Are any of ya'll the type that are always moving furniture around in their house? If so, I need your help! I am *not* that person! I am content for everything to stay where it is, forever. Here is some background. I bought my house in Dec 2005. I loved it, it is cute, small, but the yard is a good size, at the end of a cul-de-sac on a T dead end, great Madison / Limestone County location, lots of potential for sweat-equity, etc. I thought I'd live here at least til my daughter graduated high school and maybe college.

Well, darn it if two months later I didn't meet Prince Charming! Now my perfect little house feels like a cramped little cracker box!!! One thing that I am super worried about when I try to sell the house is the small living room. I'm not a "living room" person. I know this is going to shock some of ya'll, but there aren't many parties and such at T S C's home. So the little living room didn't bother me. I'm attaching a layout of the living / dining / kitchen area. The living room and kitchen have 60 inch picture windows. Both have closets (a coat closet and pantry) there is a fireplace in the living room that takes up pretty much an entire wall. I have small bookcases in the "nooks" on either side.

My question is: can ya'll think of any way on earth I can arrange the furniture so I can have more than just a couch in there? Knocking out walls is not an option (although it does sound like fun). I know all of you have opinions, so let's have them!!!

have you thought about moving the sofa to the window? You could place a table behind the sofa and place a lamp on it in front of the window and to balance it you could use a nice statue. place TV on solid wall and move chair on an angle off the closet out of traffic. Use coffee table in front of sofa. Place some nice silk plant on either sid of the TV. This would allow you veiwing and the fireplace will be the center focal point. Furniture does not have to be on the wall. Let m know what you think.
Sincerely Carrie

Thanks for your reply, Carrie!

I should have added, the "wall" behind the couch is just a 1/2 wall. It is sort of a bar so if you were to walk in the house right now, you could see over the couch and into the kitchen. I wasn't sure how to represent that in my little model. The wall goes from floor to ceiling from the far left of the room to right past the stove. Then it is a "bar" type of thing that is about 3.5 ft high. I've changed the formatting so maybe it is a little more clear. And I moved things around. Is this what you meant?

I got it. Tell Prince Charming you want a flat screen TV for Christmas and attach it to the fireplace, like where a picture would hang over the mantle. They do this on Home & Garden all the time for small spaces. Hey, I wonder if you could find a used flat screen TV...you know by now people are looking for upgrades. Just a thought. I need to do this! LOL

If that is not an option, you could move the TV where you have the red chair in the last shot, then a couch where you had it in the first shot and a couch where you have it in the second shot.

Joy, Prince Charming reads the forums! And he wants a big expensive flat TV!! Nooo.... I have actually thought about the same thing. Is it possible to mount one on a stone fireplace though? The fireplace is a stone beast that goes from floor to ceiling.

I need to scale that picture better. The area between the hallway and coat closet is about 2 feet. Then there is two feet between the closet door and the exterior wall. Maybe I'll get out the graph paper and measure this weekend and make a better scaled drawing. We need measurements anyway since we are considering putting bamboo flooring in the living room. So many projects... so little time!

I totally stink at this type of stuff so I feel your pain. I have moved 4 times in 9 years and each time I move I get my sister to come and "do" my house while I am at work. She is gifted at it. I have literally lived in houses where I didn't have one picture on the wall. I am just oblivious to those type things! Good luck.

Oh, cool.

Okay, Prince Charming, if you surprise your princess (haha) with a flat TV, you need to get one of those that close up to look like an oil painting hanging there (when the TV is not in use). Don't argue with me - there will so be times when it's not in use. Remember your favorite thing to do with the princess - there you go.

This is going to cost you - so the guy getting the commission check for selling it to you can be forced to give you all the info you need to get that thing to mount on the stone monster. In fact, just go ahead and tell him that the sale is dependent upon his willingness to do the install himself.

KEY point - see, this makes it a gift not just for you, but for her also (the oil painting part). Now, please keep in mind that by oil painting I no not mean an oil painting of a Corvette. It must be something she likes. You can either take her with you or judge from one of her personal favorites. If you don't know the answer to that, spend some quality time with said princess TALKING.

Merry Christmas!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: _Joy_,

quote:

Originally posted by JustMe:
I totally stink at this type of stuff so I feel your pain. I have moved 4 times in 9 years and each time I move I get my sister to come and "do" my house while I am at work. She is gifted at it. I have literally lived in houses where I didn't have one picture on the wall. I am just oblivious to those type things! Good luck.

Ha! That is me, too! Except I don't know any gifted furniture arrangers. I actually have never had things hanging on the wall until Prince Charming moved in, and everything on the walls is his! I've moved 8 times since 1997 and this is my first "permanent" place. It is kinda funny that after only 2 years I'm ready to upgrade!

quote:

Originally posted by _Joy_:
Oh, cool.

Okay, Prince Charming, if you surprise your princess (haha) with a flat TV, you need to get one of those that close up to look like an oil painting hanging there (when the TV is not in use). Don't argue with me - there will so be times when it's not in use. Remember your favorite thing to do with the princess - there you go.

This is going to cost you - so the guy getting the commission check for selling it to you can be forced to give you all the info you need to get that thing to mount on the stone monster. In fact, just go ahead and tell him that the sale is dependent upon his willingness to do the install himself.

KEY point - see, this makes it a gift not just for you, but for her also (the oil painting part). Now, please keep in mind that by oil painting I no not mean an oil painting of a Corvette. It must be something she likes. You can either take her with you or judge from one of her personal favorites. If you don't know the answer to that, spend some quality time with said princess TALKING.

Merry Christmas!!!

Joy, you are too funny! You'll have to come out here to Madison and help me rearrange stuff. I have tile floors in the living room, so stuff just flies across the room! I talked to PC about the flat screen and he thinks the room is too small for a decent sized one mounted on the fireplace. It'd have to be too low and he thinks that would look funny. I think I just bought a funny shaped house! I live in a subdivision and the house is one of only about 6 different plans. I need to make friends with a neighbor or two who has the same floorplan and see how they have their stuff arranged!

To tell you the truth, I have wondered how you avoid getting a crick in your neck looking up at the TV like that. Darn. I was thinking about that for my living room if I could find a used one.

This may be costly (just don't know how it works exactly) but you can make a niche in the wall to put a flat screen in. Check out the middle of the page...

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_toh/article/0,,HGTV_3895_1926639,00.html

TSC,

What are the measurements of your couch? Coffee table? TV? I'll mess around with some stuff I have and get back to you. If you could give a more accurate scale of the room, it would help. Also, how tall is you fireplace mantle? And as far as the bookcases on either side of the FP, what are their dimensions?

-Mando-

Mando,
I'll measure and post a scaled drawing with the measurements - but it might be Monday. I've had this hacking cough and congestion. I try to stay on the couch and let Prince Charming take care of me whenever I have the opportunity! If he sees me up and about with a tape measure....

LOLLL!!!!