apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Gayle, what is the 8.4 ft wall, a full height wall - half height - half height with barstools? Is the section to the right of the kitchen a dining area?

One idea... I'd pretend there's a rectangle imposed on the room that hugs the 13.5 ft. wall, you can easily arrange your TV & sofas/chair within that footprint (TV on the 13.5 ft wall, with sofa floating in the room focused toward it, or TV on the 11.25 ft. non-balcony-opening wall with a low compact entertainment unit and the sofa on the 13.5 ft wall). With smaller scale furniture you can easily arrange in the center of the room without overwhelming the space, indeed, arranging away from the walls can actually heighten the sense of space for a room. As you shop for furniture you might want to consider armless or chairs with very low arms, both of which make rooms feel larger than high-armed furniture. Likewise, if you keep the furniture up off the ground (furniture legs), and have a few clear see-through pieces it helps one perceive the space as larger.

One thing I do is to cut out paper versions of furniture, just to arrange footprints, before I buy to make sure I'm not making a buying mistake. You can arrange boxes at the corners of the furniture, to approximate height and suggest the visual impact of what a sofa might have in the room, rearranging at will (well before buying).

Hope that makes sense... have fun decorating,

Another consideration is where the light comes in and at what times of day. I do not know which direction your windows are located or if there is another building blocking direct sunlight. I do not know if you watch more TV in the morning while getting up and ready or at night to chill out. There will be less direct sunlight in the room in the summer, but the sun crosses East to West at a lower and somewhat Southern line of the sky in the winter. I am looking at glare considerations. This will also apply to plants and computer screen needs etc... When you and where to want direct sun vs. when and where it is available within the room is a consideration to the function and comfort of the room that can benefit you or irritate you every day.

Some very good questions asked by the first commenter, the wall seperating the kitchen from living room, partial wall, full wall etc. That needs to be known so it can be taken in to account in the furniture arrangement(s).

Another suggestion, I'd not put too much stuff down at the far end of the room near what appears to be the dinning area, for one main reason, room to extend the table if need be for a party/guests.

I also agree to not place sofas and chairs up against walls if at all possible, and even then, pull them out just a couple of inches or so from the wall itself but never right up against it in any fashion - especially in a room like what you have.

As had already been said, arrange in a rectanglular/square shape and don't be afraid to try the diagonal effect (a rectaglular/square furniture placement in roughly a 90 degree angle to any walls). I also like the idea of the TV on the long 13.5' wall in perhaps a wall of shelving for books etc and then place the furniture around that and have some kind of shade to shield the TV if necessary for window/sliding door.

I'd also suggest a smaller cluster of chairs (2 perhaps) and a table near the sliding door area to keep the room from being too heavy at one end.