Our New Living Room
Aug 3rd, 2005 by Tana
New, well, maybe not quite. It has a new look though.
Our living room and dining room are one room. It’s rectangular. The front door is about 2/3 of the way down the long side and there’s a big picture window in the larger half. The smaller half is next to the kitchen. When you look out the picture window, you’re facing south.
There isn’t much room for a lot of furniture. We have two matching bookcase/entertainment centers, a large couch, a 19″ tv on a tv stand built for one about that size, and our table and chairs. When we moved in, I had the couch next to the door cutting the room in have. Steve didn’t like that, though. He wanted the room to feel more open. So I put the couch on the wall opposite the picture window. Then we put up a Christmas tree and moved the couch to sit at an angle opposite the tv (which was by the door).
But we didn’t have end tables. One end of the couch (my end) was by one of the bookshelves, so I was able to set my coffee cup either on that or the window on the west end of the room. But Steve had no where to put his coffee cup or beer, for that matter. So I moved the dining room table over so it sat next to the couch and he could use it for an end table. There wasn’t really enough room over by the kitchen for the dining room table anyway with the bookcase along that wall.
Yesterday, though, I had a brainstorm. Move the bookcase on the dining room wall over to the north wall at Steve’s end of the couch. That way the two bookcases would frame the couch, and we would both have end tables. Amber was scheduled to watch Ben when we went to town, but I asked her if she could come watch him at our house instead so she could help me move furniture.
We got it all moved and here is the result:
I just think it looks so great! The room feels very open and spacious, and I don’t have to listen to Steve complain about no place to put his coffee! Even if having end tables wasn’t an issue, I think this would be the best arrangement for the furniture we have.
I will need to repaint the east wall that was behind the bookcase, though. It’s a bright blue and looks fabulous with the drapes and furniture we have. I may change the shade just a tad because it’s a bit more turquoise than I would like. But that will get done in time. For now, I’m just enjoying our new living room.
The books sound interesting. I may check them out at Barnes & Noble the next time I can get there. I am glad that it is working for you. I like the idea of arranging your home by the way that you actually use it. Dad often bugs me about my crock by the stove where I have the utensils that I constantly use in that part of the kitchen. I love having them there because they are so handy. It would be a pain to have to walk across the kitchen to the only sizeable drawer to get what I needed. I am sure there is much improvement that could be made here as well as at the store. One gets so tired of fighting it without success.
I don’t see how you can get along without that pantry that you had in the kitchen. I would go crazy without it because you have so little cabinet space anyway. So where do you put your cereal now?
Everything one purchases is just one more thing that has to have a “home”. There always comes a day of reckoning when there isn’t room for everything you have accumulated. And, yes, the stuff will fill whatever space that you happen to have. If there is an empty spot, something will gravitate to that spot.
Press on!
I was going to comment on your rearrangement of your living room but I can’t get back to look at the picture without losing this (I assume).
Is that still working for you? It looks like a good solution to how you use the room. I jsut wish you had at least one other comfortable chair to sit in in there. As it is, you only have places for three people to sit and they really cannot visit because they are parallel to each other, not facing each other. A fourth person has to sit on a straight back dining room table chair which isn’t very comfortable for just relaxing and having a nice visit.
Where do Steve’s Mom and Shawn (I know that is not the right spelling because I have seen you spell it in this blog, but I can’t remember–it was so different from what I have ever seen and I, again, assume I can’t go back and find it without losing this note) and Shannon sit when they are there? Or don’t you ever all five sit in one room and visit besides around the table? I always feel bad sitting on the couch and then one of you not having a place to sit so we can have a casual conversation, but I don’t like sitting on the straight back chairs either. Just curious.
That is one of the things I really love about the way we have our living room now, especially with the addition of the two navy chairs (I know you wouldn’t have room for all of that). When we have company over, it is really nice to have places for everyone to sit and be able to look at each other’s faces when talking. Really enhances and encourages conversation and fun times. I am amazed at how much difference it makes.
So what is on the wall by the table where the bookcase used to be? Do you have a picture or something hanging there?
I think you have made your home very homey and nice looking–certainly nothing to be ashamed of and hesitant to invite people to. Your only weak spot is the lack of places to sit. Your bedroom could use some attention, but the living room and Ben’s bedroom as well as the downstairs look very nice–much better than the average in my opinion.
It all takes time, some money, and just finding what you like and what works best for you.
Is that still working for you? It looks like a good solution to how you use the room. I jsut wish you had at least one other comfortable chair to sit in in there. As it is, you only have places for three people to sit and they really cannot visit because they are parallel to each other, not facing each other. A fourth person has to sit on a straight back dining room table chair which isn’t very comfortable for just relaxing and having a nice visit.
Where do Steve’s Mom and Shawn (I know that is not the right spelling because I have seen you spell it in this blog, but I can’t remember–it was so different from what I have ever seen and I, again, assume I can’t go back and find it without losing this note) and Shannon sit when they are there? Or don’t you ever all five sit in one room and visit besides around the table? I always feel bad sitting on the couch and then one of you not having a place to sit so we can have a casual conversation, but I don’t like sitting on the straight back chairs either. Just curious.
That is one of the things I really love about the way we have our living room now, especially with the addition of the two navy chairs (I know you wouldn’t have room for all of that). When we have company over, it is really nice to have places for everyone to sit and be able to look at each other’s faces when talking. Really enhances and encourages conversation and fun times. I am amazed at how much difference it makes.
So what is on the wall by the table where the bookcase used to be? Do you have a picture or something hanging there?
I think you have made your home very homey and nice looking–certainly nothing to be ashamed of and hesitant to invite people to. Your only weak spot is the lack of places to sit. Your bedroom could use some attention, but the living room and Ben’s bedroom as well as the downstairs look very nice–much better than the average in my opinion.
It all takes time, some money, and just finding what you like and what works best for you.