The armoire has since relocated. Question 1: Do we like it better here?

I am considering moving the armoire back where it was but just centered more in the middle of that wall since it can move over a little. However, with it out of the room, here was a furniture arrangement I tried for the conservatory. It looks terrible. Ignore the towels, they are under the desk for ease of moving, and the front of the desk has also been taken off b/c otherwise it is too heavy to move:

How would you arrange this room so it looks nice? The desk has to stay. There has to be some couch in there but not necessarily the one that is in there now.

I am willing to buy more furniture (coffee table, chairs, etc. for the room but not a new couch. However, I also purchased this couch this weekend (this picture of it was taken at the estate sale- not in my house):

I could use the new blue sofa in the conservatory OR I could switch it w/ the yellow sofa in the kitchen and then use the yellow sofa in the conservatory:

So, if you are still reading:
1) Does the cabinet look better in the great room
2) How do I arrange the conservatory furniture
3) Should the blue sofa go in the kitchen and the yellow sofa in the conservatory (or somewhere else in the house)

Not a fan of the armoire jammed behind the couch. Could the furniture be turned to face the armoire instead? Or could the whole seating arrangement be turned so that the long side of the rug and the corresponding seating is parallel to the back wall of windows?

Also, IMO, the rug in that space is too small for all the furniture that you have placed on it - it looks like a raft with the family furniture stacked on it. Try at least pulling the rug out more, so that just the front legs of the furniture are sitting on it.

It appears to be an amazing home, but I think you need to place your furniture to take advantage of all the space, rather than pushing it all together in one small area.

But I agree with the request for an overall pic of the conservatory and great room.

les917 here are more pictures of the rooms. The furniture in the great room is oriented towards the fireplaces and book cases. The rug is actually really large, it is just a very large room.

This is an older picture, the too-small table up against the stairs has been removed for something better sized:

Conservatory:

This was before the window seat was added. The window seat is in that back bay.

Also pre-window seat:

I don't think I like this arrangement. if I did this, I could move the couch to the window bay though:

Desk in the window, which may work - have to move couch in the AM:

What is the primary function of this space? Is it reading, conversation, desk/office work, something else? What kind of feel do you want in the space--sit and gaze out the window quiet contemplation? Cozy curl up and read? Share a nice cup of tea with a friend?

It's a goregous space--those windows, the light, the bookcases (I am very envious of all the bookcases)! But I think part of your difficulty may lie in that it's hard to know what to feature here, what the focal point should be.

The focal point could be the windows, in which case the furniture should be arranged to take advantage of them. Or it could be the desk, and the furniture would be arranged a different way. Or it could be the book shelves, again with a different furniture orientation.

I think if you can puzzle out what you want the primary function of the space to be, you'll be able to choose the furniture for the space and how it should be arranged with a lot less trouble.

The idea of the couch in front of the bookcases sounds great, but with the rolling ladder, the couch would seem to end up literally in the middle of the room, which I think would feel odd.

Instead, I would put the blue couch in the bay window opposite the bookcases. That way, lying on the couch, you could enjoy the outside view from that window, and sitting or lying you would see the view out the other window. You need at least a floor lamp there, and then perhaps bunching tables (glass) in front or an end table.

On the end window space, I would angle a chair, ottoman side table and reading lamp on the left side, which would still leave functional room for the ladder.

A nice rug would be a good addition, but might be difficult again given the ladder situation.

Three lamps in the room should give you enough task lighting as well as ambient lighting so you don't have to use the overhead lighting except to clean the room (and dust all those shelves - oh my!)

les917, I've just tried the desk in that location. The blue couch isn't here yet (we bought it out of state and it's coming up in August) but I think the couch might work well in that space. We are planning to get a rug too but haven't found the right one yet.

This was the current arrangement I tried with the desk to the left of the door:

Your home is beautiful (and this is just my opinion) but I'd want pretty, but comfortable furniture. Maybe it's all comfortable, but the blue sofa LOOKS comfy and I'd bring in a little more of the soft, rolled sofas and use the french looking chairs...with poufs and ottomans. Again, just my two cents :)

The problem is the room is a nice size, but you've limited furniture due to built-in's (bookcases, window seats) and large expanses of windows (less wall space). Not to mention the rolling ladder will limit it even more - and constrict rug placement.

The blue sofa is pretty, but I fear it is too large for the room if you insist on keeping the desk too. If the desk is just for looks, move it somewhere else and make a nice comfy, curling up space with a sofa, two chairs and side tables and an ottoman or small coffee table.

How many bedrooms are there? Is there one you can make into an office and use the desk and armoire in there?

I agree with Les - the armoire appears squished behind the sofa. Plus the sofa, love seat and coffee table need to be moved so that they are not all on the rug - it's not necessary for all feet to be on the rug. The furniture will actually connect better visually with the room if it's not.

Many times, houses are built with furniture placement as an after thought. They should go hand in hand.

You have a lovely home and have some nice pieces so far. Please take your time and get a game plan before purchasing more so that you won't have to keep trying to find "homes" for the new pieces you bring home - you'll know exactly where they are going.

I don't know if the ladder could be shortened, but it might be a nice idea. I do agree...it's better to map out all your furniture placement and then find the right pieces, if possible. Of course, if you find a really great armoire, it's hard to resist...but armoires are beautiful in almost any room! :)

allison0704 the library ladder can be moved in and out. I will try that. We do have extra bedrooms but I do not want to put the desk in one. It would be too out-of-the-way then since it was purchased to be decorative, not really functional, that would kind of defeat the point. Armoire couldn't be used in any bedrooms b/c it is too tall for the bedrooms (they only have 9 ft. ceilings and the armoire is taller than that).

I am probably not buying too much more furniture. We already probably have too much furniture. I have a bad furniture habit- if I see something and I like it, I buy it. It has always worked out well in the past, I just have to fiddle around with where things go to get them right here. I tend to like a cluttered look and I don't care if furniture matches as long as it is all pieces I love.

Or, you could put the sofa in the window bay, the chair on the short wall, and the desk angled in the corner by the window seat and bookcases, facing out into the room.

The sofa would be perfect in front of the other window.

Also making a floor plan (copy existing off prints for house) and set your furniture down. You need to record all this information for insurance anyway, and photograph each separate piece for your records. You will need this for maintenance of pieces and warranties.

You will then have a plan which saves stress, physically moving things around and future purchases, task lighting and window ideas, etc.

Not that you are not doing a good job moving things around, but there is an easier way.

This WORKS but it has to be with a finished traffic pattern and task areas done and house already set for this idea to happen well.
So much easier to bring something in and know it will fit, than to bring home orphans and try and give them a home.

Beautiful home, I thought you were a home stager and trying to do a different look to the house. The professional photos with your furniture in them threw me off.

The desk is large and takes up a good deal of space in a room that while spacious, doesn't have a lot of floor space or wall space, because of the windows, window seat, bookcases and ladder. And if you want to showcase it, you need to leave more room around it, so that people can see it.

That's an imposing desk. A "tremble all those who stand before me" desk. That doesn't go with your stated goal of a cozy, curl up and read spot.

The best place for the desk would be facing the short wall, but then people can't see the woodwork. Frankly, I'd take the desk out of this room, because I don't think it fits with your goal. Instead, this room needs a more feminine style writing table.

Take the desk out, and you can float a couch in front of the bookcases to take advantage of the view and the light from the windows. Add an end table at both ends. Put a comfy chair at right angles to the couch, at both ends. Add foot stools or ottomans. Over on the short wall, a writing table or small credenza for storage and a bit of display area. Lamps on the writing table and end table for soft pools of light at night. It's a conservatory, so some indoor trees, maybe three of them, with uplighting for after dark.

a)Move the armoire back into its place in the office.

b)Place the desk in the window with a couple of lamps. Best kind of place to work!

c)Move the Sheraton sofa in front of the bookcases with a small table to hold a cup of tea or a drink.

d)Try the new blue sofa in the kitchen -- and move that kitchen sofa to the living room. Perhaps consider recovering it in deep blue.

e)The living room will now have room (with the armoire removed) to hold the original camelback sofa and loveseat AND the recovered one from the kitchen -- a nice seating arrangement -- and the room could still handle a chair or two .... perhaps on each side of the fireplace with a standing lamp? You could experiment with the pretty chair from the office -- try it out in several locations.

Then you can put the sofa in the nook and put some chairs opposite the desk for conversation either on the sofa or with the person at the desk.

You may need to fill the book cases with stuff you won't want to access on that side first so the desk can be centered...then don't move the ladder down so far unless absolutely necessary.

It always looks nice when the desk is furthest from the door and yet faces the door. This way if you're at the desk, you can see out the big window too.

It seems that this is a grand house with all the tall ceilings, and beautiful large windows. I think it calls for less, but large scale furniture. That being said, it doesn't seem like that's what you have. I LOVE the room with the fireplace and the tv in it. When I look at the room as a whole, I picture the new blue sofa coming in August in front of the fireplace. Do you have two comfy chairs to put with that? The desk could maybe even be a feature piece in there...what about where the armoire is with something (art, mirrors) in between the moldings . I feel like the armoire covers all the beautiful woodwork. Since you don't use the desk as a desk, it would just be a lovely place to display it.

Then you could put either comfy chairs or the two sofas that are now in the fireplace rm in the library/conservatory with the thought that this is a place to
read. Since I don't know all of your house, I don't know where the armoire would go, but do you have a bedroom or landing where it would function and look great?

Just thoughts....scale is key and maybe hiring a good stager or space planning person would be really helpful. You have lovely things....they just have to find their rightful place in your new beautiful home! Keep pics coming, or send plane tickets, and we'll be there in a jif!!!

oakleyok I wouldn't mind the desk being in front of the window seat but it can't be pushed back far enough to center the couch in front of the other window if the desk is by the window seat. That makes it look kind of awkward with the off-center couch.

mary_ruth we're not hiring anyone. I did the design for the entire house build myself and am very happy w/ the way it came out, so I think I can figure out the furniture too- especially with a little playing around and with help from Gardenweb :) I can do things on a floor plan diagram but it is much easier for me to play w/ different configurations in real life than to visualize on paper.

camlan there isn't really another good place for the desk in the house that I can think of but I will think on it. I like the idea of the indoor trees w/ the uplighting!

Thanks teacats. I'm not going to move the armoire back until I am sure, because it is a BIG pain to get that moved. But I do think it might have been better in its old location, but just centered more on that wall... I actually don't mind the very first picture I had w/ the desk facing the window and the couch in the window facing the desk and the armoire along the wall, and may consider going back to that.

AnnieDeighnaugh the desk would be in front of the window seat then, which I'm OK w/ like I said above, but I'm not sure it could be pushed back far enough to center the couch. I'm going to try this option out.

lizzie_grow, all of the furniture is pretty big with the exception of the kitchen couch and the couch in the conservatory. The living room couches are very large in scale, they just look small in the big room I think. I could do the desk as a display piece where the armoire is, that might work as an option. And I could get some chairs to go w/ the new blue sofa if we decide to put them in the great room. The armoire can't go in a bedroom b/c the ceilings are too short (they are 9 ft. but the armoire is taller) so the armoire has to go somewhere on the first floor. I LOVE the armoire and don't want to get rid of it, so it needs a home. And I've love for everyone to come over and have a furniture arranging party :)

We do have other furniture in the back rooms of the house that could potentially be switched w/ furniture in the main rooms, but I would prefer not to upset these rooms since I do like them. The coffee table or end tables could be switched though, or ottoman bench if either went...

Possible other coffee table? Or spot for new blue sofa? Ignore the lack of art on the walls:

Could seal bench/ottoman from here, or other chair:

Or, I could maybe move the conservatory couch into this room and take it out of the conservatory- but I don't want to overcrowd this room:

The desk and ladder block the entryway into the room. And the ottoman/coffee table is too heavy and bulky and makes the room seem really crowded. Something smaller with glass would work better here. And a smaller lighter scale desk might work better too. The library ladder, well, that has to go in a corner as far from an entrance as can be to be stored.

What I don't care for, and don't understand, is the odd angle of the couch. It blocks the window seat, it doesn't straddle the corner well, it is at odds with the ottoman, and it crowds an already small center of the room. I would like to see it sitting flat against the window wall.

The rug is also too small used as it is placed now.

Some more lighting, so that you can eliminate the glaring overhead light, and some art, and you are all set!

I so agree with Les that the sofa on the angle you have it is not ideal. Placing it in front of the window would create more space and it would also be directly facing the bookcases, which is a grand focal point. Sitting with a book next to that wonderful window would be quite a treat!

Sorry, but I also feel the ottoman, while quite handsome, is way too big and bulky for the room, and too casual with your other pieces. I particularly feel that the sofa's delicate scale is crying for something smaller and more graceful.

Btw, the sofa, which is breathtakingly beautiful, is just perfect with the Federal-inspired details you have.(All that fabulous moulding just makes me swoon!)

There is also a small distraction-the lamp in the corner seems too frilly and Victorian with the clean, understated elegance your house has. Do you have a floor lamp stashed away that has simpler, more classic lines?

You have a big house to furnish and it takes time to get things arranged, so understand experimentation is part of the process.

Enjoy that outstanding house of yours. I can't get over all the beautiful features and details it has!

May I ask, (generally) where are you located?

There isn't room for both functions because of the built ins. You've got to pick one large piece to embody the main purpose here. Either the large desk or a large sofa. Not both. Both don't work with the available floor space.

Unless you switch to a small scale writing desk and a smaller scale sofa, and maybe not even then. No extra chair at all. It's already too densely populated. And I agree with the others that the ottoman is visually too bulky and casual for the room. If you choose comfy seating as the room's primary purpose, then I'd choose a sofa that had a matching ottoman to keep the visual clutter at a minimum. All of the different books when they go in will up the noise considerably and you want to try to minimize that effect.

I do think the elegance and grace of the room would be enhanced by less furniture, (but I do understand wanting to have it all!).

The desk is gorgeous and the sofa is too! But I agree with Green that the ideal scenario would be to have one or the other in that room. A sweet tea table with high legs in front of the sofa would allow you to comfortably reach for your beverage and book, and would be in scale with the sofa.

It's a light, bright, airy, gorgeous room, and I'd want to capitalize on and draw more attention to those wonderful qualities by taking some *things* out of it!

For those who may not have noticed, the thread was started quite a while ago and beagles has now returned to show how the room turned out. The thread title is from the "before", not the "after". Since beagles hasn't mentioned that it feels too crowded, I'm assuming it doesn't. I always appreciate it when posters come back to show the end product after posting here for feedback!

When we finish our basement, we'll also put in a study down there I believe- a more wood paneled mahogany traditional style study and at that time, maybe this desk can move down there and we can get something smaller or different for this room. In the meantime, I really love sitting in there and looking at all the old books we collected- it is also my dog's favorite room, she likes the couch and to sit in the sun, LOL.

fripper the blue is Sherwin Williams SW6242 bracing blue

I'm sure your wedding will be lovely. I offer your fiance my congratulations, and wish you both years of happiness together.

You must be much younger than your house would lead one to guess. You have very sophisticated taste!

We're having a very small wedding, simple ceremony at the house, the highlight will be that we've hired a french crepe maker (had to be in keeping w/ the vaguely french inspired kitchen LOL)

I am 29, my fiance is 34 so I guess we're young although I cannot BELIEVE I am almost 30!!

I like the angle of your couch and desk size. I think you are just missing those personal touches that makes it look like someone lives there instead of a photo op so the focus is on that corner.
It sounds perfect and functional, you get to sit at the desk and look out the window and see your dog and books.