Q: My living/dining area is 12 by 17 and the only walls for a TV are 17 feet apart. This seems too far for comfortable tv viewing. I need to divide the room somehow and would like to have a sectional couch with a sofa and coffee table, but still room for a small dining table with chairs. Is it possible to do this and not have the place feel cramped?
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Round table w/ 4 chairs on the left/kitchen end of the room.
7' Sofa on the right w/ it's back against the bedroom wall - it may have to float out a bit at one end due to the jog in the wall, but that's OK - No sectional.
1 or 2 small armchairs in the center of the room facing the sofa and coffee table, and TV on a low console against the windows.
I think so. I would probably place the tv on a low bench (that also doubles as seating on one end) against the terrrace wall, the sofa on the bedroom adjacent wall and the dining table in the area directly in front of the kitchen. I think the key here is scale, make sure everything is apartment sized and that the tv is not the focal point of the room by incorporating a small plant near the tv on the bench and some plants on the terrace. I also think its important to place the tv so that it isn't facing the window, because the outside light will cause a glare. And finally, I think that its nice to be able to give your eyes a break from the tv while watching by simply glancing above it and out the window, just my 2 cents.
Have you thought about putting the TV on a corner, in either a corner entertainment unit or, if you have a flatscreen, on a swing-out arm? That way you can divide the space with an L-shaped sectional or something.
The other suggestion I'd made would be to perhaps put the TV on the wall adjacent to the bedroom and have, again, an L-shaped sectional or sofa and chair that make up the viewing area, and you have all that space on the exterior wall behind you for bookshelves, a bar, etc.
...and I should have read the part about the table and chairs...depends on how big those need to be. They could certainly go along that exterior wall, or, if you get really crafty (I don't have any indication of your style either, so you could be more traditional than this) but you could do a sort of murphy-bed table that drops down from the wall behind the fridge with stackable chairs so when you want to eat at the table (rather than the bar/open counter) you can drop it down, but you have the option to keep it folded and out of the way too.
This is similar to my apartment. I use the sofa as a room divider to separate my living and dining space. I put a small bistro style table and chairs nearest the kitchen with the sofa facing away from the dining space and the TV against the far wall. There is about 10 feet between the sofa and the TV and about 7 feet for the dining space. The sectional idea could work with the shorter section on the wall or facing the wall, depending on the size. I have a 5x8 rug between the sofa and the TV and use a steamer trunk as a coffee table that can be moved out of the way to use the gaming system. I also have a rocking chair on the wall with the TV facing the sofa for when people come over.
I would put the dining table near the wall close to the kitchen sink, so if you want to have a buffet meal, you can put dishes on the counter and serve from there. Then, I'd hang the tv on the opposite wall on the right and put the L-shaped sectional in the middle of the room, visually dividing the dining area and the living room area. This way, folks working in the kitchen can watch tv, and the family can watch tv while eating also :-) Then, the sofa isn't too far from the t.v.
You can turn it around this way too:
table that folds out (gate leg) against the bedroom wall with chairs on either side for a dining area. Couch, sectional or not int he middle of the room facing the other wall. TV on that wall. If going for a sectional, have the chaise like component (no back) be near the window, that way you're not blocking the view and the light. I have a similar set up and while having a couch in the middle of the room takes some getting used to, it does separate the living/dining areas and makes more efficient use of the space.
BTW - Look at the dimensions of the room:
The room is 12' at the widest point - the kitchen counter pushes in at least a foot and the terrace door swing requires another 3'...
...that would leave you only 8' clearance between the counter and the open door - with barstools and a path around the kitchen end of a sofa floating in the middle of the room - That would leave you space for just a 5' loveseat: Not a good plan.
I would opt for no table, use the counter with stools. Find a narrow table option that would double for something else (desk?) in the room when you're not looking to offer sit down dining. This desk/table should go behind a sofa which faces the wall on the left. Anchor that wall with a large piece of furniture that could second for a TV stand. Place 2 chairs on either side of that piece of furniture to create a conversation area with the couch. Keep the area near the right hand wall free for traffic flow.
Consider a small table with two chairs. I take a 3rd and 4th chair for guests from desk and bedroom. Put table on bedroom wall. Sofa in the middle of the room. Tv on left wall. dining table could go in corner by window also. Nice to view outside while eating breakfast!
Its possible to do but it might be tight. First you might want to rethink the idea of a sectional because many are just so huge and bulky they overwhelm a space. You could have enough seating with a couch and a large rectangular ottoman and side tables/stools that do doubleduty as seating. This would take up less space in your apartment and would be easier to rearrange for parties or if you feel like changing the decor. Also give careful thought to whether you really need a dining room table and if you would actually use it. If you spend most of your time eating on the couch then maybe you dont need one.
If you feel you must have a sectional and dining room table then here is how I would do it.
Define your space by using the sectional or couch and rugs. Divide the long wall with the couch so that you create a 10 ft by 10 ft space for the living room area. I would have the short arm of the sectional running along the same wall as the terrace. Make sure you have an easy path so you can walk from the kitchen to the terrace (and are walking behind the back of the sectional/couch). Leave a bit of space so you can find the smallest round cafe table and chairs (2 seater) and place near the wall furthest from your bedroom. You can even get a small 4 seater table at IKEA that might not be too huge.
Hope this helps.
To maximize the space I'd have the dining area with bench seating along that left wall. You could tuck a round table in front of the bench with 2 additional chairs. Then the seating against the wall doesn't need extra space behind it which would force the table further out into the room.
As for the rest of the room, I would personally not want to put the tv against the window unless you have window treatments to prevent too much natural light coming from behind the tv while you're watching. If you don't watch much tv then it's probably not an issue. If it were me I'd probably put the tv on the bedroom wall and float the sofa in the middle of the room with the back towards the dining area with narrow low bookcases behind the sofa to do triple duty as storage/sofa table/space delineation. But that's just because I'd be annoyed about the tv in front of the window. The best layout from a design perspective is probably what @bepsf mentioned.
TV against bedroom wall. Use sofa to divide the room. Small table to the left. I'd recommend a small coffee table to lighten the visual look. Also a rug to define the living area will do wonders.
I agree with Karyl. I'm not sure which way she meant to put the sectional, but I'd run it against one wall because of the front door, and I'd throw in a chair on the door side, if you have room. Maybe a console table/bookshelf against the back of the sectional, but only if you have enough room.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I am the one that submitted the question. We are still thinking over all of the options. One thing you all should know is that the terrace door opens in the opposite direction, towards the terrace. This provides a little more room to play with.
Also, the counter space on the pass through side is not as big as it looks in the floor plan. There is a raised part that divides the counter into to sections, not leaving much for eating if we added bar stools. I was thinking about putting the back of the couch against this pass through area. Is that crazy?
Bosharp, several people including me suggested floating the couch/sectional in the middle of the room. There is nothing crazy about using the couch to divide the room. Its routinely done in loft spaces and rooms that combine living and dining rooms.
Its your space so feel free to experiment.
You might want to consider putting an entertainment center unit behind a couch that faces your bedroom wall. I bought an entertainment center on Craigslist for $15 and turned it over on it's side so it was long and not as tall. This is my room divider and it adds storage and a display area. I love RNM's idea of a long bench along the dining wall to maximize space and seating. As for the TV - does it have to be in the living room? I keep my little TV in my bedroom which allows my LR to be used for other things than TV time.
Don't go with a round table. Get a small square or rectangular table and have one end flush against the left wall. The size of the table depends on your household. If it's just two people, then get a table that just for the two of you, but can expand to 4-6 as needed. I think if you resist the urge to have the dining table floating away from the wall, then you can have room enough for a sofa and TV on the other side. I've seen the small table flush against the wall in several magazines for small apartments/dwellings. It's not for everyone, but it helps when your space is limited.
I like the basic arrangement described by RNM, ChrisGal, Trumystique, DenverDruid, and Karyl. I did my living-dining areas similarly in a narrower space. Add apartment-scale-only pieces (e.g., 42" diameter dining table, 7' sofa) in order of necessity to avoid crowding.
You may already want certain pieces that are too big for this arrangement. If so, then try the same idea, but with the dining table against the sofa back. That would save space, plus the dining table would double as a sofa table.
I know this wasn't asked but I have to comment on this anyway: since you have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bath, the entry to the bath should be moved over to the right, so its directly in front of the toilet (you could use a barn door to save space), then, the existing entry to the bath could be closed off and that closet beside the toilet could be doubled in size.
P.S. A 3' X 5' dining table would work better than a round one if the dining table were set against the sofa back. At any rate, one worked well in my similarly sized space.
I think that the best possibilities open up when you stop focusing on the idea that the couch has to be against a wall. Personally, I think it would be obnoxious to have the back of the couch against the pass-through, as you would lose the utility of the pass-through counter.
Instead, you should position the couch so that the back creates a dividing line in the middle of the room, making a "dining" area on one side and a "living area on the other. The the TV can go on the wall the couch is facing, and it won't be too far away.
I'd want to get a feel of the space to be sure I'd like this, but I envision a dining table (small) in the corner straight in from the entry, next to the terrace windows. (If you have a view or if you have a pretty terrace, this would be pleasant.
I'd put a credenza or console table on the bedroom wall.
And, if it feels right, I could imagine a small L-shaped sectional with one side parallel to the terrace, leaving a passageway behind to get to the door, and the other side in the middle of the room, creating a passage behind it leading to the table.
You might find using a sofa and one or two chairs in an L configuration actually works better, though.
Put the TV on the wall to the far left in the floorplan, possibly with bookshelves on either side.
I think the key, however you arrange things, is getting proper scale and not too many pieces of furniture.
Is that a breakfast bar I see on the bottom side of the living room view? Do you really need a dining table if you can utilize a the breakfast bar? If you're going to be throwing a lot of dinner parties (for parties small enough to fit into the small dining space your idea of a sectional would leave you) then, by all means, be redundant and have both a breakfast bar and a dining area. If not, skip the dining area. Use a sofa and a couple of chairs or, maybe, a sectional, that are moved up closer to a tv on whichever wall you prefer (if nothing else, consider the glare at the time of day you're usually watching tv). On the other side of the sofa put a sofa table/credenza and perhaps a bench for storage or a comfy chair and a lamp for reading.
My living room is this exact size, with an array of doors and half walls and windows to deal with. It's a tough set of dimensions because it's too narrow to divide with most sofas unless you are willing to close off some of the flow of the room (worth trying just for variety and to see how it works for you).
I suggest getting a rectangular gateleg table and keeping it folded down against the far left wall, flanked by 2 of the chairs with 2 other chairs backed up in front of it like a bench (or keep it half open if there's room and you want a table to use daily). TV on the bedroom wall (or on a console table).
It's hard to find a sectional that fits in our space. Pier One makes a small Broome sectional that I think would work well for you. I agree with the comment about having the backless chaise part against the windows to let more light in. In fact, I would put it close to the windows so that the sofa part with the back could form a divider between where the terrace door opens towards the kitchen pass thru.
Or, You could flip this with the table on the right, a round table might even fit, TV on the left wall/console, and the left arm of the sofa could be pushed up against the pass thru wall as you considered. Could even put a bookshelf against that pass thru wall and use it like an end table when you are sitting on the couch.
The windows will throw a glare onto your TV at these angles if you get lots of light coming in; consider investing in room darkening curtains if the glare will bother you.
In general, buy furniture that fits in your space & gives you some flexibility (like a small sectional, gateleg or drop-leaf table, folding or stacking chairs, storage ottomans, nesting tables) and try a few configurations to see what works best.
i understand why you want a sectional. even when you're not having guests over, it creates a lot of space for two people to spread out and relax. expanding on gaidig's idea, i think you could possibly fit an L sectional where the "long" part is the line dividing the living/dining sections and the "short" part is against the windows to the terrace. i don't think you would need to leave a passthrough walkway between the couch and the terrace window, as you can pretty easily access the terrace from the "dining" portion of the room. that would also create an inviting "come sit down" living room when someone walks in the front door, rather than seeing the back of a couch. then the tv can go against the bedroom wall.
i would really recommend getting the dimensions of the positions of things on each wall (space from the bedroom wall to the terrace door, for example) and plotting it out to scale on grid paper (or in excel, just make the cells squares instead of rectangles). takes a little time but makes it so much easier to overlay furniture dimensions on the space to see right away if something is way too big. doing this with my boyfriend's new apt right now - he has a bunch of random columns that makes one need to get "creative" and it really helps to have the grid for visualization purposes.