Last week, I posted about how my kitchen, dining space, and living area are combined into one room in my Victorian-era apartment. My bedroom is spacious, but I'm still trying to find the balance between cozy and cramped in this multi-functioning space. Friday afternoon, I slightly rearranged for a more open layout.
The couch was angled. I love arranging furniture at angles, but it was creating a tight squeeze between my dining table and couch to get into the living room space. The couch is now straight and the turquoise chair that was squished between the couch and wall has been moved to the other end and angled. The chair is much easier to move out of the way, over to the window, or out of the room entirely. It can also be turned toward the dining table for a third seating option.
As you can see above in the floor plans I made using RoomSketcher, the changes were subtle. The dining table, tv / turntable cabinet, and bar cart stayed right where they were. In the Before floor plan, the small coffee table placed under the window could be moved to right in front of the couch. Now, that coffee table acts as a side table between the sofa and wall - clearing up the floor space for a smaller, easier-to-move around table and pouf (not shown in the floor plan).
I kept the television / turntable stand right where it is. It's the most convenient spot for my cable hookups and such. My diy record holder sits nearby on the floor. My bar cart serves double duty as a bar and as storage. The old crate (which belonged to my grandpa) stores dvds. I placed a large book on top, which created a perfect spot for my growlers. Still working on that gallery wall...
I also moved this little ice cream parlor chair into the room. It's small, delicate, and a bit uncomfortable. Sitting right in front of the window, it works as an extra side table or additional seating if I have people over. (I'll take the uncomfy seat, of course.) A basket on the floor corrals clutter that I like to keep close at hand: some magazines, tv remotes, and a Beer Nerd board game my boyfriend and I play on weekends.
I've also spruced up my kitchen area by adding decor and color to the space above the cabinets: diy paint swatch canvases, a retro clock radio, a vintage fan, my mini grill, and a picnic basket. I'm still working with the counter space... see, I really do just have slivers of space! (Please excuse the sink full of dishes. Heh.)
So here's my kitchen / dining / living room space as it is now - minus the small side table and pouf that I put in front of the couch. I feel like I've got everything in the right spots. Now, I'm figuring out what to do with the space behind the sofa. It's a long, narrow space occupied by the immovable radiator on one end and the fridge on the other, but it has a nice big window. Maybe a small desk in front of the window? Perhaps a coffee bar? Now that the heat is off, I'm also considering building some kind of radiator cover to make use of that, too.
Suggestions and ideas are always welcome!
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