# Living Room Layout - Please Help - Pics Included



## dreww4392 (May 1, 2012)

I'm at the point where I can't see the forest from the trees :-/ Any advice is appreciated!

Our living room is a bit awkward. The TV is really meant to go against either the front wall (where it is currently mounted), or the rear wall. Then, the couch would go at the opposite end-- naturally.

The problem is with the TV on one end, and the couch on the other end, there is too much room in between. That is why the previous owners (and we) put a couch mid-way in the room. The side effect is that it cuts off the room and closes it off. Not ideal for entertaining or openness.

Here are some pictures to show what I am talking about:

This is a picture of the room as a whole:










Front of the living room where the TV is:









Back of the living room where the rear surround speakers are (ignore the 2nd couch... had no place to put it as it doesn't fit upstairs):










Another side view:










With the above, current layout, the only thing I can think of is moving the couch to the back of the room (replacing the black couch), and get a projector setup so the picture is big enough to see from back there.


Or......

An alternative setup I thought of is having the TV (52", btw) above the fireplace and moving the couch to the base of the railing. This would require a new, smaller speaker setup. Then, the part of the room where the couch and TV currently are opens up so we can put a coffee table, love chairs, etc. Pics:

Where the TV could go:











Where the couch could go:










Each suggested setup has its pros and cons... acoustically and otherwise.

Please help!

Thanks!


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## dreww4392 (May 1, 2012)

nevermind... .cant embed pics for some reason... and i'm past 5 post minimum. sorry.


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## Cyberfloatie (Jun 1, 2011)

Pics are showing up now. What direction do the patio doors face?


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## dreww4392 (May 1, 2012)

Cyberfloatie said:


> Pics are showing up now. What direction do the patio doors face?


Didn't notice the pics appeared. Thanks for chiming in!

There are no patio doors-- it's actually a slider. The opening is on the left side (towards the fireplace). 

Thx again, 
Drew


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## Cyberfloatie (Jun 1, 2011)

dreww4392 said:


> There are no patio doors-- it's actually a slider. The opening is on the left side (towards the fireplace).


Okay, so what direction do the sliders face? (N,S,E,W) Are you going to be fighting direct sun? I ask because that will have a large impact on the viability of a projector in a non-light controlled space.


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## dreww4392 (May 1, 2012)

Cyberfloatie said:


> Okay, so what direction do the sliders face? (N,S,E,W) Are you going to be fighting direct sun? I ask because that will have a large impact on the viability of a projector in a non-light controlled space.


Oh, I see. The patio faces South. There is never strong, direct light. The shades do well at keeping light levels low. But, to your point, it is not a light-controlled room. 


Thanks, 
Drew


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## Cyberfloatie (Jun 1, 2011)

I think if you put a high contrast screen on the East(?) wall, where the brown couch is, you could control enough of the spill from the patio. Pair it up with a bright projector like the BENQ W6000 and you could get exactly the size you want with great results.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

I don't think you're giving the room a chance. From looking at the picture, it seems like you have the room completely backwards. Spin the couch around leaving about a 4 foot gap between it and the wall, move your spare couch aginst the side opposite the fireplace and put the TV on the wall where the spare couch was. I think this would sound better as well as deal with any light problems better. And it preserves the functionality of the fireplace when socializing and not watching movies. The room looks out of place like it is.


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## bmfjimbo80 (Jan 12, 2012)

I agree with Tonto completely. Spin the main couch 180 degrees to face the wall with the black couch currently against it. You are now facing the focal point of the room, the good ole fireplace. Plus from the looks of it you will also cut back on the amount of light hitting the current tv as it now has the wall protecting from outdoor light. My living room is very long, 18ft to be exact by 13 across and once you open it by doing the switch it will feel awesome in there.


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## dreww4392 (May 1, 2012)

Cyberfloatie said:


> I think if you put a high contrast screen on the East(?) wall, where the brown couch is, you could control enough of the spill from the patio. Pair it up with a bright projector like the BENQ W6000 and you could get exactly the size you want with great results.


Thanks for the projector recommendation. If I need a bigger display, this might be the ticket. 




Tonto said:


> I don't think you're giving the room a chance. From looking at the picture, it seems like you have the room completely backwards. Spin the couch around leaving about a 4 foot gap between it and the wall, move your spare couch aginst the side opposite the fireplace and put the TV on the wall where the spare couch was. I think this would sound better as well as deal with any light problems better. And it preserves the functionality of the fireplace when socializing and not watching movies. The room looks out of place like it is.


Wow. I've never thought of doing this :duh: ..... and it makes perfect sense! 

I measured the room, and wall-to-wall, it is 21 feet. Minus the 4ft gap, and ~1 ft for cushions, the seating position would be ~16 feet from the screen. Maybe a tad less considering the TV mount. 

Do you think 52" screen size is sufficient? 




bmfjimbo80 said:


> I agree with Tonto completely. Spin the main couch 180 degrees to face the wall with the black couch currently against it. You are now facing the focal point of the room, the good ole fireplace. Plus from the looks of it you will also cut back on the amount of light hitting the current tv as it now has the wall protecting from outdoor light. My living room is very long, 18ft to be exact by 13 across and once you open it by doing the switch it will feel awesome in there.


Similar room size. I'm excited to flip things around! Can't believe I've missed this for two years!

Thanks for the perspective, everyone.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Size is such a relative thing. Big enough to me is way too large/small for others. The standard for home theater is one inch of screen for every inch & a half of distance from the seating position (1:1.5) to said screen. Looks like you could handle upwards of 120 inches easily.

PS You really do get tired of a small screen very quickly. I had a 13 inch TV in my bedroom for years, upgraded to a 32 inch HDTV a year ago & I'm already wishing for a bigger one. Go for a larger screen.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Did you ever flip the room around. Post some pics of the new layout & tell us if it helped at all.


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