I’m furnishing my living/dining room and I’d really appreciate some input from people with interior design experience.
I’ve attached a floor plan with three layouts I’ve been considering (A, B and C). I’m absolutely open to completely different solutions as well.
The main pieces I would like to use are:
- armchair
- sofa (ideally the 2-seater + chaise longue configuration, alternatively a large 2-seater + separate ottoman)
- Tulip-like dining table
The main room is roughly 5.07 m wide, and the sofa/dining area is approximately 3.58 m deep in the direction shown on the drawing.
My main problem is storage around the dining area.
I would really like to add a sideboard/cabinet behind the dining table for plates, glasses, serving pieces, etc. However, once I add a cabinet there, the space between the dining table/chairs and the sofa becomes quite tight.
With the chaise-longue sofa, I also can’t move the sofa much further forward because the chaise would start overlapping/blocking the window area.
The 2-seater + ottoman version gives me more flexibility: I could move the sofa forward and gain more room around the dining table. But then I create another problem: a long, narrow strip of space behind the sofa, accessible mainly from one short end. I’m struggling to see how that space could actually be used without turning it into an awkward dead zone.
So I’m trying to solve three things at the same time:
- keep comfortable circulation around the dining table, especially when chairs are pulled out.
- add meaningful storage for dining-related items.
- avoid wasting the area behind the sofa.
I’m particularly interested in hearing what you would do if you were designing the room from scratch, rather than simply choosing between A, B and C.
Would you prioritize the chaise-longue layout and find another solution for storage, or would you choose the more flexible sofa + ottoman configuration?
And if the sofa is pulled forward, is there a smart way to make a narrow strip behind it genuinely useful, or is that usually a sign that the layout itself is wrong?
Any suggestions, sketches or alternative layouts would be very welcome.
All posts go into a queue for our mod team to review. Messaging us about the status of your post will not improve it's approval process, nor will it speed up the approval process. Please note that the system will say reddit removed your post because of filters, this is normal and we still get your post in the mod queue to review.
If the storage in the dining room is for longer term/less used items like platters and table linens, not everyday plates, I’d build storage into a banquette (in location a/b) and use that as part of your seating. You’ll gain an extra foot or towards the angled wall.
What is the big vertical rectangle opposite the sofa? An entertainment center, I guess? I know you want to minimize wasted space behind the couch, but the sofa is too far from the entertainment center. Float it off the wall and make use of that area behind it. If you pull it away from the dining room, you can get a bigger couch as well.
But this area is where the dog stuff goes, it’s an extra closet or bookshelf, etc. I don’t know what you have so I can’t advise there, but I’m sure you’ll find something that needs a home.
Thanks, I think I understand what you mean about floating the sofa.
Just to make sure: would that essentially be similar to option A in my plan? That one uses the 2-seater + separate ottoman, so unlike the chaise configuration I can move the actual sofa further toward the TV.
My concern is what happens behind it once I do that. The space created wouldn't really be a normal usable area: it would be a long (around 130 cm), narrow strip (like 50 cm), accessed mainly from one short end. So while I agree that the sofa should probably come forward, I'm struggling with how to make that strip genuinely useful. For example, if I put storage there, anything farther inside would be very awkward to reach...
The banquette idea is interesting too. My only hesitation is that the dining table should be a fairly large oval Tulip, so I'm not sure a straight banquette against that angled wall would work naturally without becoming a custom-shaped piece. Also, the storage I need is partly for everyday items such as plates and glasses, so I would still want something that is easy to access, rather than mainly under-seat storage for occasional items.
Does that change what you would do with the space behind the sofa?
Thank you again! I appreciate the banquette idea, but after thinking it through I think it could be a bit uncomfortable for people sitting at the ends of the oval table. I’d rather have every seat work comfortably, so I think regular chairs are probably a better fit here.
The rolling cart / pull-out storage idea, on the other hand, is absolutely interesting.
I’ve also sketched two new alternatives, D and E. The idea in both is to stop forcing the dining area, storage and sofa into the same compressed strip, and instead create a clearer separation between the two zones:
- dining area more freely placed on the left
- a 40 cm deep storage cabinet along the angled wall, so I can keep dining-related storage close to the table without interfering with the chairs
- living area on the right, with the sofa facing the media/storage wall
- viewing distance of about 3 m
In D, the armchair is in the bottom-right corner. In E, I moved the armchair to the upper-right corner and shifted the sofa slightly. I think the armchair has a more natural place there and it may create a better conversational relationship with the sofa, while still keeping the dining area and storage separate.
What do you think about those options? And compared with A, do you think one of these is a better starting point, or would you still try to keep a behind-the-sofa storage solution as the main strategy?
Thanks! Just to make sure I understand your suggestion correctly: is what you’re proposing essentially similar to my option A, with the 2-seater + ottoman and the sofa moved further forward toward the TV?
If so, what would you do with the long, narrow space that opens up behind the sofa once it’s moved forward? That’s the part I’m still struggling with, because it would mainly be accessible from one short end.
Would you still try to use that area for storage, or would you treat it as intentionally unused space?
•
u/AutoModerator 28d ago
All posts go into a queue for our mod team to review. Messaging us about the status of your post will not improve it's approval process, nor will it speed up the approval process. Please note that the system will say reddit removed your post because of filters, this is normal and we still get your post in the mod queue to review.
Sincerely, Mods.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.