Get rid of the love seat and get a second full-size sofa. Place each sofa so that they are facing each other, with the FP centered. Large coffee table between them.

Either put shelving in the TV alcove for books and knickknacks, or move the piano into the alcove, or close it off with wallboard and hang the TV there on an articulating arm. Or, put the TV on an articulating arm on the wall where the leather sofa is now.

Console tables behind each sofa for lamps and decor and to give the sofas/seating area a finished look and feel.

Piano has to be moved with this setup.

I would try pulling the sofa forward so you create a hallway behind the sofa.

Not sure if you have room, but it would pull your seating area more together making is more intimate and all traffic would be outside of your seating.

The reality is, you will have a traffic pattern in the room, so better to accommodate it.

I would close off one entrance to the LR instead of having both on either side of the stone wall. Probably the one by the DR. Put a bookcase there, a plant, something so it's not used. Then you have a corner around which to create a more cozy grouping. Put the loveseat there so it faces the deck and creates an L with the sofa. Put the coffee table in front of the sofa and now you have a conversational cluster. Put the single chair on the other side and force the traffic in front of the fireplace to get anywhere.

You can then dress up the remaining area by the deck doors as you see fit...a small secretary and chair or an easy chair with a small table, or whatever...

I'm not sure you have two front entrances from the outside; isn't the one next to the tv, just the hallway to bedrooms? If not, I agree w/annie to close it off (leaving the one that looks like it goes to the patio and then the main entrance).

I agree with the plan deee suggested, tho' Tibbrix's would work, too, if you want to get different furniture and move the piano. I'd put the white loveseat as close as possible to the brown couch, forming an L, then move the chair facing opposite it on the other side of the couch, with the coffee table in the middle of all. That would force the traffic on the fireplace side of the room. It will disturb TV watchers when someone walks in front of it, but hopefully that won't be much of a problem.

I have a long narrow living room and my sectional is my friend.

I just photoshopped a plan, but I see robotropolis did the same plan, the only difference is I moved the piano along the wall shared with the entry? (beige tile room?)

Thanks deee.
That is a good idea. It would sort of work with AnnieD's idea too because it would effectively be closing off the entry near the DR.
Annie: I like those ideas - so radical, but I think it'll have to be radical.

Great ideas too Tibbrix.
We don't have anyone playing piano here anymore :-( so we could get rid of it. I just didn't see the point before since I didn't know how to use that space anyway.
I feel like all the space along the walls has been difficult to make use of - even the couch there is not attractive. So I guess if the piano was gone and there was a sofa and console table there, there wouldn't need to be anything against the wall? I always tend to anchor wall decor to furniture below. How does one handle that without furniture against the walls? I guess I need to do some googling or housing...

IMO, living room furniture should not be pushed up against walls. What you need in there is a cohesive gathering space.

I think your space is similar to this

Cozy & intimate. Like trying to enjoy coffee at a table in the middle of an intersection. Moving furniture won't solve the people problem.

"IMO, living room furniture should not be pushed up against walls." LOL, Tibbrex! Where do you put it when the living room is 11"3" or 4" wide?!! As in a LOT of smaller and older homes! If you pull it away from the wall you bump it into the furniture on the other side!. Or if there is not furniture across, pulling it away from the wall leaves it in the middle of the room; a ridiculous look. Not saying the OP's is that size, but the "floating furniture" concept is basically impossible for a lot of folks.

Common sense goes a long way, peegee.

Btw, if a living room is 4 inches wide, as you suggest is often the case, there's no room for any furniture. Never mind 4 feet wide.

Thanks olychick, I am busily moving the furniture around. I cleaned out the bookcase that was against the wall by the entryway (across from the piano) so that I can try your ideas too.

robotropolis:

I have been looking at sectionals because Houzz had an article about using them to improve your space.
That would be using the long side against the wall for the pathway then. But you improved that by showing the loveseat perpendicular to the path along the wall. It gives an opening into the seating group so the pathway doesn't seem as sterile.

Lilylore and everyone: I forgot to mention that the LR is sunken by a step from the rest of the house. So the piano has to be in the LR all the way.
BTW the entryway is saltillo tile and has a pair of beautiful casement windows 5' by 6 ' on the same wall as front door.

Caroleoh: I'm just afraid that creating a hallway along that huge wall (its about 13' ceiling in the LR) is going to be hard to incorporate. But I'm going to try.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with that wall if there is no couch and end tables in front of it?

Tibbrix, I like furniture in the middle of the room as long as the room isn't too big or too small, haha. My whole desire is to break away from the walls somehow. Right now: piano against the wall, couch against the wall, tv against the wall, bookcases against two walls, etc. So I am trying to put the "conversational grouping" together away from the walls.
However, as I said before, I don't want the aisle against that big wall across from FP to be ugly.
The alternative is to put the grouping partly against a wall, but extending well into the middle of the room, and force traffic around it I think.

Old Fixer: I'm not sure what you mean about the people problem and how moving the furniture won't fix it?

I'm not sure it was clear from comments above as to what I was recommending.

If you want cozy, corners are cozy, so you need to create a corner.

I see two traffic flows into the LR along the bottom wall: one to the left of and one to the right of the stone wall. I'm suggesting blocking off or ignoring the one on the right side by the dining room to create a usable corner in the LR. Then put the love seat with its back to the stone wall, facing the deck door to create an L shaped seating area.

Or if you want to go with a sectional, it could fit nicely there.

You can block that opening off with a tall book case or plant. If that is the front entrance to the house, then perhaps even an armoire as I don't see any coat closet there.

It wouldn't be ugly, Catharine, it would be natural and go with the flow of the room. Put some artwork up on the wall so that it flows with the sitting area, and it'll be fine.

Using your existing furniture, I'd rearrange so it looked something like this.

Edited: My family room is set up similarly with the sofa away from a large wall. I placed a very narrow (~12") sofa table against the wall with a large painting over it. You could do something similar. If it's just a walkway behind the sofa, it doesn't have to be very wide. 30" is plenty.

This post was edited by geokid on Thu, Nov 6, 14 at 13:11

Okay AnnieD, I made a cozy corner that sort of blocks one opening next to the stone wall (which you will see from the attached pix, has a built-in bookcase on LR side). I LIKE it and you can still come into the room that way behind the love seat because I want the love seat peeps to be able to see TV (or husband does to be exact :-)
If you look at the vertical picture towards the back door, FP on the left, you will see my concern: the big empty space in front of FP and TV alcove. Obviously I need space for a pathway there but that whole corner looks really bare - not in a good way. A desk would be nice but I don't see how it would work with the exits to bedroom, deck and pathway continuing to kitchen.Everything is replaceable (eventually, haha) but I don't want to buy a new rug or anything til I figure this out.
And Tibbirx, I have thought about putting all that entertainment stuff all the way in the alcove and putting the TV on an articulating arm. Also I hate the speakers sticking out of the alcove (husband issues and surround sound....)
@geokid, Tibbrix, robotropolis et al.:
I will try the pathway along the big wall next!

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Living Room Furniture

What a nice room!

I think the best configuration is an L shape with two sofas, ideally the same size, one facing the fireplace and one with its back to the glass doors, and pulled toward the FP so that the right arm of the sofa with its back to the glass doors is right next to the heart, and the right arm of the sofa facing the FP is touching the left arm of the other sofa. Square table in the square the two sofas make. Articulating arm for the TV on the wall to the LEFT of the fireplace (where the piano is now, with the single chair at an angle there. Mount the TV so that the bottom of the TV is JUST at the top of the single chair.

@geokid:

Thanks for the shallow table against the wall idea! I will be trying the couch away from the wall plan next and I will see if I can fit a console table or something against that wall. Also I realize I will have to rearrange my photos on that wall (see pix I linked to in post above) in a more linear fashion if the couch is no longer under them.

Thanks Tibbrix!
I have thought about moving the TV to the piano wall. I would have to have some kind of entertainment center below it for all the electronics, etc. But the TV does work where it is for peeps on that love seat with its back to the French doors/deck -IF they are lying down on the love seat hogging the whole thing - which they usually are...

That came out very nicely! The only change I would make is to angle the single chair more towards the FP so it gives the ottoman more room and it's easier to see tv.

I have no problem with the blank wall...but I think the window treatments could be stronger to help furnish that wall. Maybe a single drape, to the floor, on each window, one pulled to the left and the other to the right. If you want to go fancier, you can add a valance across the top, making it deep enough to disguise the fact that the windows are taller than the door frame.

Thanks AnnieD.
I think you are so right about the curtains and I really like the valence idea if you don't think it's too formal for my very casual home.
I used to have deep red silk curtains up there but I changed them to those thin, light aqua curtains one winter when I seemed to have seasonal affective disorder : - (
We recently lost a really big tree on that side of the house (southwest) and now it's really too bright so heavier curtains might be good. But the red ones aren't to the floor. Hmm. I will have to think about that.
Did you see the vertical picture where there is that big empty L shaped area in front of the FP and along the french door end of the room? I do think better drapes would certainly help but still...it seems too bare or something...any ideas?
BTW, when I said I was concerned about the too-blank wall I think I was talking about the other plan whereby the leather couch is moved up closer to the FP and the love seat and leaving an aisle behind it. I have switched everything around now and will post pics of that tomorrow.

A problem with changing the curtains.
In this picture you can see that I have those aqua curtains in the bay window in my kitchen. They work very well there for a number of reasons and I love them in there. Will it look strange to have different window treatments so close and on the same wall as the curtains in the kitchen?

If the L shaped area you are referring to is the floor space, I don't mind it at all. It lets the room breathe and gives you a well defined traffic flow through the room. The rug in your conversation area now is too small, so you could get a larger rug there and then maybe move the existing rug in front of the french doors. I like to have a place to wipe feet from the outside anyway. If the space feels too large, then you can always pull the furniture arrangement away from the wall the sofa is on, even by a foot...it will actually make the room feel larger.

On WTs, the drapes in the LR don't have to match the ones in the nook, they just have to go. So I don't see that as an issue at all. The valance will give you an opportunity to hide shades underneath if you need them for better light control without going so heavy as needing drapes so large as to cover the entire wall. Many think a valance is old fashioned though, not me, but others do, so you might consider even inside mounting some woven wood shades as a way of adding warmth and texture and light control to that wall. And then just hang a straight panel on the far side of each window.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Tampa Interior Designers & Decorators Design Distinctions

I can see a solid or a subtle print in there, but something with some texture to stand up to the wood and leather you already have going on.

I didn't realize there was a bookcase where I suggested the piano go. I really like this arrangement. It's a great conversation area and it allows all of the seats to enjoy both the fireplace and the TV.

Wow, AnnieD, I love the inside-hung shades idea - with better drapes. I used to have canvas shades there long ago but at the time I didn't want to cut down on the light. Now I do (cuz of losing 40' tree).
I have been struggling with reducing the wood and (dark) leather in here for years! That's one reason for the light curtains and the ivory sofa (with dogs!) and the re-uphostered bone leather chair. I bet good drapes will help a lot.
Yes, the rug was purchased during my kitchen/dining room remodel to help keep the floor from getting scratched when we had the kitchen table in the LR...It is definitely too small - just a cheapie from Home Depot :-) I haven't wanted to purchase any rugs until I figure out the layout. You are so right that a bigger rug, extending further toward FP will help make it look more lived in over there.
Also we have two dogs and we have a lot of dirt outside, so yes, I like to have a runner or something at the back door.
I moved everything last night to an arrangement with the conversation area close to the FP and an aisle behind the couch. I will post pix of that today and maybe peeps will tell me which way they like it best.
Husband flying in at 4 p.m. but I think he's getting used to my sudden decorating impulses.

Thanks geokid. I have tried to sell the piano a couple of times anyway so...
I like that arrangement too but I will post pix of the other plan - the one with conversation area nearer to FP - later today.
Do you guys have any idea what I could do with that area where the piano is?
Tibbrix thinks of putting TV up on wall there so I would have to have a cabinet for electronics under it. But if I didn't put TV there and sold piano, what would I put there? I think it's too small for a secretary, maybe a console table?

Actually, if there's a piano, there's room for a desk!

Okay here is a link to pictures of the LR with the conversation area moved close to the fireplace leaving the aisle behind the couch.

Here is a link that might be useful: Living Room Plan II

One thing that is really good about this second arrangement is there is still seating that has a view out the front window, which is a nice view.

If you want cozy, my preference is for the prior arrangement. Not only does it not give that funny feeling of someone being behind you like this one does, but it also is more welcoming as it's easy to get in and out of...this one is more convoluted traffic flow.

But the viewwwwwww, Well, there is more viewing of the deck view with the previous plan I guess. I wonder if I can put another chair in that grouping - back to French door, so I can see the view out the front if I want.

This post was edited by Catharine442 on Fri, Nov 7, 14 at 14:14

I have walkways behind my furniture on 2 sides of my great room. I have art hung on the both walls without anything directly under it and I think it looks fine. I am not sure how wide the path is but I know its more than 30 inches and a wouldn't want a shallow table on either wall.
I only have this picture available but there is a large painting on the pathway wall behind the couch and it has nothing under it either.

You've been so busy! I like the first arrangement as well, When you walk in the room, you see your nice furniture, your cool coffee table, a good view of the fireplace and a cozy arrangement. When the furniture is pulled close to the fireplace, the dominant view of the room is the backs of the furniture.

Badgergirl: your living room is pretty. I think the sunken element makes those aisles look better than it looks at my house though.

Hi again deee.
Yes, I have been busy - and I have moved it all back but with a change so that I can see out my front window still. I reversed the arm chair and the love seat.
AnnieD - please see attached link to the new set up. I don't think those red curtains will stay but they have the bold factor all right! I put 'em up so I would see if that bold window treatment idea of yours would help And it does.
I also turned that little rug sideways so that it extends toward the fireplace further (along with the love seat) as it will when I get a bigger one. Now I don't feel like that corner of the room is unfinished looking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Living Room 3

I've moved the love seat up close the the corner of the couch with table in the angle. It's not symmetrical with French doors now but it looks a lot cozier.

I hadn't looked at your 3 photos links until now. I think the latest version is the best. Even though it doesn't really solve the "train station" issue, it looks the best and appears more spacious. I like not seeing the back of the couch from the front entry. Sure it would be nice not to have people walking through all the time but I think your room is too small to give up the space for a dedicated walkway. Just think of your room as been more "social" than most people's because you always have someone walking through that you can strike up a conversation with. You certainly have a nice view of the outdoors too.

That looks nice. The drapes help a lot. Only thing I was thinking of just a single panel on the outside of each of the windows so less light is blocked. I'd also think about hanging the rods higher and definitely put the fabric to the floor...

Yes AnnieD, I like your earlier suggestions on the WT front. I am looking for some shades and some floor length drapes that will go with the aqua color in the kitchen. Also some more substantial rods/finials right?
Thanks badger gal, I know all my posts were confusing, but yeah, I like the last incarnation best too.

Thanks everybody! Now I just need to find drapes, shades and a new rug.

Not saying these are the drapes or shade but thought it might give you an idea or two as to what you do or do not want.

Thanks artillery. That looks great. I think that is the kind of combo I should get - shades and drapes that are not dark. How'd you do that?

Also, it is so darn bright in here with the winter light after losing that big tree I think I want to put shades on the French doors as well. Would that look weird?

Hi Catharine, I used powerpoint. Here is a mockup of your door with shades added. I think it looks great.