.

Leave the 1.5 seater where it is and make it into a reading nook. Buy an ottoman or a poof for it.

You have a great room with fun things to work with. The fireplace and couch are fine. Start by removing everything, including the TV from above the fireplace. Brown walls can be blah, find a wall color that will make your white mantle pop. Pick a main color for the walls (gray? Teal?) and a different color that will be your "pop" in the throw pillows, perhaps in the rug and maybe a bit in the curtains. Buy or find a big plain square rug to center everything on. All furniture must fit on the rug or it will look too small for the room. The couch should face the fireplace. You could put a long table behind the couch that's as high as the couch to put lamps on. Balance this square out with those 2 high-backed chairs on either side of the couch facing each other. Maybe find circular tables to put next to them (I believe one should balance a room full of square furniture with circles). Put the bookshelves (you should have everything out of them at this point) next to the fireplace. Better yet, those bookshelves are too small for the space. Find 2 bigger bookshelves that go floor to near ceiling to flank the mantle. Find a new, lower, bigger coffee table. The one you have is too high (IMO). Now fill in the holes by adding fun stuff, warmth and texture: Put a big, ornate gilt mirror above the fireplace. You can find an old wooden ornate mirror and spray paint it in a high gloss in a wonderful pop of color that is NOT the color of your walls but complement them: teal, orange, gold or even just black. Fill the bookshelves with hardcover books and a few precious, standout items that you love. Create a tableaux atop the mantle. Maybe add height to the mantle by putting a vase with branches with holiday decorations hanging from them this time of year, during spring, put cherry blossoms in the vase. Find a low table to put the TV on and place it to the left or right of the mantle and bookshelf so it's no longer the center of attention. Even better, if you get a big bookshelf, the TV can be placed inside it. Add pops of color by buying gorgeous new throw pillows for the couch. Hang cool artwork on the empty walls. Old black and white family photos mixed in with modern pop art. I like a mix of old and new. That big display case needs to go somewhere else.

good luck!
JD in Brooklyn.

Hi Frances,

You have a very large and nice living room. I also think that you have couple of nice pieces of furniture, and that the faux fireplace looks decent. However, because of the layout, number and style of furniture pieces, at this moment your living room looks like a poorly thought-out waiting room.

I am not 100% sure what style you are going for, but from what you wrote it seems you would like to balance out the traditional pieces that have sentimental value for you with some modern pieces. Keeping that in mind, what I would suggest is to parse down the number of furniture pieces. Keep the sofa and maybe the two larger chairs, as well as the coffee table. Get rid of the rest. The side tables do not go with anything in the room. The vitrine in the corner is too traditional. The two white units on each side of the fireplace take away from the fireplace itself.

In terms of the layout, it's tough because you have entrances on two walls, window on the third, and fireplace/tv on the fourth. I have two suggestions here. The first one is to put the sofa parallel to the fireplace, with one chair on either side (or two on one side, either would work). I think the slight problem here is that when you enter from the front hallway you see the back of the sofa. I personally would not mind this, but this is a slightly suboptimal feng shui, and some people don't feel comfortable with this. The second option is to angle the sofa from where it is now toward the center of the living room so that it is facing the fireplace more, and put the two chairs perpendicular to the sofa on the left side.

In either case, I would take down the TV -- I think the issue is that it is too small for this large room, so it gets "lost". I would get a simple modern/contemporary TV stand and put it in the corner to the left of the fireplace. In this way you can enjoy the view of the fireplace and the TV at the same time. To fill up the empty space above the fireplace I would suggest getting a nice big modern-looking mirror. In order to further balance out the traditional feel of the furniture I would suggest a more modern flare on the curtains (I think a bold color with sheen would look wonderful).

I hope this helps. Good luck, and send us the photos after you redesign the space!

Hi Frances,

You have a very large and nice living room. I also think that you have couple of nice pieces of furniture, and that the faux fireplace looks decent. However, because of the layout, number and style of furniture pieces, at this moment your living room looks like a poorly thought-out waiting room.

I am not 100% sure what style you are going for, but from what you wrote it seems you would like to balance out the traditional pieces that have sentimental value for you with some modern pieces. Keeping that in mind, what I would suggest is to parse down the number of furniture pieces. Keep the sofa and maybe the two larger chairs, as well as the coffee table. Get rid of the rest. The side tables do not go with anything in the room. The vitrine in the corner is too traditional. The two white units on each side of the fireplace take away from the fireplace itself.

In terms of the layout, it's tough because you have entrances on two walls, window on the third, and fireplace/tv on the fourth. I have two suggestions here. The first one is to put the sofa parallel to the fireplace, with one chair on either side (or two on one side, either would work). I think the slight problem here is that when you enter from the front hallway you see the back of the sofa. I personally would not mind this, but this is a slightly suboptimal feng shui, and some people don't feel comfortable with this. The second option is to angle the sofa from where it is now toward the center of the living room so that it is facing the fireplace more, and put the two chairs perpendicular to the sofa on the left side.

In either case, I would take down the TV -- I think the issue is that it is too small for this large room, so it gets "lost". I would get a simple modern/contemporary TV stand and put it in the corner to the left of the fireplace. In this way you can enjoy the view of the fireplace and the TV at the same time. To fill up the empty space above the fireplace I would suggest getting a nice big modern-looking mirror. In order to further balance out the traditional feel of the furniture I would suggest a more modern flare on the curtains (I think a bold color with sheen would look wonderful).

I hope this helps. Good luck, and send us the photos after you redesign the space!

Hi Frances,

You have a very large and nice living room. I also think that you have couple of nice pieces of furniture, and that the faux fireplace looks decent. However, because of the layout, number and style of furniture pieces, at this moment your living room looks like a poorly thought-out waiting room.

I am not 100% sure what style you are going for, but from what you wrote it seems you would like to balance out the traditional pieces that have sentimental value for you with some modern pieces. Keeping that in mind, what I would suggest is to parse down the number of furniture pieces. Keep the sofa and maybe the two larger chairs, as well as the coffee table. Get rid of the rest. The side tables do not go with anything in the room. The vitrine in the corner is too traditional. The two white units on each side of the fireplace take away from the fireplace itself.

In terms of the layout, it's tough because you have entrances on two walls, window on the third, and fireplace/tv on the fourth. I have two suggestions here. The first one is to put the sofa parallel to the fireplace, with one chair on either side (or two on one side, either would work). I think the slight problem here is that when you enter from the front hallway you see the back of the sofa. I personally would not mind this, but this is a slightly suboptimal feng shui, and some people don't feel comfortable with this. The second option is to angle the sofa from where it is now toward the center of the living room so that it is facing the fireplace more, and put the two chairs perpendicular to the sofa on the left side.

In either case, I would take down the TV -- I think the issue is that it is too small for this large room, so it gets "lost". I would get a simple modern/contemporary TV stand and put it in the corner to the left of the fireplace. In this way you can enjoy the view of the fireplace and the TV at the same time. To fill up the empty space above the fireplace I would suggest getting a nice big modern-looking mirror. In order to further balance out the traditional feel of the furniture I would suggest a more modern flare on the curtains (I think a bold color with sheen would look wonderful).

I hope this helps. Good luck, and send us the photos after you redesign the space!

Ideally (if time and budget allow), you could put in floor to ceiling, wall to wall shelving around the fauxplace; then you wouldn't need the display cases, and put tv into one of the spaces. Regardless, place the sofa facing the fireplace, and seating on either side. I would also put the TV on a small table into the corner near entry to dining room. Also, find a new, shorter but larger coffee table. In other half of room, place display cabinet in corner near entry, and create a little seating area in other corner, or behind sofa. Add a large rug to the whole living room. Good luck!

One thing that jumped out at me was the table you're using as a coffee table is too tall for the sofa.

I like the idea of floating the sofa in front of the fireplace and maybe flanking the fireplace with the two wood-and-upholstered arm chairs. I'd then use the corner where the mirror is hanging for a TV-watching nook (I'd hang the mirror over the fireplace), using your former coffee table to put the TV on, and maybe flanking it with the two white cabinets that you now have on either side of the fireplace. I'd also move the corner cupboard to the corner that's on other side of the window.

If you have the money or the inclination, I'd invest in a colorful rug and some coordinating pillows to add a bit of color to the room.

I would start by removing the white chair, the 1 1/2 seater, and the display cases (all three of them). Then get something bigger to put on either side of the mantel to make it look "built in" (or get something build if you want to splurge). Integrate the TV into those pieces. Put something eye catching above the fireplace - a painting, you have it (maybe move that mirror). Get a lower coffee table and place it closer to the sofa so you can actually reach it, put the magazines in boxes/baskets so they don't look as messy.
Use the two matching chairs to create a conversation area in the corner where the 1 1/2 seater is. And buy one nice, comfy, not too big chair to float in the room - it can either face the TV or the couch or be pushed near the corner where the white chair is now - depending on what you are doing. I wouldn't float the tall chairs in the middle of the room, they are so tall.
Think outside the box and look past lining furniture up along the walls.

OOOPS, somehow I posted three of the same comments....sorry about that.

Just to chime in with what couple of the other folks have suggested, which was to add a little bit of color into the room. I had suggested a bold color on the curtains -- I think playing with the same/similar color on the throw pillow and on the rug would refresh the space.

Good luck!

Frances: Perhaps you could try using a rug (or rugs) to better ground the sofa and chairs into discrete conversation zones, away from the walls. You could use the rug and other soft goods in accent colors that will unify the various wood tones in your furniture with your gorgeous hardwood flooring. The fireplace is a key focal point.To make a more visually centered unit, the fireplace shelving should be pushed back together with the main fireplace unit. Consider removing the television over the fireplace. You can replace it with either the painting or the mirror and add the urns to the mantel as garniture. Moving the oak curio to an opposite wall where it can shine will also balance the room. Have fun playing with what you have available!

1. You've got too many small pieces in the room. It's not just the TV that is getting lost. The glass cabinets on the side of the fireplace are totally lost as well. The coffee table seems disproportionate as well.

2. It's a faux fireplace. Why do you want to keep it? I'd absolutely get rid of the fireplace before I got rid of the sofa. The sofa isn't the problem. Get rid of the fireplace and drywall up the hole. Easy and cheap fix. Way easier than spending money on a sofa.

3. Get all the furniture off the walls. It's weird. I'd have one "corner" with probably the overstuffed chair and a floor lamp in it. The two small end tables should go.

4. If you got rid of the faux fireplace, I'd consider putting the sofa on that wall. Mostly because I think it would be nice to lay down on the sofa and contemplate the view outside. You can't do that when the back of the sofa is to the window.

5. If you keep the faux fireplace, the sofa can stay where it is, the armchairs should be pulled out from the wall and placed across from the sofa. It may be that you can't have a coffee table as you need the center of the room for traffic flow. I'd remove the two glass cabinets from the side of the fireplace. They don't work at all. I'd place the tall oak display cabinet to the right in the corner as you walk in from the hallway-next to the window. In the other corner, I'd place the overstuffed sofa and a reading lamp. I'd get rid of the two end tables and the white cane backed chair stuck in the corner. The only pieces I would buy would be an ottoman which could double as a coffee table if you use a tray and two or three floor lamps. The end tables with the short lamps on them are ruining the line in this room for me. I'd also say the coffee table is all wrong. I don't like how it sits above the line of the seat cushion on the couch and the clutter underneath it ruins it as well.

I agree with the other commenters that you need to move the furniture away from the walls and corners. A couch on one side of the fireplace and two chairs opposite atop a rug would bring that side of the room together. Maybe you could use two smaller tables grouped together for the coffee table (and maybe tables that are lower than the one you have now; it looks awkwardly tall).

The first thing I thought of when you mentioned the TV looking lost over the mantel was this: http://www.sawdustandpaperscraps.com/2011/02/28/how-to-hide-tv-cords-in-trim-work-guest-post/

Framing out the mantel would not only make the room look taller (in a good way), but it would also help the hearth look like it was always there and is fixed in place. Then the tv might not look so lost and you can keep the combined location of two important features (tv and hearth).

Depending on space left, the far end of the room could then become another small seating area. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you and your room, but try to remember that smaller groupings do well in large rooms and try not to shove all the furniture into corners and onto walls. Good luck!

There's nothing wrong with a small TV but it should NEVER be a focal point, IMO. I really despise TVs over mantels because they take away from what would otherwise be a great place to showcase art, vases, whatever.

I also really like the wall color and wouldn't change it.

With some of the suggestions above, you will end up with a very nice room!

Tons of good ideas here so I will just say, keep that sofa. It is incredible and you will truly not find a sofa these days that will last and be as sturdy as the one you have now - even high end and high price sofas these days cannot compare to ones that have already seen decades of use.

I agree with losing the faux fireplace,those just dont ever look good to me.And its eating up valuable wall space.Im wondering,is that actually a bay window? That could be a game changer if it is.Depending on wether thats a bay window or not,you could put the couch where the "fauxplace" is,those two chairs(wich I love but seriously needs re-upholstering) and a table where the window is,and another chair and a table in that corner.Big gorgeous round upholstered ottoman,some nice rugs,A few plants,all that gorgeous light,your set.

As a total aside, your main floor layout is identical to the one of the (nicer) styles of military housing offered to Canadian Forces families. :) Lovely!

No, no, listen to ME!!! ;^) (Just kidding!)

I like your wall color, it's close to what I have in my living room. I like most of your furniture and it seems to me that you can make what you have work pretty well, with a few tweaks and upgrades.

Keep the fireplace where it is. It adds ambience to a room without a lot of architectural interest.)

Hang your painting over it instead of the TV. (You might add some more art to make a bigger visual grouping, you could use both the color and the detail that would bring.)

Move the sofa into the room facing the fireplace with space at both ends to get around, if possible -- with the back roughly even with the end of the arch to the dining room that is furthest from the fireplace, and with a little more open space at that end. (If there's not enough room, it should be closer tothe window.)

Add a console table behind the sofa for lamps and something pretty, like your ginger jars.

Clear out the rest of the fireplace wall. Put the upholstered chair that matches the sofa angled in one corner facing the sofa and place the coffee table (emptied) angled in the other corner as a media stand for the TV. (Since the TV is smaller in scale than the fireplace, this positions it so it's competing less with the fireplace and still visible from the sofa.)

Put the tall vitrine in the corner to the left the hall door.

Place the two arm chairs and the French-looking side table with curvy legs in the other corner by the hall door, table in the corner, chairs on either side.

That leaves the two white cabinets and the extra chair, and maybe another side table, can't tell.... I'd try to find other homes for these.

You could also add a lower coffee table by the sofa and maybe a very small-footprint side table by the big upholstered chair.

A nice rug and some carefully chosen accessories and you have it! (If you really need all the stuff piles on the coffee table, you could get some nice rectangular baskets to store it in a more hidden, way.

Take it all out to start with a clean slate--I love the idea of the table parallel to the fireplace (you'll be closer to the tv, so it will be easier to see. Think about hanging something large over the tv when it isn't in use--you won't mind that it floats if you can't see it. You could add a canvas on a hinge, or something like that.

The beautiful arm chairs look nice flanking the doorway--I'd leave them there and use them for extra seating when required. Not a huge fan of the over-sized chair, but if someone uses it frequently, cozy it up tot he fireplace too--i'd take everything else out, return with a lower coffee table and maybe a console table behind the sofa to add light, etc. You can add decor to the holes in the room, but I bet you'll really like the room a good deal more with much less in it. You can add color with the reupholstery of that beautiful couch, some curtains, etc.
Hope you'll share photos of the finished product

Hi Frances:
You've had a lot of response with good ideas. I bet your mind is spinning! ; )
I would add some board and batten to the far wall behind the fireplace. I'd go 2/3 up the wall in height and all the way across. This would definitely be the focal point of the room and the proportions would be better with the size of the window and couch.
Please move the couch out away from the window, at least a little bit. Is it a bay window ? It looks like it in the photo. Please don't cover up your pretty architecture!
The corners on the entry wall don't look like they have a purpose. They look like someone just pushed furniture in to them.. I love the idea of a reading nook or a small desk to give the area a reason to be there.
Where ever you decide to put the couch and chairs make it look deliberate. Use a rug and make it obvious that this is the main area. One idea is to put the couch coming out from the fireplace and in front of the window ( but not smashed up against it.) Use your two chairs opposite. Place the TV on the wall to the dining room. You could sit on the couch and see the TV. I'd also consider putting up a lot of other artwork in a gallery wall configuration to hide the TV a bit.
~ C

Yes ! Love the idea of table and chairs in front of the big window! It would also be a lovely view from the dining room.

I agree, float the furniture, and remove the t.v. from above fire place. The furniture is great with the exception of the coffee table, it is too tall. Think about using the coffee table as a console for the t.v. and place it off to the side. If you try to arrange your seating around it, your going to have problems with scale.

switch the places between the tv and the mirror,place a narrow white table/tv stand under the tv ,and place the white chair you have in the corner now beside the white table/tv stand;place the big chair in the corner in the place of the white chair (beside the fireplace).pull the chair currently under the mirror to the otherside of the sofa ,get the glass cabinet out of the room .

Yes, I agree with the floor to ceiling storage for all the tchotchkes and volumes of paper stuffed in the coffee table. This would give you a nice clean look, hidden TV storage, mirror above the mantel. I think the sofa and coffee table may work well facing the bay window with the two beautiful chairs and little table by the window. Everything else can go. More light, space -- clean sweep for 2013! All the best.

Ignore the naysayers: keep the fireplace!

I think you have beautiful pieces to work with and I love it when people mix sentimentality with design--I'm glad you're keeping this furniture.

I think your sofa is lovely and inviting, so you should consider placing it on the wall where the fireplace is. That means, of course, moving the fireplace to a different wall -- I suggest the wall shared with the dining room near the overstuffed chair. You can use the fireplace to create a nook rather than the main focal point. AT has a couple great posts on working with unique fireplace placements. Anchor the room with a large geometric rug under the sofa and the two matching chairs placed opposite the sofa. The rest will come together from there. Enjoy your new space!

I like the fireplace look. If you keep it, definitely treat it like you would a real fireplace - but shelving on either side of it, a bit shorter than the mantel top, that stretches all the way from the fireplace to to wall. Put your tv and stuff for inside that shelving unit on either side - either behind doors, or in an open shelf. You want to watch TV anyway, not cricking your neck to look up at it over the fireplace anyway. Put art on the wall above the fireplace and the flanking long shelving units. Right now, your nice fireplace looks lost with the TV above and those little cabinets next to it. It isn't the TV that looks lost, it is the fireplace.

If you want to try the couch on the fireplace wall, and the fireplace is attached to the wall or built into/onto it, then just stick the couch in front of the fireplace, a few inches out from it, perhaps with a thin sofa table behind it a few inches out from the fireplace itself. Stick a big piece of artwork on or over the mantel, and you're don't with that wall. See how you like that look. No need to move the fireplace.