Pretty room! It's so long, have you thought about turning it into two areas? One for watching TV and one for enjoying the fireplace? Try arranging your current furniture to make two areas and see if that might work for you. We had a LR of similar size in our old house that we used 2/3 for one function and 1/3 for another. It worked a lot better for us that way. Watching TV from all the way across that long room just didn't work!

I like Geokid's idea.

Family/living rooms that I admire in pictures almost always have separate zones.

When I was first trying to figure out a room with similar dimensions, someone on the board asked why I didn't just put the TV above the FP. That's another solution.

The other's have good ideas..But have you thought of putting the TV unit where the couch is? Put the couch where the TV is...may stick over the window a little but table with lamp on that end or even your little desk there may look nice. Could you put one of your blue chairs where the desk is now and the other one on the otherside where the love seat is....sort of pointed toward each other. Is there room for your love seat on the left side of the fireplace? If you are going to replace your furniture, then I would get another chair rather than a love seat. You could see the TV and fireplace at the same time. Right now you have all of your upholstered furniture at one end of the room.

here is a view from the back of the room.

{{!gwi}}

I'm not sure what is on either side of the fireplace. Could you post a few more pictures that show that area, as well as any other openings into the room? I like geokid's suggestions to divide up the room into two functions. Just to try it out and see how it works, leave the pair of chairs at the fireplace for a conversation area. Then move the loveseat so it forms an L-shaped arrangement with the sofa for the TV viewing area. I don't know how that will work in regards to traffic paths, tho. That's why additional pictures would be helpful.

This TV room is in my basement. I do like the idea of positioning the existing furniture to divide it into two and see what that looks like. If you look at the picture showing the fireplace you can get a peak of the room behind it. I have a bar and pool table in that room.
I can't easily or practically move the TV.The entertainment center was custom built-in at great expense and a year or so ago I had it modified to accomodate a flat screen.

I thought maybe there was an opening to another room to the left of the fireplace (as you are facing it), so with that in mind, I think it would make a lot of sense to move the loveseat to the L-shaped arrangement and open up the pathway into that room. Please post pictures if you try any new furniture arrangements. Thanks.

This TV room is in my basement. I do like the idea of positioning the existing furniture to divide it into two and see what that looks like. If you look at the picture showing the fireplace you can get a peak of the room behind it. I have a bar and pool table in that room.
I can't easily or practically move the TV.The entertainment center was custom built-in at great expense and a year or so ago I had it modified to accomodate a flat screen.

I like the two-separate areas idea. Using what you have to experiment, why don't you turn the love seat 90 degrees so it is perpendicular to the sofa, sharing the end table, facing the coffee table and TV unit. Pull the little desk out of there and see if it opens up that area a bit -- or put it under the window next to the TV unit (and get a cute chair to sit at the desk -- it can be turned around for extra seating if needed). Try one of the wing chairs in the "corner" in front of the window (between the end of the TV unit and where the desk is in your photo).

For the other end, take the two wing chairs in the back and have them face one another with a table between them for playing a game, drinking coffee, etc.

as suggested moved the love seat. also took away one recliner and table. What do you think about using a sectional. Would add one seat but eliminate a table and pathway (the stairs are around the corner from that pathway between the love seat and sofa). What about keeping one or two recliners or other type chair?

Here is with 2 recliners

To heck with the pathway. They can walk around. You've got plenty of room for folks to still get in and out that door. I would want the seating area to be more contained and snuggly and not have people traipsing through it, anyway. Heck, you might have enough room to put the sofa where the love seat is, making for three seats facing the TV directly.

It might be just me, but I don't like the wingback chairs facing the TV. It gets a little minivan for me when there are "rows" of seating in a room. I think they should face each other, maybe with that round table you had to the left between them. If someone wants to sit back there and watch TV, they can turn them a bit and them put them back. That means they don't really get used as recliners, but . . .

If you want the recliners for the TV, consider swapping the recliners and the love seat, but flip the love seat to face the fireplace?

It's better, but I don't like the "minivan" look either (thanks jakebedy :-) ). Do you like the divided space? That's the question.

I would try placing the sofa where the loveseat is and put the loveseat back-to-back with the sofa. Then turn the two chairs to face each other. Or use one in the fireplace area and one in the TV area. See what works for you.

{{!gwi}}

Oooh Geokid I like that idea!

Also wondering what the feasibility would be of placing the TV unit against the wall where the love seat is in the original picture and placing the sofa facing the fireplace w/ the wingback chairs in the same FP positions? Make that an entire TV watching area and then use the space in the 'front' of the room as an office/ library type area or something?

What a great basement area you have!

The entertainment center is custom built and not movable. I will try a few more arrangements as suggested. Before I saw your feedback I rearranged and took a few more pictures. I will be replacing the sofa, love seat and recliners. Maybe a sectional to replace the sofa/love seat in the location as pictured. Then, what do you think about 2 smaller chairs, maybe swivels. facing each other either side of the fireplace?

a slightly different look

from the other end

I love it!!!!! What a great improvement, you must be pleased.

I like it A LOT! And the idea of swivel chairs is great! You have a VERY nice basement TV room.

Thanks, I like it too and you were very helpful.

Everything now looks real nice! I was wondering though (it could be me) but visually I think the area wall behind and to the side of the wall unit would look stunning painted in a deep shade close too the tone of the wall unit. It bothers my eye that the unit just stops there with no cohesiveness to the rest of that area. No wall for a break before the break! If that back wall was painted a rich tone close to the wall unit shade in a similar sheen it all would look really incredible.

I would swap the sofa and loveseat from the latest picture. I think the larger sofa in the middle of the room will "ground" the seating arrangement a little more. You could even turn the pair of chairs to face the fireplace with a table between. They could back all the way to the sofa if there is not room for them to "float" comfortably.

I like the sectional look. And I agree with momto3, move the chairs so they face the fireplace with a table between. There can be a walkway between the fireplace and chairs. Oh, how I would love to sit in one of those chairs, with a book and wine, and watch the fire.

Nice job!

I think you might be on to something jterrilynn. I like the idea of painting the wall to match the entertainment center.

It looks so great! I was going to make the blasphemous suggestion to center the wall unit and cover the window; then I saw that you said it is built in. Not sure what your budget is, but you could also have another unit built to match the wall unit, surrounding the window with bookshelves and display shelves. If it was matching wood, with a wood back, it would balance out the tv unit and allow the window to become a part of the arrangement, etc.

What olychick said was what I was thinking!

Wow, I never would have thought of that. Wouldn't consider covering a window but extending the wall unit is an idea I will look into. I am guessing the cost would be $5,000-7,500 if I use the same carpenter who did the entertainment center, which I would. He also did a superb job on a bar in the other half of the basement.

Looking for any suggestions replacing the love seat, sofa and recliners. I have been looking at Lee based on favorable forum comments. I am somewhat size restricted on a sectional. Around 125" for the side where the sofa is and 106" where the love seat is. I like the idea of a chaise for TV lounging especially since I would be getting rid of the recliners. However the chaise woul need to be on the 106" side and I don't think that is enough room. Does anyone make a recliner built into a love seat? As for as swivels, would Lee be a good source or any other recommendations? Also would appreciate thoughts on fabric. Thinking non-leather on sectional, maybe micro fiber and swivels could be leather or not. This room does not get much use except at holiday times.

How many people do you need to seat? I'd go as small scale as possible for a sofa because of the width of the room. Ideally I would pull the sofa away from the wall and not block the display cubbies, which are an architectural feature. Perhaps the chaise could go on the wall to the right of the cubbies, but I'd like to see the desk there.

I would take all the tables and lamps out of the room to get an uncrowded perspective of the placement of the upholstered furniture. I count four end tables and lamps, plus the desk lamp. With your overhead light, are they necessary? Can you get by with one end table for the chaise and one for the swivel chairs, and the coffee table for the sofa?

I have to agree that you've got too much furniture in the room. To eliminate some of the tables, you could buy a couple of floor lamps. Also, depending on how much seating you need, I would forgo a sectional and just have a sofa. I might also consider painting the wall unit white so it doesn't look so much like an elephant in the room.

Honestly, it's just me using the room 80% of the time. Other times it is 4-6 people and then 4 or 5 times/yr for larger gatherings. If I eliminate the sectional and agree that amount of seating is less important than say optimal comfort for 4 for tv watching what furniture would you suggest? And, what placeement? Since I use it most of the time I want some type lounger. Could be a chaise or recliner. Am I limited on the longer, sofa, cubbies wall to a sofa? Or, could I angle a chaise or recliner toward the tv?

I remember a room that Candice Olsen did that had an armless chaise between parts of a room. It was perfect for your situation because someone could lounge on it to watch tv or sit on it to face either the tv or the fireplace, making it easy to chat with people who are sitting in the chairs in front of the fireplace. I'd think about a sectional with something like this in the loveseat position. I like sectionals in smaller spaces instead of sofa/loveseat combos because it eliminates two arms.
Kind of like this without the piece on the right side (or that might even work, too, for more seating if you need it).

{{!gwi}}

This would be great if I had the room. The problem is that, in the love seat position, I only have about 106" to work with. From the cubbie wall to where the tile starts in front of the french door is is around 115". I think everything I saw in a love sheat/chasise, wedge combo was at least 120".

Crate and Barrel makes small sectional furniture. For example, the Axis sectional with chaise is 106" wide.

Another option is to use sectional pieces separated for different functions, and then join them when you need more seating or for a different function. I don't have any experience with this sectional from West Elm, but it looks really versatile. http://www.westelm.com/products/tillary-modular-seating-f554/?pkey=csectionals&cm_src=sectionals::NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

Here is a link that might be useful: Crate and Barrel Axis chaise sectional

The chaise I pictured is only 61" long. I don't think it's unusually short; there must be many in that range.

Here is a link that might be useful: Armless chaise

This post was edited by olychick on Thu, Dec 20, 12 at 15:46

ok, I've done some rearranging, more measuring and more pictures. Maybe the love seat/chaise combo would work. I went to the Lee cataglog and found one that measures 99" wide and the chaise is 66" deep. See the new pictures. I moved the sofa to where the love seat had been and now the love seat is where the sofa was and not obstructing the cubbies. I positioned the sofa as close to the french door as pracitcal and moved the end tabe into position to equal approx 99" when adding the length of the sofa and table. I moved the coffe table into the chaise position (the depth of the table and sofa is 1" deeper than the Lee chaise). What do you think? If I did this than would eliminate end table/light and maybe use floor lamp or none at all. And, what do you think about replacing the love seat with another love seat? Next, I took a sideview picture of the wing chairs to show how much space there is between the sofa and fireplace. I measured 97" between the hearth and back of the couch and 53" between the wing chair and back of sofa. so, if I went with swivel chairs would the position be as shown in the picture or move them back to th sofa and have them face the fireplace?

another view of chaise layout

and another

last one

I think it's been interesting to see your furniture arrangement evolve and I also think you are very wise to give it a lot of thought by mocking it up with your existing furniture as you did with the sofa and coffee table to represent the sofa with a chaise. I think a sofa/chaise in that location would be ideal for TV watching. I also like the idea of a loveseat in the wall section to the right of the cubbies. I would try to purchase a loveseat that will fit that wall space without extending over the cubbies, if possible. The only concern I have with this arrangement is the question of where to provide lighting and table space for the loveseat. Will it still be possible to use a smaller coffee table if you have a sofa/chaise combination?

Thanks bac717. I'll blame my male gender for not having any talent or confidence for this sort of thing. But, I have learned from my mistakes, mainly to lean on these forums for advice. I am amazed at how generous and helpful people are here. The coffee table shown in the picture would be too large but I think I can fit a smaller one or ottoman. I might be able to use the coffee table for between the swivel chairs though it likely will be too large for that space. The round table I think is too tall especially if it is in front of the fireplace.

I think if you switched (in your mind) the position of the chaise portion of a sectional to where you now have the sofa, it would be less awkward. The chaise in that position would allow you to enjoy the fireplace from everywhere in the room (oh, and see the tv from the fireplace seating). You can then converse with people in the fireplace chairs from the sectional.

The only downside is covering the bottom cubbyhole, but I still think I would choose that over blocking the room with the back of the sofa. I might figure out how to cover that bottom cubby completely to be able to arrange the furniture that way.

So, instead of a LH chaise a RH chaise but in the same position as in the pictrue? Or, do you mean LH chaise/love seat with the back to the cubbie wall? That would eliminate the stand alone love seat, right? If I did a RH chaise on that wall I don't think the angle to the TV would work unless I was able to move the unit toward the FP more than it is now.Interesting.

To ground the separate seating area near the FP, I would get an area rug for the table and chairs. A rug would make the whole room look less haphazard.

Keep the table between the chairs and take away the end table. Instead, get a floor lamp where you can direct lighting on the table. Too many lamps the same height and shape is distracting. I learned that on my own. lol

A wooden chess/checkerboard would look nice there!

Like I pictured above: just like this except maybe without the right hand piece, although it might fit just as is.
The sofa backs to the wall, faces the windows, the chaise is on the left facing the windows with the fireplace to the left.
You could get an extra piece like the footstool, too, to use as a footstool and could move around the room as extra seating.

{{!gwi}}

If you are going to do a couch and loveseat, I like the arrangement as is with couch facing tv area and the loveseat facing the french doors...or a an L-shaped sectional mimicing the couch/loveseat layout...I don't like the chaise idea. I think it would cut off the walkway into that area. I would rather use a ottoman with either a couch/loveseat combo or if you were to do an L shaped sectional.

Give thought to being a slave to the "built in". I made that mistake for about ten years. Finally realized the thing was in chunks and could be broken down and redeployed.

TV's these days are thin and wall mountable. An HDMI cable can draw the video display signal from whereever you chose to place the audio componants, Xbox, cablebox, what ever.

I am thinking that wall space between the windows could have a wall mounted video display. Then the furniture placement could incorporate both the fireplace and the video display... less congested than doing two seperate seating areas, one for the TV and one for the FP.

Comes down to how you expect the room will be used. And whether you want both video and fireplace in play when you are there.

Olychick , I would use the chaise mainly for watching TV and if I understand your idea, I would be sideways to the TV, facing the door which I don't think would be comfortable. I like the rug suggestion and getting rid of the end table but I wonder if the round table is too tall for in front of the fireplace.
Always1step behind, I go back and forth on sectional or not and on the chaise. I like the sectional look but it does cover the lower cubbie. Not a huge problem. The ottoman idea has merit as you point out the chaise cuts off the walkway and because you can move around an ottoman.
Celticmoon, I can see many possibilities if as you suggest I move the tv to the wall between the door and window. I am going to give that some thought. I recently spent $1,200 to modify the entertainment center to accommodate the flatscreen which tells you I hadn't given thought to moving the tv.

How about creating a really intimate tv viewing spot? Place a small sectional or sofa with chaise to the left of the French doors. Very close to the TV. Then that leaves you a lot of room by the fireplace. Four swivel chairs around a game table would be perfect for that spot.

I'm just throwing ideas out for consideration. You ultimately have to decide how you want to use the space.

Yes, that's how I was picturing it; makes sense that if you'd want to use it mostly for tv, then it might not be the best arrangement. I was concentrating on having it work for groups/parties.