I liked the diagram that you laid out on top. I have to agree that this is a huge wonderful room, we have a small home with many entrances and doors and windows...at least you can get smaller pieces and float them in the middle. I would also put a console in the back of the sofa for keys etc. You can also use windows as seating.

Would you consider a round entry table with a space for flowers and a few books? You could tuck a couple of ottomans under it for when you want to perch by the fire - or have two slipper chair facing the fire also. Kind of like this http://www.houzz.com/photos/682822/Urban-Living---Pacific-Heights-contemporary-entry-san-francisco
or this
http://www.houzz.com/photos/1190959/Country-Houses-traditional-entry-new-york

I like the layout you proposed with some minor tweaks. I would turn the rug so that it mimics the natural shape of the room - even if that means your love seat isn't all the way onto it. I think you could get away with two low-backed chairs instead of just stools - those might be more comfortable. Maybe something that's just a bit fancier than upholstered dining chairs but still has high legs so that they don't feel too heavy. Your place is gorgeous! Congrats!

I would probably rotate the seating arrangement so that the couch faces the kitchen then find a table or low, not too deep cabinet to set against the back of the couch to use as a landing strip.

Congrats on a nice house! I like your idea of floating four chairs in the room. I wouldn't do a set of chairs but rather four different (but similar) chairs to keep it from looking too match-y.
Is the piece right next to the door built-in? I would consider removing it and putting the desk over there. Can't tell if it would fit, you could angle it, but it might be too tall.
Or you could put a fifth chair over in that corner....

I have the same issue with closets. I have found that I can put chairs very close to the closet, leave just enough room to open the doors. That took the eye away from the fact that there are huge closet doors there.

just a thought, but have you considered switching your dining and living room spaces? they did something similar on YHL:

http://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/our-current-house/

That's pretty difficult, especially because it looks like the fireplace is right next to the staircase, and not in the center of the wall as in the diagram. This may sound crazy, but I'd be tempted to get one of those circular sofas you see in hotel lobbies, like this:

http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=259556
http://www.archiexpo.com/prod/christopher-guy/classic-style-round-sofas-5385-35564.html

The first one is cool because it can pull apart into separate chairs when you have guests.

Oooh, I like hdwk's idea.

I like how you used the rug! I would also consider adding some curved lines or even circles to draw people into the space. Yo

Meant to delete that last word - disregard!

I think what you have in the diagram works, but I would also put a console behind the sofa. No one wants to see the back of a sofa when entering a home. Also I would go with a round or oval coffee table, and angle the chairs a bit. The room is boxy enough as is.

I like your drawing but agree that two low, smallish upholstered chairs can go where the stools are, and possibly could be angled. Or one larger chair, since space is tight if you center this grouping on the fireplace but looser if you allow it to drift a little to the closet side.

How about a square rug to match the space? You could make one with Flor tiles, and then it would be easy to have your mat match the main rug.

I like the round coffee table and console table ideas.

Lovely home! The potential problem I see with the layout you are considering is that people are inevitably going to walk in the front door and right through the seating arrangement toward the rest of the house, putting a lot of wear and tear on the rug and maybe even dumping things on the sofa or chairs, which would be unfortunate. I would consider where you usually want to go when you come in the door and work around that--either leave a clear path or figure out how you will redirect. Good luck!

I'd get two matching loveseats and place them at right-angles to the fireplace, with a single sofa/chair facing the fp. This makes a room within the room, and forces one to walk around, rather than thru, the seating area (you might curse that if you enter with bags of groceries.)

Your plan is confusing...looks like the double-doors open to the outdoors, but aren't they the white ones in the lastt photo? Looks like another room beyond.

And I actually think you have enough wall space.

Meant to add: can you remove the right closet door? Would make that wall more appealing.

I have a living room similar to this--one where you walk into the front door and run right into a closet. however, my fireplace is on the opposite wall. i have an arched doorway where your fireplace/staircase is.

What I would do, is get a love seat or two like you indicated above, and face one of them TOWARD your dining room. The other option I would suggest would be a small sectional, same configurement. That way, when someone walks in your front door, there's a natural "partition" between the enterance way and the living space. The back of the couch will do that effortlessly.

Beautiful home! I don't think your mock up is a good representation of the room. I think the fireplace and stairs are much closer and that your arrangement is going to feel congested.

Are you in the house already? I truely think the only way to solve this is going to be taking pieces of furniture from other rooms in your house and rugs too and moving them around as place holders to see what fits best in the space.

That's definitely an awkward space. I'm guessing it's not the "living room" so much as it is the greeting room. I think you're never going to find it very comfortable as a living room, so it might be worth consigning it to a different duty and letting the room on the right side take over as the living room. If you want to get clever, you could probably move the door to that other room, or create a wall around the entrance to create a little separation between the entrance and the living area.

Is your room really square? The photo of the fireplace seems to show an angled wall where the front door is. If that is correct, the layout might be effected. Your floor plan shows people walking toward the SIDE of the loveseat, not the back. It's good that you have planned a wide aisle between the love seat and the stools, and I do think stools or ottomans ("ottomen?" ;^) ) would probably work better than chairs with backs in front of a fireplace. But they also appear to be likely to be an obstacle if going to the stairs, which project into the room more than your diagram suggests.

I'm assuming that console by the front door contains radiators -- is that right? (It's what the white parts look like to me, anyhow.)

You might go for an asymmetrical arrangement. Put a rug with the far corner aligned with the fireplace near the stairs only running sideways in front of the closet. Place a full sized sofa facing the fireplace, with the far edgecentered on the rug, and running past the fireplace on the near edge. Place a comfortable chair with it's back to the closet almost where the chair is in the photo. Put a matching chair in the corner by the radiator console (if that's what it is) for reading by the shelves -- you can pull it into the conversation group if needed. (Contrary to @HHRI, I think matching chairs would look less cluttery in your smallish space.) Instead of a coffee table, you could use some kind of upholstered ottoman/s with trays, for extra seating. (I think a living room should offer enough conversational seating for all the people you can seat in your dining room!)

Your diagram doesn't appear to me to be to scale. I'm basing my suggestions on the photos, since they make the room seem bigger than the diagram.

The floor plan you've designed would work well (I have a Lillian August loveseat for sale that would work perfectly in that spot!) You could also consider adding two small occasional chairs if you needed more seating area.

Looks like a beautiful home!

Furniture placment is too static.. Get a large octagonal rug. How about a chaise and a pair of chairs? Can even be arranged at 45 degrees and not have to have any of the seating just face dead on into the fireplace.

Thank you! The piece next to the door is actually a radiator cover that they built out into a bookshelf. The long-term plan is to get rid of the cover and add a low-profile radiator, which would add 1' of space in the room.

Thanks for the links, definitely worth considering!

Our neighbors actually have the same house but enter through the small room off to the side. They hate that layout because they lose a family room, but I think the benefit of having a full wall to put furniture against in the living room is worth it.

I agree completely that people will walk right through the middle of the room unless there is an easy, natural path in an alternative direction.

Thank you for the detailed comments! I believe the pictures were taken with a wide-angle lens for the home sale, so they actually make the room feel larger than it is. My sketch isn't perfectly to scale except that the space is 14' x 14' and the furniture sizes reflect a few pieces I like at Crate and Barrel (eg. the Margo loveseat).

To someone who asked above, the bottom stair is quite close to the fireplace.

Hi Kate,

You have a wonderful large and bright living room, with very nice hardwood floors. I do agree that there are constraints on the layout/flow in the space due to the placement of doors, stairs, etc. I am not sure about the layout you suggested -- I think the flow especially becomes an issue with the furniture placed right in front of the fireplace, because in order to get to the stairs or the kitchen/dining room you have to go around all of the furniture. I think having a clear path in front of the fireplace would work better. If you are set on the furniture pieces shown in the blueprint above, I would probably just move them back towards the French doors. However, if you feel strongly about putting the furniture right in front of the fireplace, you should definitely do it. This is your space and you should set it up so you are comfortable in it. One thing I would definitely suggest, though, is to rethink the choice of the existing shelves, desk and the unit by the stairs -- they don't seem to match and they kinda "age" the room.

I hope this helps a bit. Best of luck with your decision!

LT

LT: Those are actually the previous owners things :) Currently the room is completely empty so we truly are starting with a blank slate.

Ok, the problem isn't the doors and stuff on all sides, I've had that, the brownstone parlor. The problem is the front door, especially in a cold climate. Do you use this door to access your house on a daily basis, or do you enter elsewhere all the time, and will actually only be throwing this door open when you have guests? That matters. I'm guessing it may be the latter.

I think the problem is that the room is not designed to be a living room or a parlor, and I am guessing that you have another room that acts as your main living room or family room. Am I right? What is that room visible through thd double doors? - the doors that seem to be opening into that room on your floorplan, but look like they will actually open into this room. That matters, too, as you have to know how much and for what purposes that room gets entered, and if so, is it entered from this room or another doorway to it, and if from this one, you need to leave room for those doors as they are to swing open into this room, or change them.

Ok, start with what you CAN'T change...the location of the front door. All you can do is figure out if it is freqently used, or infrequently used. The fireplace and stairs are also not moving. I get that's a radiator cover - I'm not sure there's a whole lot of point to changing it out for a low profile one - you need to leave space in front of the radiator to heat the room, whatever size the radiator is.

The placement of the radiator is an excellent place to put a cover over it (or over a shorter old one you replace this one with) at seat height so you have a window seat, with a cushion on top, that is warmed in the winter by the radiator underneath. I'm thinking the seat will be part of a larger wood furniture unit you would either have built, or find an antique one taken out of an old house, which would extend all the way over to the window next to the door, or just short of it, and go up higher on the that end, like shoulder height, to shield the windowseat from the cold of the door. And it could continue the seat around the corner to the double doors, with a higher end on that side, too. (Of course, that causes a potential problem with this double door opening, but more on that later.) Think inglenook seating. Google images of those in bungalows, arts and crafts homes, and mission homes, and you'll get the look I'm going for. You could even have lighter, more modern versions made, like shaker-ish, if you prefer that look. They were common seating in victorian house entry parlors, often around a fireplace. Yours won't be around a fireplace, but it will make the separation a bit for you between the door and the room, and give you a lovely seating area in an area you would not otherwise be able to use for seating. I think one would give this room a lot of character.

Someone said this is a reception room, and I think it is. If I were you, I'd google pictures of victorian houses with an entry foyer, entry parlor, etc. This will free your mind from trying to furnish it like a modern living room, which won't work, and give you ideas for how these roomis were originally furnished, and you can pick those ideas that work for you. One common element was a small to medium sized round (or roundish) parlor table in the middle - nothing too big to walk around. I think they put a vase or flower arrangment on them, and you could drop your keys and gloves and mail for a bit as well. Other smaller seating or desk or display ideas will come for the corners of the room if you look at older house pictures.

You could also change the parlor table for a lower round coffee table, and put three or four chairs around it. I think that would work better in this room for seating than a couch. I am thinking upon entry, you would want to walk around the chairs, rather than through the center of the seating area. The low round table would force this, and it would be good for the room. Even if only two chairs fit around that table with adequate room to walk around.

Now, what you can change about the structure of the room: I can't quite tell from the pictures, but those doors on the closet look like modern bi-fold doors, and kinda ugly with your nice old home. Is the closet original to the house, or was it awkwardly added in later? Do you need it? Do you use it as a coat closet? If it was not original, I would replace it. I think some sort of antique wardrobe would look better there, if you need it for coats and such, Or you could put a bookcase type unit (with or without doors) over a lower section with doors for storage, built in, or built to fit the space, or just chosen to sit well in the space if a freestanding, not built-to-fit piece. If the closet was a closet, or if you want to keep it as such, get rid of those doors and find something more attractive that looks more like the age of your house.

Not enough info. Since you say you'd like to use the living room as a parlor, is it safe to assume you have a famly room elsewhere? And where do those french doors lead? Is the front door the main entry for family or does your family come & go through another entrance? All these things make a difference. The daily use of the room needs to fit your personal lifestyle.

Based on the scant info provided (and acknowledging assumptions are dangerous territory indeed) I'd use a round rug, place the loveseat w/back to the dining room, two chairs oppositle facing the loveseat (perhaps angled a bit, go with your eye). Nix the rectangular coffee table. Square, round or even oval would be an improvement. Think *contrast* in both shapes & textures and you can't go wrong. You have a lovely space.

Yeah, I got more. So, you could use this as the dining room, as suggested, and put the living room back there away from the cold entry door. This works best if you eat mainly in a kitchen or breakfast room, and only do occasional formal dinners in the living room. Even if you only use the front door for guests, though, you still won't want a big dining room table smack in the middle of the room to walk around when you do open the door, so if you do this, the table needs to go off to the side, and since there is no side on the fireplace side, then it has to go on the other side. Which brings us back again to the double entry doors that look like they open into this room - which need to be addressed, even if you don't make this the dining room.

What is the room through those doors? And do those doors stay closed most of the time? I can't answer that. If they get opened a lot for accessing that room, then maybe leave the radiator cover shelf unit thing, and plop a comfortable chair down a little ways in front of the double doors there, back to the corner, facing the stairs, for a reading nook. It doesn't look like this area is large enough for a good sized dining table anyway.

So, can you rebuild these double doors as pocket doors? That gives you a lot more space in this room to play with. Or might you want to remove them altogether? Though I'm not sure I would that in a cold climate with the front door there. Though it depends on what you use that room on the other side of them for. I might think about rebuilding that wall to have a smaller, one french door opening there. I agree that desk does not look good in there. Something taller and more slender like a secretary desk with glass doors on the upper shelves might look a lot better and fill the same purpose. I also agree I don't like that piece next to the stairs, it seems too deep for the space, and I'd be afraid of catching my toe on the leg of it when heading up the stairs.

In addition to pictures of victorian parlor and foyer rooms, I'd look at houses like this nearby to get an idea of how the rooms were originally laid out (I feel this one was changed from the original somehow) and used. I do think a sofa or even loveseat is not the way to go here. Definitely single chairs, not matching. If not too heavy, you can even turn or move them a bit to accomodate different functions in the room. Good luck!

I have a similar problem - eight doors, one window and a fireplace - so I turned this room into a dining room (we use the table for everything) and made a smaller, more intimate sitting area to take advantage of the view, in the back room. It works very well - almost baronial!

Thank you all so much! I apologize for the lack of information, I wasn't sure how much I should post.

Through the French doors is a small family room, seen here: http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/93/bigphoto/734/6090734_4_5.jpg

I'm hesitant about switching this room to the dining room (I hated how YHL did that!). It would be an awkward walk from the kitchen: http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/93/bigphoto/734/6090734_9_5.jpg

I do anticipate that we'll use that door a lot, although we're not living in the house yet so it's hard to say.

It sounds like people are really torn as to whether this can be more of a traditional living room or an entry/sitting room area - my problem exactly! It sounds like chairs in some configuration are winning out over sofa/loveseat. I especially love textile's ideas about a reading nook near the window.

It's a gorgeous house! I wonder, do you have children? If you do I'd have this as a reception room but with enough seats that everyone can sit down while waiting for the last person to get ready. At my friend's house there's a room like this and we call it the waiting room – so you can shout up the stairs "Time to go! Everyone in the waiting room in five minutes!" or something like that.
If you don't have kids, think of it more as somewhere you'd like to have a coffee with the sort of acquaintance (or, for example, insurance salesman type meeting) that you wouldn't necessarily want to get comfy in your family room with!
I would move into the house and then keep an eye out for some seating that you LOVE but that isn't comfy enough to use in a real living room (for me, that would be this sort of thing: http://porchandtea.com/tag/parlor-room/ - not necessarily anything else in that room, but the sofa and chair). Enjoy the fact this room is more about looks than comfort!

That room next door is gorgeous. That picture gives me another idea. I had french doors to a small study room off my living room once. Rather than leave room in my living room for the doors to swing open, I left them permanantly open, and was then able to place furniture not very far in front of them, which I wouldn't have been able to do if I wanted to open and close the doors. I would think seriously about doing this here in your space. If that interferes too much with using wall space you want to use on one side of the door along the wall in the living room, there is also the option of leaving one permanently closed and one open. Or even one permanently closed, and one that can open and close. I wouldn't do the latter idea - unless there is somehow a need to be able to close the doors to this room based on what you use if for. I'd want to use them as one big room - the pic with the doors open makes the living room look much better. I'd figure out where I wanted these doors, either both open, or one permanently open and one permanently closed, and then arrange my furniture accordingly. You could also think about removing both of the doors (store them in the basement in case you, or someone else, want(s) them later. Or you can remove one, and keep one in place, but closed. Any of these options will enlarge your options for furniture placement. No, you are right, this is not the dining room for sure, given your nice open kitchen.

I had a similar problem in two houses I've owned in the past. Lessons I learned: Love seat size couches make small rooms look smaller. It just never looked right and emphasized the small, square size and awkward placement of the fireplace. I tried several - what a waste of money! - before I feel in love with a huge, overstuffed couch I couldn't resist. When I got it moved in, the whole space looked bigger! I added a coffee table, two larger side chairs for a conversation area and had lots of room left over for walk-around. It may be an illusion, but it was a really effective illusion.

In the other square space, I placed a couch about 3 feet in front of the entry door so the back of the couch created a "foyer" (that is the term my appraiser used!). A structured couch with a narrow sofa table could be placed perpendicular to the fireplace and two side chairs opposite with a coffee table between, allowing walk around space and visual lightness on the other side of the fireplace, by the stairs.

It does look good the way it is set up but I love hdwk's ideasof adding a center table. It does look more like a entry hall rather than a living room, but I also like the Idea of riainarana with the couch facing the diningroom. Remember you don't have to put the focus on the fireplace just let it be.

Also looks as though the double doors open into the space, not out. That would not particularly impact room though because they could open and lie flat against the wall.

This is a wonderful house, and from the photos looks as though there are some Arts and Crafts or Bungalow style elements to it (especially the stone arch in the room off the front room). There are lots of publications with photos of Arts and Crafts and Bungalow interiors, and some of the floor plans are similar. The bifold doors don't have the weight of the rest of the woodwork and could be replaced with solid wood sliding doors if you need the closet. You may not like furniture of this period, but it does have some features that go with the layout. Arts and Crafts and spool armchairs such as: http://greenstreetblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/versatile-spool-chair.html
frequently had casters so they could be moved around and furniture and space reconfigured for different uses. Good luck and I hope you will share some "after" photos.

Sadly, I have to agree with Weatherman. With all the doors and closets and openings it is more a foyer than a room to sit in.
What is the width of the fireplace and mantel? What is the width of the bottom stair. Although the floor plan you worked out is beautiful, I don't think what you have in mind would really fit.
Take painters' blue tape and tape the floor with the dimensions of the furniture you have in mind.

The fireplace is 5' wide, I believe the bottom step is about 3.5'.

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I'm definitely changing my view point from living room to foyer with seating and maybe a custom built reading nook over the radiator (the carpenter is coming by tomorrow to measure for new radiator covers and I'm going to see what he can do!).

Two couches facing each other, coffee table, perpendicular to the fireplace. Then when you enter the room the traffic pattern is around the back of a couch not through the seating area. And it provides a lot more seating without blocking the fireplace.

You are starting with a great shell. I agree with the earlier post suggesting you flip the living and dining room. It is hard to tell if it would work properly, since you didn't include photos of that room, but it could be fun to see if that would work.

Not long ago Apartment Therapy showed a coat closet where the doors were removed (I think) and hooks were placed inside for coats, a seat was built from wall to wall inside with a cushion for seating (to put on boots, etc.) and beneath it were baskets for mittens, scarves, etc. I loved the informality of it and how it had that nook/window seat vibe. It possibly could work here and would get rid of a set of doors. You would have to like a more casual look if you did something like that. You could then put IKEA shelving - the kind that is real thick without backs, that looks like bulky cubes - to use as a room divider across from the coat closet/nook. That way you would create a sort of entryway. You could put things on the book shelves that would look good from both sides, since you would be able to look through it. Then you could have the dining room off to the side. Pile the fireplace full of logs, with the cut side out. Pile it all the way to the top, put a giant painting done by one of your children over the fireplace and forget it. Everyone else won't be able to forget how fun, warm, and welcoming your house is.

Oh, and put a long curtain rod across the doorway to the present dining room and hang gorgeous curtains on each side of the doorway to soften it and reduce its size. You could hang different curtains on the other side (two sets, showing differing sides to each room) or line one in a print you would like to look at in the other room. Your house needs some soft elements and more color. I hung curtains on each side of the huge foyer opening into my living room and everyone loves it.

Please post your after photos. Good luck.

Kate, I love what I see of you charming home. I agree with you about making this a room used as a parlor or a nice place for a conversation. Unfortunately the lay out you have right now does not allow comfort for 2 or more folks to have a conversation. You would be either sitting on the love seat with each other or one or more persons would be sitting on low stools. I actually reworked your floor plan and thought I could post it, but alas no. Here's what I worked up. First of all shift the area rug a full 90 degrees and towards the french doors giving a walk way between the fireplace and rug. Either purchase two love seats or 1 love seat and two comfy chairs. Place the love seat with the back facing the kitchen with a table behind it. Place the other love seat or the two comfy chairs with their back to the entry door. I would purchase an oval table as a coffee table to soften the lines a bit.
Having the setting with the chairs or additional love seat with it's back to the entry gives you a feeling that you are not stepping directly into the room. Putting the table behind the love seat near the kitchen will give you a since of depth if you place a plant or objects with a little height on the table.
Since I can't post the picture here, I will post it on my website. Look under the interior design tab. Good luck with you room.

Hello! Your home is beautiful. I grew up in Chester County, PA, and love the old homes found all over the Philadelphia area.

After studying the photos you've shared, and taking the measurements into account as well, it is clear that this is indeed a difficult space! It may be what was once called a "keeping room" or "hearth room."

Here's what came to mind . . .

What about placing a backless daybed/chaise lounge in front of the fireplace? It would be a very cozy spot to curl up with a book. Here's a few inspiration images: http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166570289638/ and http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166570289629/ . You said you liked the Margot loveseat from Crate & Barrel -- what about the Simone Daybed instead? http://www.crateandbarrel.com/simone-daybed/s165843

In the corner with the radiator, what about a built-in design such as this? http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166570289724/

Lastly, if you still want seating for two people, perhaps two arm chairs across from each other would work, similar to this: http://pinterest.com/pin/101542166570289811/

Hope this is helpful! Good luck!

forgot the website englishaccent.weebly.com

Thank you all again! I spent more time cleaning up the house today in preparation for moving in and the space is pretty small. I unfortunately don't think it would work to turn a sofa either with the back to the door or the kitchen without taking up almost all of the sitting space. I do plan to trace out some different furniture sizes with tape on the floor ASAP.

I LOVE all of these ideas. I've been warming up to a backless daybed actually.

I also met today with a carpenter who makes custom radiator covers and he felt that the current radiator is too tall to make a built in seat around. We'll have to explore modifying that radiator at some point.

How wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to sketch up the room. I never thought about opening the pathway straight from the door and making things tighter near the french doors.

Kate-

3 thoughts come to mind here. It would be easier to suggest things with a floorplan beyond what you've provided but here are out thoughts. The last two also assume a budget that you might not have currently, perhaps they would be long-term plans.

1) Abandon the idea that the living area must be centered around the hearth. There is a common perception that the living furniture must face the hearth. If the hearth-furniture-circulation relationship it's not working for you then move the furniture to the other side of the living room. With the size of the room you'll still get to enjoy the fire but that will free up the circulation you desire.

2) If possible (structurally) removing the wall between the living area and dining area might give you some added room in the living area that currently constrains you. Based on the photo the dining room looks proportionally large relative to the living area. If you can integrate these two rooms the living area will seem larger. (There are overall architectural issues of the "bones" of the house, an open plan might not would work based on the overall architecture of the house.)

3) What about building an entry foyer onto the front of the house? It's a radical idea and it's hard to say without seeing the rest of the house. But it seems a fundamental (and unwritten) problem is that the front door opens directly into the living room. Adding this foyer structure could make the living area feel more cozy.

Good luck!