Amen!

The space shown in the photo is so great -- what exactly is the gripe? Love the Loring couch from Room and Board, by the way. I have it too, in that wonderful "spa" color. (They call it "cloud").

Maybe add an end table or two? It looks pretty, but what about living in it. You can have a house full of amazing, expensive furniture, but it doesn't do anything for you if it isn't functional. It's like having a living room full of white, when you have a load of dirty messy kids running around. It's going to drive you nuts!

It's such a simple concept, but so many folks get caught up in what they are "supposed to do" with the rooms of their homes...
...but so many people simply just lack the imagination of using rooms in a different way.

In my Sister's home, since everyone sits in the Family Room to socialize and watch TV but they also host large family dinners, they turned their "Living Room" into a large Dining Room, and the small "Dining Room" into a Home Office.

I think we've seen this pic before. Love the couch and LOVE! the rug... who is it?

The living space in the photo has some nice pieces. But what is the purpose of that room? The sofa up against the wall and over bearing for that cocktail table. It seems those two pieces are struggling with one another- the scale is off and the table is just too low.

I think an end table high enough to set things on and a lamp would make a nice spot to sit and read. I am a big sofa and cocktail table user I sit there with my laptop, coffee in the morning, water and wine at night so they have to work in height and scale. I like lamps and not relying on lighting over my head, even a floor lamp at one end would soften it some.

Not to be so picky but the symmetrical matching pillows pulls the attention too much.

I learned how to create the right setup while I was in interior design school. They put a lot of emphasis on that fact. Start by writing a thorough program of your needs and expectations and then, open your mind to find a space plan that fits into your lifestyle.

Good space planning takes into account people flows and ergonomics. Like you said if you are not able to function well in a room, you feel stress. It is only after all that thinking that you can start thinking about specific furniture and the room style. Even without replacing all your furniture, you can discover a better setup for your home.

I love knowing that Thomas O'Brien turned his living room into his bedroom. We did something similar -- the previous owner had added a den to the end of the house, and since it was much easier to access for my wheelchair-bound bf (like O'Brien), we made that room our bedroom.

as much as i love the look of the eames elliptical coffee table, i find it impractical, at least for me. I like to sit on the couch and kick my feet on the coffee table.

as a result, i tend to prefer really sturdy glass top coffee tables, so i don't have to fret about scuffs on wood, watermarks, etc. Thus, a home to my life.

I agree that the table is too low. Besides that, it seems too modern compared to the more traditional-looking sofa. Your friend might consider a tea table, which is at a higher level. As it is, the room seems geared more toward TV watching than entertaining. Perhaps some small chairs on the opposite side of the coffee table or to the left?

Perhaps paint at least one of the walls a warmer color? Not crazy about the rug; its bold pattern overwhelms the rest of the space and draws your attention to the floor because except for the orange stools and yellow pillows, nothing really stands out. If you paint an accent wall, say yellow or burnt orange behind the couch, then the rug wouldn't stand out so much.

Nice room, but there's nothing personal or particularly comfortable about it. It kind of doesn't look like anyone lives there - its got a display room feel to it, like it was decorated to sell the house.

Really the only 2 things you can do in this room - watch the tv, sit at the bar. Maybe a nice warm colour on one or two walls. Another chair or two. The rug is ok but kind of cold. The coffee table is definitely too low for comfort. Some books and magazines. Some plants. Some less-regimented art. Anything would help.

ok, i may be the only one here but with all the people commenting on what to do with THIS room, i don't really think the picture belongs to the post. Often in AT posts the photo isn't for that exact thing, but just about it in general. I'm guessing this is just a photo they stuck in here and not the home of the friend who doesn't like her place.

Or i could be wrong, just my thoughts though.

I also don't this this topic is about tips for the room pictured -I think its about "what is my home for" and how do design it to fit that purpose.
A challenge I have is my home is to practice my cello. I have a one bedroom apartment so I have to keep taking out and putting back my cello, music stand, and chair. When not using it I have my cello in the corner, I'm too lazy to put it back in the case, but I know I'm risking it getting damaged. Plus if I put it away I don't practice. Practice nook perhaps??

The photo belongs to a house tour that was posted recently.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/house-tours/house-tour-marisas-midcentury-meets-vintage-condo-los-angeles-059083

^ That one.

My interior design company, Lifestyle Space Design, focusses on exactly this issue. It doesn't matter how pretty it is, what colour it is or what style it is, if it doesn't function well for the client's use of the space. I work primarily in Manhattan, where space is at a huge premium, so it is even more important to tailor the environment to the client's lifestyle.

Our words to live by:

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or consider to be beautiful" (William Morris, 1882).

Sometimes you just gotta think INSIDE the box...

Its probably because everything looks too new and perfect which can turn things cold, especially with the combination with the recessed lighting. Nothing is really popping out. I think what would help is perhaps a very large painting behind the sofa. Or perhaps a large melange of different sized artworks and photographs arranged less "perfectly" and more as a collage. With different frames. Some antique or vintage pieces would probably go a long way to warm things up as well.

I'm in the process of moving into a cohabitating environment. Its interesting and challenging process because the bf and i have different ideas of funtionality and room use. It's an ongoing discussion which really is bringing to light exactly how both of us funtion in the space. It's great, difficult, and rewarding as we move towards a better living space.

This issue comes up quite often in my specialty, kitchen and bath design, because so much of a home's value is tied into those two rooms. Clients start thinking about what will bring them the largest return on their financial investment, rather than what will necessarily work best for their personal needs. Here's my input as a designer: If you're planning on staying put for a very long time, do what makes sense for how you live, dine, play, relax, cook, etc. Do you really need 15,000 BTUs and six burners, just because the Joneses have them? Would that master bath tub space work better as a two-person shower? Your home for the next decade-plus should fit your life, not the next owners', or the neighbors.

YES!

My dining table is now at the front of my livingroom, where there is a large picture window.....plenty of space and light, which I didn't have in the kitchen where the table is "supposed to go".

My sister also moved her small dining table to her livingroom for the same reason. Her computer desk is now in the kitchen.

The bonus is that now we also have more seating in the livingroom when we have visitors.

I wish I had discovered that I could re-think my space in my previous apartment which I had for ten years. The bedroom would have been better used as a livingroom.

When I finally moved onto my flat, my sister suggested turning the master bedroom into a home office library, and a small guest room into my sleeping quarters. She couldn't have been more right.
I own tons of books and although I don't work at home sometimes I get some freelance work with writing or translations, so I love having a real room where I can concentrate and be inspired. If I had gone by conventional wisdom, now I'd have an oversized sleeping place with no real use and I'd be cramming my computer and books in some untidy corner of the living room.

mcalpena that is such a great idea and better use for you. I would love to do that but my master room is the quietest room which is must for my sleeping..how I would of loved to made my front room a bedroom because of all the architectual detailing and my master bedrm my home office because it is a perfect big square room good for bookcases.

Humm maybe I will get ear plugs and switch them out.

Great advice!

It reminds me of Marcus Aurelius (also quoted in Silence of the Lambs): "of a thing, ask it: what is its nature? What does it do?"

This basic question gives you the bottom line and is helpful for understanding space, people, etc. (This is a simplified version, of course!).

Anyway, I'm curious what Thomas O'Brien's home looks like now...

I.

I like the concept behind this post, but it's so easy to say a formal dining room isn't necessary. No duh, that's always the first thing to go. How about the rest of my life and space? I have everything around that I need (bed, kitchen table).. How do I fit my home with my life?