Solving Andi’s Awkward Living Room Dilemma

This post is sponsored by Kirkland’s. Use my code “CLJ15” to get 15% off regular priced items now until 4/13.

My sister Andrea (also our Visual Media Producer) had a really tricky living room in an open-concept floor plan that she wanted help with. I’m talking about a corner fireplace, too high TV, and a slab of wall-to-wall carpet disjointed from rest of the main level flooring. There was also a little walkthrough “hallway” that connects to a half bathroom that any guests would use. Honestly it’s a cluster of design challenges that I couldn’t help but take on so I hijacked this project, pulled in a few favors from Kirkland’s to outfit the space and present a living room my sis would be happy to throw a party in. Let’s take a look at the before layout!

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Before

See what I mean with the awkward carpet slab? I think it really minimizes the living room space, and the layout options! It also makes the living room feel like an awkward tangent to the kitchen and breakfast nook! I’m sure we could have figured out this layout without removing the carpet, but Andi had said from the first time she set eyes on her living room (her and her husband bought this home last summer) that she wanted it gone at some point! So she hired somebody to tear it out, and while they were at it, just replace all of the LVP with something she actually LOVED vs tolerated. Voila!

With the new flooring in place, we turned to Kirkland’s as a one-stop shop for all the furnishings and decor we needed! They’ve done an incredible job at curating designs at an amazing value, and there’s something for everybody, no matter your style or taste. Andrea prefers more of a collected, timeless look, while her husband David prefers more modern design, and I went to work trying to blend their styles seamlessly. Okay fine, I’ll show you already…

Here’s the before

And after!

I can’t even describe to you how much larger it feels and hopefully the pictures illustrate that! From this angle, we’re actually standing in the kitchen, and what used to feel like a disjointed living room, now feels maximized and very lived in. Here’s a second angle if you’re walking in from the front entry, with the kitchen and breakfast nook on the right.

Sofas | Accent Chairs | Chandelier | Accent Table | Curtains | Rug

This living room was like a layout puzzle that took some figuring out, but I’m so so happy to share what we learned and how we did it! Everything you see in this room is Kirkland’s, other than the rug from the Alice line in our Loloi collection, the curtains (which I had in my decor closet), and just a couple of decor pieces Andi has collected. Kirkland’s had everything else we needed, and all of these pieces together make a major impact!

1. Think Outside of the Box

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When you have an odd-shaped space like Andi’s, I would recommend trying out all the layout possibilities! If you have a corner fireplace, you do NOT have to make that the focal point of the room. Of course you can, but in Andi and David’s case, they didn’t want the TV above the fireplace anymore because it wasn’t at a very comfortable angle to watch. Instead, we hung the TV on the neighboring wall and grounded it with this incredible wood media stand with black metal accents.

Before

After

Mirror | Media Stand | Coffee Table | Wood Beads | Vase

We squared off the furniture and oriented it with the TV in the center, letting the fireplace recede as a secondary focal point. Leaning this gorgeous, arched framed mirror above the fireplace rather than art was very intentional! Art would have been too competing with the TV, but the mirror reflects the focus away and bounces light around the room-not to mention, it reflects the gorgeous chandelier we added and shows off their 9′ ceilings. We also kept the mantle simple and clean for David, who prefers more modern design. Sometimes when there’s a pain point in a room (like this fireplace) you address it and other times you ignore and just design around it.

Another layout choice we made in this room was to push the sofa back by the staircase wall, rather than floating it into the room and leaving a walkway BEHIND the sofa. Beyond the archway is a home office, a powder bath, and laundry space. The problem with scooting the furniture into the room is that we would lose so much footprint in an already small living room. So we’re extending it by mirroring the two sofas across from each other and there’s still PLENTY of space to walk through the room, to the archway.

Before

After

Stools | Side Table | Table Lamp | Gold Steer

2. More is More

For a small shaped living room (or any living room for that matter), I would say that more is more. More furniture, more decor, more layers can make a space feel very collected and lived in AND expansive! Kirkland’s really helped us achieve this look by having so many readily available options in on-trend styles and finishes. Their spring collection is especially what we shopped from because of their fresh finishes and textures! We placed the two sofas across from each other, and the two brown leather chairs across from the brown media stand. Also across from the leather chairs are two stools for additional seating around the coffee table. The Ahedos especially love hosting game nights, so I wanted to maximize their seating for this! In a multi-functional living space, not everything has to be pointed towards the TV folks!

Before

After

X Art | Juxtaposing Art | Pedestal Table | Baskets

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Talking about more, I dare you to count how many tables are in this room… There’s one taller table in the corner that bridges the height gap between the tall curtains and the seating and I’m obsessed with the black turned legs. Between the two softest leather chairs is a side table with the sexiest black base and stone top. We wanted to keep that one empty so it would be an easy spot to set a drink and also not obstruct the view from the entry. Of course, the round coffee table which sort of mirrors the round chandelier up above. And there’s another end table to the side of the other sofa. I think most living spaces could benefit from having more surfaces for setting down drinks, or snacks or books or candles. Not only are Andi and David now equipped with plenty of seating, they now have have ample surfaces for hosting and game nights.

Wood Beads | Vase | Candle

We layered in stacks of books, these incredible chunky wooden beads, vases galore, and woven baskets throughout the room. I promise you it’s the little things that make such an impact!

3. Adding Color and Height With Curtains

Andi was worried her living room would be very beige if we didn’t paint the walls. As much as she loves the SW Accessible Beige walls (painted before she bought the house), I get it because it’s an open floor plan and it’s actually everywhere. I always advise against painting a couple walls in an open floor plan where there’s no molding to start and stop the paint color. It looks choppy. But, BUT!!! Painting your walls is NOT the only way to add color to a room! We hung three of these velvety blue, floor length curtains high and wide for some height and color and what a difference this makes! If I hadn’t already had these in my décor closet, Kirkland’s also had a very similar look we could have used. Also, fun fact: you don’t have to center your sofa with a wall ;). We also brought in some color with the pillows and greenery, not to mention the heirloom painting of the house done by our uncle that used to hang in my Grandma and Pap Pap’s home.

Hanging the art from low to high also adds some height to the room, and this was no mistake! Not every art piece needs to be eye level, in fact I encourage you to switch it up. I love how the abstract black and white pieces bring in that modern touch that David hoped to see. I also think the black pieces give the contrast this otherwise beige room needed-the frames, the furniture legs, the black chandelier, the curtain rod!

4. Lighting is Everything

I’m going to guess you don’t have enough lighting sources in your living room. I could be wrong, but I’m telling you, one overhead fixture is not enough. Swapping out the dusty ceiling fan that they didn’t use once since moving in for classic, modern chandelier was the perfect start. Then we placed a couple lamps on the side tables which adds some much needed warmth!

5. Rug Size Matters

Okay, I’ll preach this as many times as I have to, but rug size matters! Refer to this post as a guide, but for a living room I would either get a big enough rug to put all major furniture legs on the rug, or at least the front two legs. For Andi’s living room, we had to be careful about the rug butting up against the fireplace, so we got a 9×12 which couldn’t be more perfect!

It was so fun and refreshing to do a room install all before lunch, and Kirkland’s made this so effortless for us. Everything we used from them is shop-able online, or they have stores all around the U.S. if you want to see for yourself. The best thing about them is that there’s always something new to be found, and I think that’s part of the fun.

Kirkland’s always has curated designs at an amazing value! Use my code CLJ15 to get 15% off regular priced items now until 4/13.

Sources:

Sofas Accent Chairs Pedestal Table Accent Table Table Lamp Vase X Art Juxtaposing Art Coffee Table Vase Wood Beads Candle Mirror Stools Baskets Media Stand Jug Side Table Gold Steer Table Lamp Curtains Rug Chandelier Lumbar Pillow Floral Tassel Pillow Striped Throw Pillow

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