Help With Long Narrow Living Room (floor, tile, shower, kitchen)

[Green Mountain Man]

Hi all, long time member from the outside looking in here. I am in the process of purchasing a home and would like some help. The house is very nice and was built by a well known builder in the area but it has a couple of strange things.


One of which is a 28' X 14' living room. I've tried and tried and am really struggling with how to make this space functional as a living room.


I have tried to attach some pictures so you all can see what I am talking about. The first floor also has a small office/bathroom which leads to a beautiful tile bathroom with walk in shower. the problem with this is that their is no common bath. I would like to add a door from the living room or perhaps a half bath to the main level as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

[weezycom]

that sort of room really needs to be "grouped" into smaller areas. Like in one area, you would have a nice chair or two for reading, a good floor lamp and a small table. Another area would have the TV and seating to view it. Perhaps a third area for a piano if you have it. Try to bring some of the seating into the center of the room so it's not just a big hallway with everything pushed to the walls down both sides. Position things so you have to walk in a meandering path thru the room (unless someone in your family has a mobility issue).

[froglipz]

Pull sofas and other seating away from walls, make small furniture groupings and define areas but keep stuff from being all along walls, use the center of the room.

[hothulamaui]

yes groupings. the room is long enough to make a tv area, a sitting area and either office or game table area.

[ElizaTeal]

Do you have a dining room? If no dining room, I'd split the room, a dining area closest to the kitchen, and a living room at the far end of the room.

[Vectoris]

14 ft is not really that narrow - I think because it's twice as long as it is wide, it gives the impression that it's narrow. I'd definitely split it into two spaces, not necessarily equal. I'd make one area 14 x 16 and the other area 14 x 12. You could even get a permanent wall in there with a nice set of french doors. It looks like a beautiful house, btw!

[emm74]

Originally Posted by ElizaTeal

Do you have a dining room? If no dining room, I'd split the room, a dining area closest to the kitchen, and a living room at the far end of the room.

That was my question as well - to me that looks like it's meant to be part living room and part dining room.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by weezycom

that sort of room really needs to be "grouped" into smaller areas. Like in one area, you would have a nice chair or two for reading, a good floor lamp and a small table. Another area would have the TV and seating to view it. Perhaps a third area for a piano if you have it. Try to bring some of the seating into the center of the room so it's not just a big hallway with everything pushed to the walls down both sides. Position things so you have to walk in a meandering path thru the room (unless someone in your family has a mobility issue).

Yes. You make two or three rooms in the long space. I suspect that the area nearest the kitchen was meant to be the dining area.

I don't understand about the bathrooms. There are 2 baths on the first floor now, and you want to make a third? And I don't understand about adding a door.

[keraT]

I 3rd the dinning room option. That is the first thing I thought of when I saw the kitchen. Make 2 rooms out of this. Making it into 3 groups might be too complicated. You can get some nice decorative item or even those room divider, place in two walls to create a slight division of room. Actually if you just move the brown sofa near kitchen & place it parallel to door/kitchen, in middle of the room, that will create a nice divider.


Beautiful house

[Green Mountain Man]

Thanks everyone for your advice, I like the idea of dividing the room.

In regards to the dining room idea. You can't really tell from the pictures but off of the kitchen to the right is a nice little dining area that looks out over the mountains.

The first floor has one bath and the second floor has one as well. I was talking about adding a door to the bathroom downstairs. The door would be located at the far end of the living room to the right of the french doors that lead out to the three season porch.