Q: I have been admitted to Cornell and will be shifting to a "NY Style Loft Apartment" (or so the landlord says) in a couple of months. I am having a terrible time planning the layout of the living room to encompass a sitting area, a study desk/ work-office and media console area opposite the sofa/ couch - wIthout compromising on natural flow of movement and easy maintenance.
Attached are a couple of pictures of the place along with the floor plan. I would like to place a couch/settee, alongwith a media console (TV, DVD player, iPod player etc.) in front of the couch and also need to place a study desk also in the living area as I can't use the bedroom, above, for the same. I would really appreciate AT readers' inputs on the same alongwith other ideas/ tips/ products and theme to make the place look alive, clean, vibrant and fun.
I was thinking of putting the couch near the kitchen sink/ counter area, with two barstools therein, and the media console beneath the stairs and the desk near the greenhouse area. Much thanks in advance to your response and suggestions.
Sent by Vivek
Editor: First, congratulations on your admission to Cornell! Readers, please leave any suggestions for Vivek in the comments - thanks!
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Haha, obviously Cornell is relevant to this discussion. Soooooomebody reminds me of Andy Bernard! :-P
Back to the question, though. It looks like it would be awfully tight fitting a desk in that little corner. Under the stairs seems like the best place for it but I don't know where you'd put the TV then. It's also hard to give advice without knowing how big your TV/media console are. If I were you, I'd just get a bookshelf to hold all my school stuff, and then get a big enough coffee table that I could study sitting on the couch with all my stuff spread out. (Or you could study sitting at the breakfast bar if you're one of those people who can't be too comfy without falling asleep.)
Or if you have a small desk and a small media console they might both fit under the stairs.
Welcome to Ithaca! Hope you are enjoying our ridiculously warm weather!
One thing I noticed in your request is that you don't mention a place to eat - are you planning on using the small bar area for that? With our cold winters it's nice to have room to have people over for dinner. I'd try to get a dining table that could double as a desk and be cleaned off for company.
How big is your TV? Could you put a low media console under the bar overhang and put the sofa in front of the greenhouse doors, far enough out to still access the doors? You could then put the work area under the stairs.
Another option might be to convert the hall closet into an office. If you don't need it for storage (looks like you have lots of room upstairs), you could turn it into a work hub. That would keep the living space very flexible. Do a google image search for "Closet Office" to get some ideas.
Congratulations and have fun with your new place.
I really wish we could easily upload drawn suggestions to answer these kind of questions. I would put the desk under the stairs, and the media console up against the wall opposite, with the couch facing it and creating a "hallway" between it's back and the stairs. When we moved into our current apartment, we put our couch in the middle of a room like this and would never go back after this. It's a really pleasant, welcoming layout, plus having your desk under the stairs like that limits distractions, and if it's long enough gives you a landing strip.
I'd put the desk/office under the stairs.
Barstools at the counter.
You could put the media/tv on the couch wall. Then put the couch in front of the windows/doors. Obviously, leaving a nice walking path behind it... maybe 2 feet? Yu'd have to bump the one side up to the wall to leave room for the stairs. I don't know. Might be too tight.
Another option: Put the couch under the stairs... media on the wall where the couch is currently. Then put your desk/office to the left of the Media area (between glass doors and the tv). Barstools at the counter.
The best advice I have for you since we live in a loft as well... just move things around like a crazy person until you find that perfect harmony. I cannot tell you how many times I've rearranged our loft, but each time you get closer and closer to that flow and balance.
This is a nice example of a desk under a stairs.
If you want to put both the tv and the desk under the stairs, maybe something like this will work. (minus some of the cabinetry).
putting the couch in front of the balcony would obstruct the flow from the heating vent. maybe put the couch under the stairs? Looks like you have about 7feet to work with there. if you opt for a love seat that might work. you could position the media console closer to the kitchen on the opposite wall and the desk closer to the balcony on that same wall.
oh, i just read crosberg's suggestion. i like that even better. the study area would be very cozy.
forget the couch. get two chairs. much more versatile.
The opening of the sliding glass door on the right is problematic for the flow. If you could reverse it, you'd be walking into the center of the room, and you could put the desk on the right.
Thank you all for the suggestions. Please keep them coming. I really appreciate it.
@Anna Lisa: I didn't get the Bernard reference. But, yeah, now that you mentioned it.. Cornell does seem irrelevant and a show-off. Though, honestly, that wasn't the intention. I was just giving an introduction.
@FishEggs: Thank you. I am really looking forward to it.
@ Crosberg: Thank you. It indeed makes sense.. I get the picture though... Like a long entryway.
@Sewtrashy: Yeah, I think a trial-and-balance should eventually get to the harmonious "home".
Other contributors, thanks again. And I hope to get some more suggestions.
Well. I am MORE THAN A LITTLE JEALOUS.
I agree with Lady J, get two chairs rather than a couch. Couch or no, consider taller end tables rather than a coffee table. I assume you'll spend lots of time eating in the living room since you didn't mention an eating area (and, you know, we all do it), so rather than hunching over your coffee table like a cave woman, picture two chairs angled around a tall side table. Isn't that nicer?
Also if you haven't yet purchased the media console, do consider something you can put in a corner and turn the TV at an angle so it doesn't limit your options, such as a bookshelf where the TV goes on top.
You might also consider a "secretary" piece of furniture, that is, a bookshelf or cabinet where one of the drawers folds out into a desk. You could use it for both your desk and media center. These used to be more common, so check out some vintage options. Another way to combine the two might be to use a computer monitor as your TV, using an adapter thing you can ask about at RadioShack probably. If you've got a computer, you may find there's no need for DVD player, iPod station and TV.
That being said if you opt for chairs I'd place them right around where the heat register is facing the bar, then your TV center in the corner to the left of the bar and your desk under the stairs. If you opt for a sofa, you could place bar stools at the bar, then put the sofa with its back to the bar and your TV thing along the wall with the TV at an angle.
Good luck, have fun, and be careful on those terrifying stairs!
It's really hard to tell exactly how much space there is under those stairs -- but if you're willing to compromise a little on either viewing position or screen size, it might be possible to put the TV and the desk there with a little creativity.
If you were to run a long worksurface the entire width of the under-stair area, I think you'd have room to place the TV under it on the right side, and room to sit and work to the left of the TV. As a bonus, the desk area would probably serve as a nice serving area if you cleared it off.
Welcome, fellow Cornellian! If you need any help navigating Ithaca, my netid is keb232. Also, I know you're not asking about where to obtain furnishings, but the Cornell Dump and Run Sale is a great place to start.