"Formal" living room decor

[DawnM]

I have posted before that I can't figure out what I want in there, and currently it has no furniture.   So, it is a clean slate.

I want to start using that space, although we aren't formal people, we are more casual folks.

We are a bit irritated that my dad seems to have commandeered the family room, but that is for another post. 🙄   He sits in there and watches shows we have NO interest in so we avoid going in there with him.   It is becoming a daily thing but I really don't know how to stop it.   He doesn't understand why we don't want to watch those shows with him.   He has a TV in his apartment, but he rarely uses that TV anymore.

So, here are some of our thoughts:

1. sofa and two chairs

2. love seat and two chairs

3. 4 chairs and no sofa, with a large round coffee table in the middle

4. Other.....???

We want to have it as a hang out room with a TV, books, comfy sitting area.

Here are a couple of pics of the room when it was the listing two years ago.   That is not our furniture, although we kept the chairs.   They are NOT comfortable to hang out on for long, they are more like chairs for a dining room table.   I want comfy chairs.

It is a rectangular room, open on two sides, and a "pass through" room so I can't clog it up too much.

 

[HS Mom in NC]

Our formal living room was our library with comfy chairs, a couch, coffee table, cozy blankets, standing heavy shaded lamps with soft warm light, and the walls were completely covered in bookcases. 

[Slache]

Mine has a sectional, 2 rocking chairs, a hammock, coffee table, and bookshelf with decor we've acquired traveling and gifts we love.

If I was designing from scratch I'd do a french quarter room. Teal walls, royal purple curtains with gold fringe, an antique mirror, an accented fake fireplace, chandelier.

If I were you I would talk to dad and design the living room for him so I could have my family room back.

[prairiewindmomma]

We have always had two casual living areas. In our last home, the front one wasn’t used, except for drop-in guests. The kids used the other. The front room (which also had a second dining area) wasn’t styled formally—it just wasn’t subjected to daily house clutter.

In our current house, both living areas are small and used heavily daily. 

[Ali in OR]

I would want a comfy chair or two (with ottoman?) under the windows where the light is best for reading. I would have a tv area also--either tv on the long wall with sofa (or loveseat or chairs) facing it, or tv on the short wall. I lean toward the first just because that's how it works best in our house. The chairs under the window still feel part of "the group" if you're having say bookclub with people on the sofa, or they can be pulled around to watch a good movie. I think tv on the short wall might cut it up too much. But hard to tell from two pictures!

[DawnM]

17 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I would want a comfy chair or two (with ottoman?) under the windows where the light is best for reading. I would have a tv area also--either tv on the long wall with sofa (or loveseat or chairs) facing it, or tv on the short wall. I lean toward the first just because that's how it works best in our house. The chairs under the window still feel part of "the group" if you're having say bookclub with people on the sofa, or they can be pulled around to watch a good movie. I think tv on the short wall might cut it up too much. But hard to tell from two pictures!

we have already spent a lot of time decorating our long wall.   We have those scrabble tiles with everyone's names on them that took forever to put up because we had to measure and level each one, so that isn't coming down!  I can't post a pic because all of our names are there.   So, a TV has to go on the other space, but prob not on the wall, it can go on a long table.

[prairiewindmomma]

You’ve got a rectangular room—I would go couch + two chairs, not a square setup of furniture.

It’s hard to tell dimensions by the skewed photo, but from what I see it looks like you could go with a couch, a 1.5 chair (not quite sofa), plus a plush chair or two. I would go with a wall mounted tv.

[prairiewindmomma]

Fwiw, our swivel wall mount works beautifully. We have an outlet behind it, so no awkward cords.

[DawnM]

8 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

You’ve got a rectangular room—I would go couch + two chairs, not a square setup of furniture.

It’s hard to tell dimensions by the skewed photo, but from what I see it looks like you could go with a couch, a 1.5 chair (not quite sofa), plus a plush chair or two. I would go with a wall mounted tv.

The room is 12x17, but with two archway openings, one where the stairs are and one that you see there in the photo.

[prairiewindmomma]

Yes, it’s like my previous house.

I would put the plush chair in the space closest to the dining arch, couch against the long wall, loveseat or 1.5 chair under the window, and mount the tv on the wall where the wooden bureau is in the pic. People will either walk to the side of the plush chair or go down the hallway and enter at the other arch. It wasn’t a big deal.

[DawnM]

12 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yes, it’s like my previous house.

I would put the plush chair in the space closest to the dining arch, couch against the long wall, loveseat or 1.5 chair under the window, and mount the tv on the wall where the wooden bureau is in the pic. People will either walk to the side of the plush chair or go down the hallway and enter at the other arch. It wasn’t a big deal.

Thanks.   We will not be mounting the TV though.   It is not a room I wish to keep a TV in long term.

I really was wondering about the cost though......Just not sure it is worth $4,000 for the sofa and chair and then I still need to get a rug, possibly an additional loveseat, etc.....

I am leaning away from it now....I just can't justify it, even though it is really a cool idea.

[Harriet Vane]

Re your dad—My guess is he likes being near his loved ones, hearing the bustle and seeing glimpses as you move about. Perhaps he likes being in the middle of it all rather than feeling alone in his apartment?

I get it re the constant TV. My fil dominated our living room and TV while he was here. He hated our shows and his dementia made him unable to be patient or to yield to others. We had an uneasy truce—he watched what he wanted for about two hours after dinner. Sometimes he also watched a football game in the afternoon. We maintained a pretty strict bedtime for him and had some downtime after he was tucked in. If we had had younger kids, though, we would have enforced more boundaries for their sakes. 

[Farrar]

So that furniture isn't in there now? The sofa looks comfortable, but the chairs don't look inviting for lounging on.

Maybe I'm not understanding the space, but it looks to me like you could move a sofa or loveseats down toward the archway with the columns and put the TV across from that. And then have a more "sitting area" space that's closer to the windows and more directly in view when you come down the steps. Obviously it would realistically all bleed together, but it looks like there's some room for some separation of space there.

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Re your dad—My guess is he likes being near his loved ones, hearing the bustle and seeing glimpses as you move about. Perhaps he likes being in the middle of it all rather than feeling alone in his apartment?

I get it re the constant TV. My fil dominated our living room and TV while he was here. He hated our shows and his dementia made him unable to be patient or to yield to others. We had an uneasy truce—he watched what he wanted for about two hours after dinner. Sometimes he also watched a football game in the afternoon. We maintained a pretty strict bedtime for him and had some downtime after he was tucked in. If we had had younger kids, though, we would have enforced more boundaries for their sakes. 

I am sure that is why, it is just that we won't sit with him in there while he is watching his shows.   UGH.    

It's ok, we are trying to come up with a solution that will allow us a space on the main floor as well.

[DawnM]

17 minutes ago, Farrar said:

So that furniture isn't in there now? The sofa looks comfortable, but the chairs don't look inviting for lounging on.

Maybe I'm not understanding the space, but it looks to me like you could move a sofa or loveseats down toward the archway with the columns and put the TV across from that. And then have a more "sitting area" space that's closer to the windows and more directly in view when you come down the steps. Obviously it would realistically all bleed together, but it looks like there's some room for some separation of space there.

Right, that is the furniture that the previous owner had, it was staged with that.   We had an old set in there for a while but it didn't look good at all, so now we have nothing.

[KungFuPanda]

I’d get the most comfortable seating and a decent TV. I wouldn’t be afraid to mount it. It’ll save space and you can take it down later. You could even do a movie screen/projector thing. I’d definitely repurpose the room to suit your needs today. You could even make it a nice comfy reading/coffee/visiting room and put a hutch on that wall by the stairs and tuck a tv in there so it doesn’t look like a TV room all the time. 
 

I switch rooms a lot. I have one room that has been a family room, a dance studio, a dining room, and now it’s a family room again. I’m seriously considering making it an accessible bedroom, but Dh isn’t ready to hear this plan. 😬 If it’s not a kitchen or a bath, it’s fair game. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by KungFuPanda

[PeterPan]

20 hours ago, DawnM said:

Right, that is the furniture that the previous owner had, it was staged with that.   We had an old set in there for a while but it didn't look good at all, so now we have nothing.

Just to flip things a minute, does he like to play pool/billiards or cards? That room might be great set up with something, and then you could do it with him, luring him away from the tv. And if he has friends, they could come over and play cards. If he doesn't have friends, you could find some. At my dad's AL, they play cards 3 hours a night. 

[Katy]

I’d get rid of the desk, put a tv & stand a bit to the right of where the desk is now, and spend some time in there.  I usually have to spend time in a place before I know what would feel right. 

[HS Mom in NC]

When arranging the room with a tv, I'd consider it both ways-

1. The TV is mounted on the short wall, which in the pic has a desk, being aware that it people watching tv are more likely to see people walking in the adjacent rooms with the stairs and dining table (I assume that's what's in the other adjacent room. ) It also means having people possibly pass through the tv room from the dining room, walking between the people watching tv and the tv on the wall, and going into the room with the stairs. 

That would drive me absolutely bonkers, but others might not mind it.

2. Mounting the tv on the wall that in the pic has a couch. Assuming there's room, (there may not be) put the seating far enough away from the short wall that opens to the room with stairs so people can walk from the dining room to the room with stairs behind the couch, which avoids walking between the people watching TV and the tv itself. 

I'd prefer that, but I don't live at your house. You and your household might not prefer that.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Just to flip things a minute, does he like to play pool/billiards or cards? That room might be great set up with something, and then you could do it with him, luring him away from the tv. And if he has friends, they could come over and play cards. If he doesn't have friends, you could find some. At my dad's AL, they play cards 3 hours a night. 

Nope.   Doesn't play pool, and remember we just got rid of the pool table to create his apartment!   Not to mention, he can't really stand up well.   And nope, doesn't play cards or games and isn't interested.   And he has friends, but no one here in NC.   Plus, he honestly doesn't have all of his faculties these days.   He is in a lot of pain.

He has a TV in his apartment, the issue isn't really the TV, it is him commandeering that room/space.   I am not hosting get togethers at my house for him.   He went to a men's bible study on Fri AM one time and I thought that would be a good group for him, but he couldn't hear anything they were saying and doesn't want to go back.

[DawnM]

9 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

When arranging the room with a tv, I'd consider it both ways-

1. The TV is mounted on the short wall, which in the pic has a desk, being aware that it people watching tv are more likely to see people walking in the adjacent rooms with the stairs and dining table (I assume that's what's in the other adjacent room. ) It also means having people possibly pass through the tv room from the dining room, walking between the people watching tv and the tv on the wall, and going into the room with the stairs. 

That would drive me absolutely bonkers, but others might not mind it.

2. Mounting the tv on the wall that in the pic has a couch. Assuming there's room, (there may not be) put the seating far enough away from the short wall that opens to the room with stairs so people can walk from the dining room to the room with stairs behind the couch, which avoids walking between the people watching TV and the tv itself. 

I'd prefer that, but I don't live at your house. You and your household might not prefer that.

The TV will not be mounted.   This is a temporary solution, the TV will go on a stand.   

I really wanted furniture recommendations more than anything, not arrangement.   

The TV MUST go on the short wall area, the large wall space already has pictures which took a painstakingly long time to put up and we love seeing them from the foyer area.    They will not be moved.

 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

The TV MUST go on the short wall area

I need to review your original picture, but a casual L shaped sofa might work with this. Maybe put the L parallel to the windows (long part on the picture wall, L turns and is parallel to the windows). This will allow you to create a 2nd "something" behind the couch on that window wall and pulls the space in toward that short wall where the tv will be. So essentially you'd be dividing the room into two (unequal) zones. And personally, I'd do plants on stands under the windows behind the couch. You could do a console table behind that L of the couch if you wanted and throw in some lamps. Most people like low lighting while they eat popcorn, whatever, so you need layers of lighting in a room that was maybe originally a dining room and didn't have as many layers.

[PeterPan]

So I would tuck the couch up almost to the pedestal wall there with maybe just a small side table beside it for drinks. 

In the original picture they were centering the couch and instead you'd move it all over toward that half wall and cozy that side up. How many feet would that leave you on the other side of the couch (toward the windows) if you did that?

[PeterPan]

If you push that L sofa down toward that half wall, it looks like you're going to have 4-5" toward the windows. That's enough room for a bookcase, a small desk, game table to play cards, whatever you like. 

Even in a large house it's nice to have a 2nd room for watching tv. My basement tv gets taken over with baseball and guy whatnot now that I'm outnumbered by gender. I've been thinking of putting in a 2nd tv. So maybe it will be nice as a longterm thing even. It's kind of nice to put the tv on the small wall and make it inconspicuous, sort of cozy, like this is your sitting room.

[DawnM]

22 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I need to review your original picture, but a casual L shaped sofa might work with this. Maybe put the L parallel to the windows (long part on the picture wall, L turns and is parallel to the windows). This will allow you to create a 2nd "something" behind the couch on that window wall and pulls the space in toward that short wall where the tv will be. So essentially you'd be dividing the room into two (unequal) zones. And personally, I'd do plants on stands under the windows behind the couch. You could do a console table behind that L of the couch if you wanted and throw in some lamps. Most people like low lighting while they eat popcorn, whatever, so you need layers of lighting in a room that was maybe originally a dining room and didn't have as many layers.

If I get an L shaped sofa, it will come past the half wall area and stick out.    There is only about 4' there of half wall.

[PeterPan]

Just now, DawnM said:

If I get an L shaped sofa, it will come past the half wall area and stick out.    There is only about 4' there of half wall.

Flip it and put the L along the windows. Then shove the whole couch toward that half wall. 

 

[PeterPan]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000091308186.html  Something like this. Maybe not exactly, because in my mind I saw the L has seating, not chaise. But it's pretty and the direction I meant with the L on the *left* as you look at it, so it runs parallel to the windows, creating a new wall line.

[PeterPan]

https://www.goodshomefurnishings.com/smith-brothers-design-your-way-sectional/5331-sect-p71/iteminformation.aspx  Doesn't recline, but again the idea with the L to the left as you look at it. My couch on main floor is Smith Brothers. It's fine, a little formal, not very *deep*. On the other hand, you've got a pretty formal room there you're trying to cozy up.

[PeterPan]

My mother has a totally different decorating aesthetic from mine, and she will do two sitting chairs (like what you were describing earlier) and a *setee* (think antique wood frame, upholstered seat, two people can sit on it). You could get away with that if you liked the vibe. Again, the setee might turn like the L of the sofa. I just think a sofa would be more comfortable, me personally.

[DawnM]

2 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000091308186.html  Something like this. Maybe not exactly, because in my mind I saw the L has seating, not chaise. But it's pretty and the direction I meant with the L on the *left* as you look at it, so it runs parallel to the windows, creating a new wall line.

Thanks.   I am not sure a sectional would look right in there.

[PeterPan]

Have you thought about having the furniture store help you? They usually have someone who does this and they'll often throw it in for no fee if you buy furniture.

[Resilient]

We had a formal living room like that.  It was really hard to furnish with the passageways and fireplace placement and exterior sliders.  

We ended up with something that worked really well though:  three (sometimes 4) separate areas.  We had a game table with 2-4 chairs (depending on whether it was being used for games or puzzles).  Another area had 2 comfy chairs with a square coffee table between them.  They were 90* from each other, with the table fitting into the corner of the room.  We had 2 loveseats facing each other perpendicular to the fireplace.  And we had a single chair with a reading lamp in another corner.  The room was about 400sf.  

We moved things around to make room for the Christmas tree, usually by putting away the game table.  

[Idalou]

So you want it as a hangout place for books and TV- how many people will be using it? Do they prefer to sit right next to someone on a couch, or do they prefer to sit farther apart? I hate having 3 people in  my sofa, there is room enough, but even 2 makes me feel like I have to crane my head around to speak. I prefer a 3 seater sofa, a recliner, and a small love seat or a chair and a half. I do not care for coffee tables, but that is because I have a small front room. 

[history-fan]

I wouldn’t bother with a couch. Just get enough comfortable seating so that when you return it to formal LR you can rearrange.

My kids had iPads or laptops so that they would/could be in the same room and watch or listen to what they wanted and the older person still felt involved-worked for us but may not for others. There were many shows that we all did watch together too- Who knew Harry Potter would be such a big hit with the older generation. I was also surprised at which older shows grabbed my kids attention.