New Living Room Plans!

Remember that post when I mentioned that I've been trying to convince Esposito to purchase new furniture for our living room because I was tired of our massive, beige, microfiber sectional?  Well, I finally did it!  It took the purchase of a new TV, and then the (craftily mastered) suggestion that we convert one of our spare bedrooms into an upstairs den, but we are finally in the market for a new couch for our living room.  And I'm so excited because along with a new couch, a whole new living room plan is in the works!

There are a few things I'm considering.  First is the actual couch, and material of choice.  Two things I know for sure - the couch will be either slipcovered or leather (and I'm leaning towards leather because, really, how often am I going to wash that slipcover?) so that it is more dog-friendly, and I prefer classic/simple lines.  It also has to be super comfortable because it will definitely get used. 

The second consideration is the layout of the future living room furniture, which will dictate which couch I we choose.  Recall my floor plan - the living room is #2 below:

And a close-up version:

I can think of a few different ways to layout (new) furniture in this room, each with its respective pros and cons (shown thanks to the handy-dandy floorplanner.com software once again).

First up is a simple layout, with just a couch and an armchair.  I like this look because it's less cluttered and would allow us to move the TV into that inside corner, thereby freeing up the space over the mantle for decorating! (Also, we could probably start using the fireplace once there is no TV up there - I know they say you can light a fire with a TV over the fireplace as long as the TV isn't running at the same time, but Esposito has major qualms about using the fireplace at all when the TV resides above it).  However, seating would be limited to around four people (though we could always pull in chairs from the dining room and one/a few of the many ottomans we have for additional seating if needed).

Another option would be to purchase a smaller-scale couch (no more than 78-80" wide so we could split around 60" walking space on either side of it) and face it to the fireplace.  Two armchairs could then flank the fireplace, and the TV would remain above the mantle.  I like this option because it allows the TV and fireplace to be the focal point of the room simultaneously, though I'm not sure about how much mobility we'll have behind and around the couch.

These two layout options are similar in style, but differ in what pieces of furniture are in the space.  The idea is to maximize seating capacity and TV-viewing comfort by placing either two armchairs or a loveseat across from the TV/Fireplace.  While I like the idea of having both a direct sight line to the TV/Fireplace and more seating than in the first option provided above, I'm not sure if so many pieces of furniture will look/feel too cluttered in the space.  I prefer the loveseat option to the two armchairs, only because it would be more cozy for Esposito and I when we watch TV, though I like the mobility of having comfy armchairs and a sofa as opposed to two sofas. 

Lastly, we have an option with a sectional.  Now I know this seems counterintuitive given that the whole reasoning for this exercise was to get rid of our current sectional, but I have to say that I don't have anything against sectionals per se.  I think sectionals are super comfy and cozy, but our current sectional is just not right for this space.  And I think I could make the living room work much better if I had a left-arm sofa/chaise instead of a right-arm sofa/chaise so that it wouldn't block the fireplace like our current one does.  In this case, I would opt for a sectional that has a full back all around, to maximize TV viewing comfort.  The TV would remain above the fireplace as well in this option, and an extra armchair in the corner would provide yet more seating.  My main gripe with this layout is that a sectional would again limit how much I can change this room - a separate sofa/loveseat or sofa/arm chairs provides much more mobility which may be useful if we ever move out of this house.

I really haven't decided which option I'm leaning towards yet, so I have a lot of thinking to do if we're going to get moving on a new living room plan any time soon.  Which layout do you like better?  I'll be back tomorrow with some inspiration pictures I've been collecting, depicting each of the layouts in different rooms.