apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I guess you're not that into it, but the suggested layout in the pic above (I assume you got from the listing) looks pretty good. I wouldn't want to put anything in front of the patio doors 1) because you want that space to be inviting and not feel difficult to get to (your patio is such a treat!) and 2) you'll be cutting off a lot of light that can bounce off the floor and throughout all the nooks in that space. 3 different areas seems like you're pushing it for under 600 square feet - if you cut that back down to 2, I think the space will feel a lot less cluttered and more open, thus grown-up, as you said you'd like.

Is it possible to turn the couch 90 degrees so that it faces the wall with the door to the master bedroom and sort of encloses the living room space? Then the TV can go opposite it and it won't be the first thing you see coming down the hall. Maybe some kind of console table to pretty up the back of the couch?

Playing off Sasha's idea, the console table could then be a table serving a reading nook that would basically be where the TV is right now. So then when you head down the hallway towards the living room, it's the reading nook you see! That way, you can easily pull your reading chair over if you want to look out your patio doors. It would also be next to your fireplace then too (I assume that's a fireplace on that left wall?)

#1. Dining area could be situated in front of the patio access doors aligned and mimicking the angle of that wall. Be sure to leave space behind chairs for access to the patio doors.

#2. Turn the current dining area into a work nook. Put in a small desk and chair. Or two small arm chairs if you are a laptop user. Would be a great reading/web-browsing area.

#3. Put the TV on the same wall as the Master Bedroom access door. OR put it on the same wall with the fireplace (ABOVE the fireplace if you have a flat panel).

work with that. You have a GREAT space. Don't try to be too conventional, instead follow the lines of the space.

what's the paint color on the wall? I've had a hard time choosing a good tan to go with oak hardwood floors and yours is nice.

Here is another variation you can try as well:

1. TV: In the diagram where you have the white arm chair, move the chair and place the tv there. (this solves the looking down the hall and seeing the tv)

2. LIVING ROOM: Next angle the couch so that if faces both the tv and the fireplace. Place the coffee table in front of the couch (you look down the hall or from the master bedroom door and you see an inviting chair that you want to sit in)

3. Place the chair with foot stool on a line with the coffee table on the master bedroom door way side of the room. If the room is smaller than the photo suggests you can place the chair against the wall, but at an angle and inline with the coffee table.

4. READING NOOK: Slide the low buffet down a bit, towards the hallway door. Take the white arm chair and the side table/red hide away ottoman and place it in front of the buffet at an angle looking towards the patio doors. Add a lamp on top of the buffet. Clean out your buffet, and now it becomes your book shelf, and the chair in front of it becomes your reading nook with deck view.

5. DINING ROOM: Two suggestions for the dining room: a) either turn the table at a 90 degree angle and place a chair on each side of the table OR b) eep the chairs how they are in the diagram and turn the dining room table on an angle paralell to the patio door. It allows the reading nook to appear bigger without taking up any additional dining room space.

6. THE CAT CARRIER: Take the cat carrier you have in the dining room and place it (if it fits) inside the red hide away ottoman. If it doesn't fit, put a table cloth on the dining room table long enough to place the cat carrier underneath the table and out of eye sight. By removing the carrier from view, it gives the room more visual space.

Hope all these suggestions help.

THANKS very much for all the suggestions so far! No fireplace, although I just barely escaped having a hideous fake stone fireplace/bar in there. On the left wall...I do have a black farm bench under a window. That's that black thing.

I made the layout myself using floorplanner, which I've been using to play around with some ideas (one of which looked great to my eyes on floorplanner and HIDEOUS in person, sort of like a visually impaired person who didn't care if they ran into their furniture did it).

Reading nook: that's a great idea to have one behind the couch! I'd love to try that out. If it can fit in the space.

jamilkb: i honestly never thought of moving the dining table over. That's a great idea. We have a fantastic set now that I'd love to highlight.

cecicela: It's actually quite a yellow colour, I think I've heard it referred to as Condo Yellow before. Very standard, but I don't have the chip. We're waiting to paint until the building settles for a year.

AT DC: this is a very interesting plan! What you see as a cat carrier is probably just some boxes from right after the move.

Unfortunately the chair and footstool, which were an impulse buy and AWESOME, take up a lot of room because they glide (I know that sounds horrible, but they're cool and mod).

The problem with your current arrangement is that you're not allowing for traffic patterns or views.

I'd suggest placing your sofa perpendicular with the fireplace, it's back to the bedroom wall and place your credenza/buffet behind it - two chairs face it from across a coffee table, and on the kitchen wall is where a new flatscreen TV goes above a narrow floating credenza.

I'd pull the dining table away from the corner and float it out towards the doors to the deck on that same angle, but I'd eventually consider swapping it out for a round pedestal table or a glass-topped rectangular table. I'd also consider replacing the cabinet, etc with built-in shelves in the recesses created by the column in the middle of the far wall.

I'd also get rid of the rug under the dining area and use it in the living area under the coffee table.

after finding out that the black strip is a bench... it makes the layout much easier. jamilkb is the closest to what i'd suggest.

1. tv on wall sharing kitchen and living room. couch across the way underneath the windows. glider or white chair to the left (ie. by the patio doors but facing tv wall). bench along bedroom wall. and eventually some shelving above the bench.

2. dining room DEFINITELY parallel to patio doors. with that much space, it's better to have the dining set closer to the kitchen. this way you'll get nice views out and extra chairs very close to the living area and still facing the living area! tonnes of space to sit and converse. centre buffet along the wall it's currently at.

3. reading nook where dining room currently is. you could create a work space out of it, ie desk and all but i'd suggest something much simpler like a very clean lined console that will appear more table than workspace. then put the glider or white chair in that area with a table, nice lamp and a rug to hold the space down as individual from the rest. maybe lots of nice big cushions on the floor to hang out on and that can eventually be moved to the living area for more alternative seating.

Wow, you guys are awesome. I had honestly never thought of switching out the dining room in that way but it makes sense. Now the dining room is rather little used and separated from the living room by quite a bit of bare floor.

Built in shelving is definitely going in the space sometime in the future. There are a few nooks just crying out for it throughout.

I don't have much to add to these excellent suggestions but i'd be another vote for placing the TV on the wall that opens into the master as it would project sound away from the bedroom if people were on different schedules. I live in 600sqft and that shit matters.

Also, nice deck, and thank you for floorplanner...this thing is AWESOME

Floorplanner is a good way to waste a LOT of time.