apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd say 2 chairs offset a bit, near the wall to the left of the fireplace. Then a long sofa facing those 2 chairs. A credenza or something similar to run the length of the back of the sofa.

I feel like the space is being so crammed towards that back corner. French doors sound nice, but I just feel like the space needs to be shifted a bit. I was going to suggest closing off the left side of the door area, but then realized that the natural lighting would be really bad then.

I think the best thing to do would be to try and treat this living area as 2 separate spaces rather than one (although I just read that you are trying to avoid that...) So maybe my advice isn't the best. Sorry about that!

Good luck!

I think I saw this room in a Seinfeld episode...

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Without a floorplan, I don't know what's happening behind the corner. But I'd place a long dining room table perpendicular to the fire place and have the seating area by the window. I really love lots of light, so I'm partial to those huge sliding doors and having the seating near there.

Nice space and (by NYC standards) it looks huge. Good luck.

Given the size of the space, it almost has to be 2 separate seating areas. If you arrange the furniture as one, your conversation area is going to be uncomfortably far apart. I'd do the area near the fireplace perhaps as a library or display area with 2 chairs, an ottoman, a table and an area rug. If she's downsizing, she can use this area to display some of her collectibles that probably don't have another home.

The far side of the room would make sense to do as a more traditional TV area with a sofa and chairs or 2 sofas. Again, an area rug is necessary to help define the space.

Thinking completely out of the box...

What if the dining room becomes part of the living room? Thus the fireplace becomes the focal point. Since there isn't a picture of the dining area - I can't say if that is feasible

Then creating a dining area in the larger part of the living room - it might be nice to have the dining table positioned to have a view of the garden.

So you are dividing the living room in half - but still only have one seating area....

This is a "much smaller space"? My whole apartment can fit in there! haha lucky her.

You could angle the sofa so it faces both the door and fireplace and place two chairs on either side with a coffee table in the middle. Putting up some 'built-in' bookshelves to the left of the fireplace on that wall would help to balance the corner. Use a sofa table (behind the soft obviously) and create a separate seating area in the other space.

There would be a need for two areas even if there was no fireplace. That's a big room and the door bisects it. I think French Doors would be great and give the place some architectural interest. Two chairs perpendicular to the fireplace and the sliding glass doors would be good. The chairs might overlap the windows, but with French Doors the opening would not be compromised. Then a couch against the wall facing the fireplace. This is the second house I've seen with the fireplace in such an awkward spot. In the other house the fireplace is ignored and the sitting area is in front of the doors with an armoire against the wall.

This is a great space - I really like it alot! When the French Doors go in, it will be even better.

Giant area rug anchors the seating area in front of the fireplace. Sofa goes on the far wall by the fireplace - end table and table lamp on the left, floor lamp on the right (by the fireplace) mirror/artwork centered above the sofa. Coffee table in the center, a pair of armchairs facing the sofa w/ an end table and lamp between them.

At the other end of the room where you're standing - make this Mom's Office/Study area where she can work on her laptop, do bills, write letters, etc. Bookcases/cabinets against the back wall (wireless and printer go inside the enclosed cabinet as well as stationary & wrapping paper, etc.) and an elegant freestanding writing table (@54-60" x 28"?) with drawers facing the seating area with a comfy upholstered chair, tablelamp and phone on her desk. Perhaps a slipper chair in this area as well so a visitor could sit with her here.

Get Mom a flatscreen TV and mount it on the wall to the left as you're facing the seating area with a short/shallow credenza below - When she wants to sit on the sofa & watch a movie, she can pull the screen to face the seating area, or she can move the TV to face her desk when she wishes to watch the news & weather from her desk while she writes or wraps presents.

You may want to call an architect and see if the fireplace can be shifted so that it moves to the corner. That would integrate it much more into the room so that one seating arrangement can take advantage of both the view and the fireplace (the seating in an L shape perpendicular to the French doors).

Hmm. I'm not really keen on French doors in this situation. The door on the left will not be able to open all the way. Plus, if the place is small you have to allow more space in front of French doors vs. sliders.

If she is changing the doors can she have them open outwards? Then she can furnish more or less right up to the opening.

There's not many ways to decorate this room without doing two seating areas since it's too long and too narrow. The only way to have one seating area is to place it in the center of the room and then you will have tons of empty dead space on each side, which look horrible unless she has tons of bookshelves, curio cabinets, and what not to fill it up (and then that would all have to match).

Since you said she already has a dining area, it would be so more aesthetically pleasing to do two club chairs with a large ottoman by the fireplace and then use the rest of the room as a living room (maybe TV area). Sadly I doubt the doors would be the center of attention, but there's almost no set up which would allow both the fireplace and the doors to the center of attention - you have to pick one.

I agree -- two different seating areas. It looks like a great place for parties!

Forgive me, this doesn't specifically address the seating issue.

What if you extended the fireplace by adding brick to the adjacent wall? Details such as the brick shelf under the firebox and the white shelf as mantle could be continued and used for display/storage of wood and other fireplace supplies.

This would make the fireplace a greater focus of the room (instead of having it crammed awkwardly into the corner) and give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to arranging furniture. Sort of like enmnm's idea without actually moving the whole fireplace.

I think the best thing about this space is that you have room to work with different color, on the different walls. you could go with one color on the wall by the fireplace and another in the additional "tv/seating" area as everyone has suggested.
i fear the only thing you could do wrong with this room, is crowd it. the space is a great place for beautiful furniture design to stand out.
it may be worth your while to sell old pieces and work to build a solid, cohesive look. since the furniture is not separated by walls.