Question: We are having a difficult time trying to figure out how to arrange furniture in our living room around the window and fireplace. We are looking for furniture but are not sure what to get. Can you provide some suggestions?

Robin and Peggy Davis
Petaluma, CA

Answer: The problem of where to place new furniture in your large living room is a fairly simple one to solve when you use the large window as the focal point.

I don't know your taste in furniture style, so I'll use traditional pieces when describing what goes where, but this layout will work even if your taste is more contemporary. Fabrics and materials will be chosen to handle the strong afternoon light.

TRADITIONAL LIVING ROOM A substantial room with large picture window is easy to arrange with the sofa facing the window and the fireplace to the right. Upholstered chairs and console table balance the fireplace height.

Let's begin with furniture placement. The off-center fireplace gives us the ideal opportunity to place a 7-feet-long sofa perpendicular to it, facing the window. This allows the view to be the room's main feature. In front of the sofa is a rectangular coffee table that has metal legs and a glass top. I've chosen these materials because of the west exposure of the window and its strong afternoon light. The sunlight will fade a wooden table, which we don't want. Next to the sofa on the larger side of the fireplace wall is a 30-inch- diameter skirted table. It adds interest to this otherwise "dead" area and provides a surface for a table lamp and a presentation of framed pictures and a small bowl of flowers. On the sofa's other side, nearer the entry, is a small end table. Because it's more protected from the sunlight by other furniture in the room, you can consider wood for this piece. In front of the shorter side of the fireplace wall I've placed a tall wing chair. Its height will complement the mantel's height and start to give the fireplace a sense of proportion and balance. Next to the wing chair is a brass floor lamp that arcs over the arm of the chair to illuminate your reading material. A small end table next to the chair gives you a place to put your book and a cup of tea or glass of wine. We don't want this table to be wood because of the sunlight, so it's a small, barrel-shaped, Chinese-style porcelain garden seat. This piece will add interest and color to the room. The other chair is an upholstered club chair. Its comfortable size and shape will make it an enjoyable place to spend an evening conversing.

On the wall next to the entry is a console table. Its placement here balances the fireplace on the opposite side of the room. If you need storage space, choose a closed console cabinet instead. If you use a console table here, the space under the surface can be used to store a pair of sit-upons that can be pulled into the room for additional guest seating. If you don't need the additional space for small seating, putting a collection of interesting pots underneath the table makes a lovely display and adds interest to the room.

Over the console table or cabinet is a large mirror. Whatever it reflects makes the room seem more lively. Add a pair of tall table lamps to illuminate this side of the room evenly. The console's surface is a perfect place to display nicely framed family pictures, an arrangement of flowers or a presentation of eclectic pieces that make a collection.

If you have wood floors, use an area rug that fits under the sofa and both chairs. This will help give the room a cohesive feeling.

Using drapery panels on either side of the large window and over part of the wall will add drama to the overall appearance of the room. Because the window is so long, I wouldn't carry the rod or drape all the way across it. Instead, hang a drapery rod on part of the wall and overlap it onto the window.

Another layer of window treatments that cover the glass will protect the furniture. You don't want to screen off the view each day, so select window coverings that effectively filter the light but allow you to see through them. You also might explore the wide variety of products available that are applied directly to the glass to help filter out UV rays harmful to fabric and wood.

When decorating a room that gets a lot of sunlight, you want to make sure to use materials and fabrics that won't be adversely affected by the strong light. Choosing synthetic fabrics that have the look and feel of natural fibers but won't fade and rot may be the easiest part of this project because there's such a wealth of products available.

This floor plan and choice of materials will give you a living room that's comfortable, practical and pleasing for you and guests.

 

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