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dsf767

Condo Living Room Setip

dsf767
9 years ago

All,

I live in a Condo with a living room that is about 15ft x 14 ft.

Its not a tiny room by any means however it is a hard room to work with. The TV is in a built in at the front of the room,

With the old couch we were put it against the back wall (about 15ft away from a 65" TV so not optimal for viewing) put a coffee table in front of it and called it a day.

Well we decided we needed a new couch (the old one was getting old) so figured we would get a sectional to add more seating in the room. The original plan was to just put the sectional against the back all where the couch used to be and call it a day.

The issue with this is there is real no eating area in our whole condo other then a small w person breakfast bar we never use and usually end up eating at the couch on the coffee table

While furniture shopping the sales person suggested floating the new sectional out closer to the TV and put a small apartment dining table behind the couch.

We thought this was a good idea for one because it would get us closer to the TV and two at some point with in the next year we plan to sell the condo so it would be nice to be able to stage it with an eating area so the room seems more useful.

So today we decided to play with the measuring tape, and another issue came up, in order to have enough room behind the new sectional for a small table it would the LAF sofa side of the new sectional would almost right up against the built in, now granted this is the seat that would get used the least (almost never) however we are now worried that this might make the room look almost too full.

Attached are some pictures, we moved the current sofa to where the back of the new sectional would be and took a picture of both in front as well as behind it (with a tape measure on the floor for how wide the apartment dining table would be.

Thoughts would be appreciated


Comments (16)

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Honestly? What I'd do is take out the build-in shelving, if it can be done easily.

    Then, put your new sectional where the builtins were. Get an articulating arm on which to put the TV on the wall next to the window OR on the wall directly across from the large part of the sectional, the wall that is now behind the back of your sofa, using floating shelves for the components.

    Table for dining in the place your plan for now, but there'd be more space for it.

  • dsf767
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Cant take out the built-in. It was a converted from a closet. This room also has 4 entry point into it. one from outside, one from the hallway, one from the kitchen, and one from one of the bedrooms. This is a room where I really have to work with what I have unfortunately.

    Here is an older picture of the built-in (not current but looks exactly the same) and as you can see its not a simple set of built-in shelving.

    To be honest its not something I would ever consider because of the work involved in doing it.

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    The sales person's idea sounds good but I think it will look terribly awkward with the sofa cutting the area in half. Could you post photos of the rest of the room - the area you are standing in when you take the photos?

    Could you put the TV in front of the window?

    I would think very carefully before buying a sectional. You are limited in placement, and it won't provide as much seating space as you think it will.

  • detroit_burb
    9 years ago

    look up "apartment couch" to get an idea of smaller couches with compact looks, and get one couch, and two compact armchairs. arrange the couch under the window perpendicular to the wall unit and place the two armchairs across from the couch for easy walking into the seating area and good conversation setup. The couch should be just under 6' in length, and the two chairs should places so that the ends of the chairs are in line with the end of the couch across from them. Buy a coffee table that converts between coffee table and full height table. Use it full height most of the time, and convert to coffee table for a party and place it between the couch and armchairs. Another coffee table choice would be a 5' Nelson bench which can have dual use as well and is proportioned appropriately for your room.

    this arrangement will leave space for some other kind of arrangement on the wall opposite to the wall unit. Ideas are additional bookshelves, a nice desk with a lamp.

    You have enough room to achieve what you want, you need to concentrate on furniture pieces that are compact and can have dual purpose.

  • crl_
    9 years ago

    How would you feel about a couch along the wall under the window and a small round table with two plush dining chairs on the wall opposite the television?

    Maybe chairs something like the Grayson arm chairs from pottery barn (I haven't sat in these and you would want to before choosing them--just offered as an example).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Dining arm chairs

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    I'd hold off on a sectional. The room is just too small for one. I think the problem here is the placement of the TV. Where it is now is forcing you to put the sofa in awkward places. Think about moving the TV to the wall to the right of the window, maybe on an articulating arm so you can push it in and angle it if you wish. Place the sofa facing the TV so that you create a hallway behind the sofa from the brown door, sofa is at a right angle from the built-ins. Then a chair on a diagonal, facing the built-ins and sofa, which can be turned for TV viewing, and your dining table in the back of the room.

  • crl_
    9 years ago

    Another option would be a sectional essentially along the window wall and the wall across from the television. You could put a sofa table behind the section along the wall across from the television which would move that part a little closer to the television. Then you could add a coffee table that converts to a dining table.

    That accomplishes some of your goals, though maybe it is not as good for staging purposes.

    I'm also not entirely sure that your original proposal won't work. If the part of the sectional that runs under the window is a chaise, I think it might look fine. I wonder if you can mock it up somehow--use boxes or something? Maybe that would help you visualize.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Apartment therapy on coffee to dining tables

  • OKMoreh
    9 years ago

    I might keep the TV in the built-in, with an apartment-scale sofa (also called a studio sofa) facing it. Such a sofa is usually about 72 inches long. Then I'd float two chairs in front of the built in (if this can be done without blocking the view of the TV). This would leave room for a drop-leaf or expandable table at the other end of the room; for it, choose two chairs with arms that you can pull into the LR seating arrangement when you need them. It might be possible to use the dining table as a sofa table when it's not expanded.

    If you want to keep the feel as open as possible, don't use end tables with the sofa - if you need lamps either for reading, pharmacy lamps take up almost no physical or visual space.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Possible chair for facing the sofa

  • always1stepbehind
    9 years ago

    You could to a sectional that is 3-4 person across one side (facing the tv) and then the other side shorter, 2 person.

    How much space is behind sofa to that back wall? and how many inches do you have that measuring tape pulled out?

    I would try a drop leaf either up against that back wall or even up against the back of the sofa/sectional like a "sofa table" and then can be used as a dining table.

    One last question, do you want a table that "can be" used daily for eating or just when you have guests?

  • sc_irish
    9 years ago

    Why had no one thought to put a small table - maybe a small drop-leaf (with the sides 'dropped') under the window? That way, the sofa (of whatever size and choice) could remain along the wall opposite the TV. I would NOT try to fit any sort of sectional into that space. A smallish club chair could float, while the two chairs used for dining at the table could be used when more seating is needed. The dining table could even have a floor length skirt on it if more softness would help. I could see ladder-back, rush seat chairs tucked under each end of the table when not needed. The table could hold a lamp, sized so it could be placed on the window ledge if need be, and a pharmacy lamp at the opposite end of the sofa.

  • TxMarti
    9 years ago

    Am I understanding correctly that without a table in this room you have no dining area? There's a corner of something sticking out in the top picture. Is that a table or a bar, or something else? If you have just a breakfast table area, I'd keep it at that and not crowd this room with a table.

    I just don't think you have enough room for a table and chairs and upholstered seating in that room. Without seeing how much room you have opposite the window, I think a loveseat under the window and two chairs next to it facing the tv would work best. That's assuming that corner sticking out is part of the kitchen.

    If that corner isn't part of the kitchen and you could put chairs there, that would work too.

  • always1stepbehind
    9 years ago

    I think if it's the right sized/scale sectional it could work. It look my along time to find what I needed, but I was able to work a sectional in my condo.

    I have it pulled out a little more than this original picture from when it first was delivered. There is even an armoire behind it on the wall that leads in to the hallway. (you san see it a little next to the plant in the picture)

    Don't give up on a sectional yet.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    IMO, the room is too small for a separate dining area. Instead I would make the LR convertible to a DR with a convertible coffee table that becomes a dining table when you need it.

    I think a sofa and chairs (apartment sized) would work better for the flexible use of the space. I'd rather see the sofa under the window (not high backed like the existing one) and a couple of easy chairs or club chairs across from it.

    If you don't entertain a lot, they do have coffee tables that pull up to one side for eating at the sofa which might also work for you.

    {{!gwi}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: convertible coffee table

  • Faux68
    9 years ago

    Always1StepBehind: where did you get that sectional? Is it comfortable? My son wants one for his first apartment. I showed him your picture and he said "we have to find it".

    If Always doesn't come back to answer does anyone recognize it??

    Also, DSF, what did you decide to do? My sons apartment layout if VERY similar.

    Thank you!

  • always1stepbehind
    9 years ago

    Faux68-The sectional is from Macys. It is very comfortable and fits perfectly in my space. I've had it almost a year and a half and no problems so far. I had looked a long time for a smaller scaled sectional in the style I wanted and something I could afford. I did find another one I LOVED from Thomasville but it was like $5000. and that was on SALE!! I got mine during a "lowest price of the season", free delivery and zero percent financing for 12 months.

  • Faux68
    9 years ago

    always1stepbehind: Thank you so much. Macy's is having a sale right now. It is SO hard to buy something like this online but it helps knowing that you have it and you are happy with it. I think it looks great.

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