apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would suggest getting larger rugs and painting the walls a bolder color (or at least an accent wall). It will help the room appear to be more filled.

Also, I think you need larger scale pieces of art. Then it will be perfect =) Your dining set is great by the way...

I think you're already onto something with the width-wise placement of that rug ... it helps to reduce the feeling of length in that big space.

And I agree that larger-scale art -- perhaps even a sculptural piece that could stand on the floor? -- would be helpful.

You might play with pulling furniture off the walls in the living room. Try placing a couch (or chair) with it's back to the dining room or door to definte a more cozy seating area.

What a big, lovely space! I don't have an exact answer for you - only a suggestion for working towards an answer on furniture placement. I think the reason the room has a "bowling alley" feel is because that is how you have routed the traffic flow from one room to another in that way. From the pics, it looks like you enter from the front door and turn left and you are routed through the center of the living room to the doorway on the right to the kitchen. Before you change furniture placement and break up this traffic flow pattern, are you certain that you want to walk around pieces of furniture floating in the center of the living room? To break up the "hallway" feeling, I think you will have establish a new traffic flow pattern and then place the furniture accordingly. Some people prefer a quick and painless way to get from one room to another - if this is the case with you, then you may want to stay with the hallway arrangement. Others people do not mind a meandering path through rooms. So I think a lot depends on how you use your home and what your preferred traffic pattern is.

I know this isn't an answer. I think the dining room has a nice arrangement as is.

In my former apartment in Brooklyn, the living room measured 20 feet wide by 28 feet long, and the size long flummoxed us. Finally the solution was found. We placed a round center table at the heart of the room and arranged two seating areas on either side, one with a settee and two chairs and the other with a sectional sofa nestled into one corner, accompanied by chairs and tables. It gave the over-large space a sense of balance and fullness; the center table could be used for dining, if we wished, or card games, et cetera, though it usually held magazines and books. The table basically acted as a fulcrum, around which the rest of the space revolved. And it was great for parties, for the setting up of drinks and such.

I would get a shallower thing for the TV to sit on (you don't need that depth with that TV) and then put it on the opposite wall. Move the sofa closer to it so that there's room to walk behind the sofa to the dining room. You'll have a cosier, better-defined seating area and people won't be walking through it to get to the other room.

I see exactly what you mean when you say it looks like a long hallway.

The first thing I noticed was all the lines pointing in the same direction, the "length" direction - the floorboards, the stripes on both rugs and even the stripes on the dining chairs.

If you immediately rotated the dining area rug so that the stripes run from side to side and also fully extended the table so that it filled the width of the space better, I think you would make a significant difference in minutes. Also if you could relocate that tall cabinet to one of the narrow walls dividing the two rooms (so it can't be seen from the lounge area) that will also help give a sense of width. However don't then replace it with the sideboard, you need something (or somethings) on that back wall that wil make the room look broad not narrow.

In the lounge part I think you need to move the furniture away from the walls and arrange it so that you have to meander around it to get to the dining area. At the moment you could shoot a cannon through that room, and that's why it feels like a corridor.

I really like that blue rug, but I'm not sure that it's the right proportions for the space. Even if you rotate it so that again the stripes aren't aligned with the length of the space I think it may be too narrow.

I wonder could you reorientate your living room so that the TV is on the wall opposite the dining area. That would immediately relocate all your seating so that it's not along the long wall of the lounge area.

I'd follow Aesthete's lead in dividing the room up into sections. I also have a large room with minimal wall space due to doorways and a sliding glass door. What we did was divide the room into three sections: TV/visiting area, informal dining area and a computer desk area with a laptop for email, bill paying etc. (The big ugly computer, file cabinet, etc. are hidden away in the office)
So... maybe if you come up with two or three functions you can do in the room and section off each area, it will make it a little more cozy. But still keep the same color scheme and style for each section to tie the room together.

as others have suggested, i think floating your furniture & pulling the sofa and side chairs out of the corners would go a long way to breaking up the space. also i think a larger living room rug is in order to define that space. also, open shelving or a game table as suggested above could function to mark space.

I think it is the TV placement which is the main problem; If you could move the TV so that it is on the short wall by the hall way enrance, then you could swing the couch around 90 degrees which would help greatly. Also with a flat screen TV like that you need to take advantage of the fact you don't need a big unit to put it on.

No help but, I have that exact light fixture above your dining table except mine has white glass instead of colored. I bought it with a whole dining set from craigslist. The buffet that it cam with looks a lot like yours as well. Are there any origins or stories that you know of?

I was told I would have to rewire my light fixture since it didn't have a ground wire. Did you have to do the same?

i definitely agree with the poster who suggested moving the TV to the short wall next to the entryway and then putting the couch opposite it (with its back to the dining area) and orienting that room that way. i think that will create a sense that it is really it's own space.

another thing you might consider is painting or wallpapering the walls in the dining area, because that would also make it it's own room.

Your home has many little pieces, which combined together in this large space wind up looking disjointed.

For example, the tea cart is a lovely idea, but it doesn't fit your space, and is too small to make an impact. (perhaps get a higher, larger, fully-outfitted bar cart, as per Domino spreads and position it on a larger piece of wall)

The tall teak cabinet is totally the wrong shape -- too tall and skinny -- for the wide horizontal dining room wall you have placed it on. It looks lonely sitting there by itself... either get 2 more 3 additional pieces, or go with something else. A good option would be to centre the buffet/hutch on that wall, moving it from where it is. That way as well, you will be able to stretch out the leaves of your table without having to change its orientation.

Here is an idea of the sort of dining hutch many of my parents' friends had in the Danish Modern vein that would look great on your wall:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79761301@N00/3216783257/

As well, there are too many tall skinny torchière lamps in your space, which are also the wrong proportions... they do not complement that '70s Danish Modern vibe you are creating (too '90s).

As others have pointed out, your art work is too small. The stained glass piece is very nice, but in order to have an impact it would need to be much lower, closer to the top of the buffet (you would have to choose between the sculpture or the stained glass, because they would not work together). You could for example, arrange photographs in identical frames in a 4 x 3 arrangement on the large wall in the living room (or whatever size fits your chosen works).

The reason that your living room feels like a long hallway is that it is set up for tv watching...

I would re-arrange the space as a conversation area, removing the lazy boy and arm chair (ironically, their proportions are both too bulky for your space), and adding either another (small) sofa and 2 arm chairs, or a sectional and 2 armchairs, or just 2 to 4 armchairs (it all depends on the size and type of armchairs you go with). One possible arrangement is to have the armchairs facing the short wall, and facing the sofa wall.

My suggestion to make the room less focused on tv would be to move the tv to the short wall, the entry hall wall, and actually hang it. I would put a long and much more narrow and less imposing unit underneath (perhaps wall-hung). Actually a Cado wall unit would work nicely for the sort of Danish modern look you seem to be after... (these armchairs would be lovely in your space!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v339/robert2003robert/sittingroom_046.jpg

And, as has already been mentioned, you need much larger area rugs.

Good luck!

Speaking of the perfect lamp...!

My parents had this exact lamp (one in red, and two in black) in their '79s Danish Modern home!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/classifieds

We also have a room like this, but in our case it's the master bedroom, and our solution is going to be to restore the old wall that used to be there and make it two rooms again. That's really helpful to you, right!? lol.

In your case, I'd say first that the dining area looks great as is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, so I'd be looking to rearrange the living area. If it will work with the dimensions of the room, I do like the idea of moving the TV to the short wall and having the couch or maybe a couple chairs facing it. If you move the couch so its back is to the dining area, I'd consider putting something decorative/functional behind it, like low bookshelves, a sofa table to hold art/lamp/magazines, or maybe a small antique writing desk--something that fits your lifestyle. If it were me, and space allowed, I'd probably put low bookshelves behind the couch, and maybe keep that black chair, lamp, and table in the corner where they are and make it a separate little cozy reading nook--just add a little textured throw rug and a pillow/throw or two, and I think you'd be good there.

Definitely move the TV to the shorter wall where the shelves are now and move the couch so that the back is facing the dining room. Then place one armchair against the wall where the couch is currently and one facing it. This will define the living area and break up the bowling alley feel. Plus, you need some plants!

I think the dining room is largely OK, though I'd move that tall, skinny cabinet to the corner, but put it at an angle.

Optional: I'd also sell the puffy black leather armchair (it seems out of place) and use the one next to the window as part of the living room instead. And I'd replace the floor lamps that currently flank the couch with table lamps. Like someone else mentioned, you have too many tall, skinny things in the space. Some Danish modern-style ceramic lamps (in colors that complement the painting) and would look great with your current stuff. I'd make or acquire new covers for the couch cushions. Perhaps in blue or orange. The current ones blend in too much.

Ditto with Fondantfancy and mschateliane. I think the problem is that the living space is currently all about the TV. I'd place it along the short wall near the entryway and group two of your favorite tv watching chairs in front of it. Then turn the sofa's back to it to create a hang out nook (with the extra chair) not associated with the tv. The rug can go in the tv nook. This will still leave you with a good corridor for walking through but break up the cavernousness. Use the tea carts as side tables and put the lamps in the corners as you have done (with one next to the sofa)

Creating separate spaces would also give you the opportunity to group similarly styled furniture and artwork, to create a more cohesive feel.

I think you've done a really great job playing up the vertical space in these two rooms, but I do think that you should switch the buffet and the teak hutch in the dining area, or even move it into the living area.

Good luck!

This is a nice space and you have some nice things; it just needs a some tweaking to look great. The hallway effect is emphasized by the fact that your living room furniture is lined up against the walls (mostly the same wall), with a long walkway down the center. And everything is pointed at the TV.

---Move your TV to the shorter wall leading to your entry (where you have the shelving unit now). Also, can you get a different unit for the TV? The TV and base work like a black hole; they visually weigh the room down a lot. And that’s not the focal point you want for the room.

---Keep your sofa in its existing location. Hang a large work of art over it. You need to create a new focal point here. Think SCALE. The piece you now have is too small.

---Slide the tan chair & ottoman over a bit on the same wall, so it is facing the dining room (rather than in the corner pointing at the TV).

--Rotate the blue striped rug so the stripes are running the opposite direction. This will work better with your furniture arrangement, and the stripes will actually make the room look wider. If you have the budget, I’d consider getting a much larger sisal rug and layering the striped rug over it.

---Your dining room is huge! Leave the table as is, but open up the extensions and spread out your existing 4 chairs. It is too cramped now, and you've got so much space to work with.

---Move your lovely sideboard to the wall behind the table (where you have the tall shelf now). Center it on the wall, and flank it with the 2 extra dining chairs. (No, you don’t need to bring those chairs to the table when you open the extensions). Get a LARGE work of art (or textile or grouping of artworks if that is more affordable) and hang it over the sideboard. Placing the sideboard on this end wall will “bookend” the entire space. Your eye will “stop” at the end, rather than continuing on like a bowling alley.

---Move the tall shelving unit to the living room, to the wall where the black recliner is now located. It should be facing the entry wall. (If you need it for dishes, you could move it to another wall in the dining room... can't see that space much in your pix.)

---Get rid of the black recliner, the teeny-tiny artwork and tchotchkes, and multitudes of floor lamps. And relocate some of the side tables to another part of the house – you’re swimming in tiny tables and skinny floor lamps! Bring some of the color from the dining room light fixture into the living room via pillows on the sofa and/or chairs (replace the print pillows on the sofa and the tan pillow that matches the chair – too busy and “matchy” respectively. Introduce some new textures: iron, plastic or steel, and a giant tree-like houseplant. And how about a big, chunky ceramic table lamp? If you don’t hate curtains, consider them for some much needed softness and texture. Something very simple and the same in both spaces, layered over the blinds.

Oops. Keep your TV in the same place.... my misteak.

Turn the dining table 90 degrees so that the people sitting at the table can also easily see into the living room without having to turn completely around.

The first thing I see is why is that side chair pushed in the corner next to the tall bookcase/cabinet. Looks like a time out chair for someone misbehaving.

I would push that bookcase/cabinet to one side or another and fill that wall with art, move the chair to another room.

Your living space looks like a bowling alley because that's how you've arranged it, with everything in a row along the walls and even the stripes on the rugs in line with the wood flooring.

Turn both rugs 90 degrees - or better yet, replace them both with larger that have non-linear patterns such as circles or tribal/oriental motifs.

The more you get furniture into the room facing one another and away from the walls, the less the room will appear corridor-like. Place the end tables on either side of the sofa where they belong and get some chunky/overscale table lamps on them - and get rid of the forest of spindly pole lamps. Get rid of the black recliner too - you have an Eames Chair, so use it! Turn the the chairs 90 degrees so that they face one another across the coffee table for conversation rather than the Television, and place the Eames ottoman across the coffee table from the sofa so that it can be used as a seat or as an ottoman for the Eames chair when it's turned to face the TV.

Remove the tall skinny cabinet in the dining area and move the sideboard to the center of the back wall - place a mirror above with a mirror or oversized artwork above to act as a focal point. The long-long panel across from the windows in the dining area (is that stained glass?) - investigate hanging it within the archway between the living room and dining room to help break up the space and allow light to pass thru.

Get some draperies on those windows and some color on those walls. Choose paint colors that are complimentary but not the same - perhaps pull colors from your stained glass panel? The bolder/deeper color could be used in the dining area, again to draw your eye back into that space.

Good luck!

You're right, you have such a long bowling alley of a room. But I think the comments above are onto something. Making the lounge area a more useful space, since you don't sound like someone who watches TV all that often, get rid of it. Use that space instead, as suggested above for bill-paying, computer surfing, or better yet, move your bed, basin and a small refrigerator into the room so you can eat, sleep and bathe all at the same time. You've got enough room - USE IT!