It's Susie from Sydney again. I have another room for you to look over and let me know what you think. It's the formal living room. This room is off the main hallway that leads from the front door through to the rear of the house which is the open plan kitchen dining (which you helped me with previously.) It's quite a large house and you can see this room/stairs from the study and media room across the hall and can glimpse it from the kitchen. Also you look over it as you come down the stairs. It's very open and gets tons of light during the day. It is a bit of an awkward shape as there is a pillar sort of in the middle of the side of the hallway. Then the stairs form part of an end wall, leaving a little nook behind.
At the moment it's pretty empty. The only things in there are a lounge suite from our previous house (it's gross, I know), 2 marble-topped side tables which I love, and the
Noguchi table my husband bought on a whim at our old place, which doesn't go with anything we own (although I do like it, it will end up somewhere else in the house.) Plus the gross light fittings that came with the house. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm going for a casual elegance with kind of a H
amptons-y, feel. Though not beach house.
Anways, I'm wondering about the furniture placement. I think I might put a piano in the little nook behind the stairs if one will fit there. Then I'm thinking 2 matching chairs and a side table in front of the window, kind of like a little place for coffee with a friend. Then a 3 seat lounge where the existing one is, then 2 occasional chairs side by side in front of the stairs. (Not matching the lounge, but to go with the lounge.) And then coffee table in front of lounge. (Not the
Noguchi.) Although I love symmetry, I don't think it can happen in this room. This will be my room as the girls have plenty of other space to play in, and I'm going to do the study/den up for my husband. So this will be where I can bring my girlfriends for quaint coffee and chats (read: gossip) in the mornings then glasses of wine and girls' nights when the kids have gone to bed. :)
What do you reckon? Do you give the go ahead?
I've attached a simple house plan which was given to us, and shots of various angles of the room.
Thanks again!
Susie
Dear Susie,
I feel like your plan is a little off balance. I could be interpreting your words wrong- but it sounds like you want two separate sitting areas- one with the sofa and a couple of chairs- then a separate area with two chairs, and a possibility of a piano. Thank you for the floorplan- I was able to convert the meters to feet and make a flooplan of my own - :).
There are three things I want you to consider.
1. Focal Point. Right now you don't have one- and you need one. Don't have your furniture facing your entry way and your husband's study. That is not a focal point. You want to lose the world in this room. Considering your floorplan- I'd say the focal point should be on the long solid wall. You could put a piano on the wall - with some lovely art over it- a large furniture piece would be ideal- a display cabinet of some type. I really like to break up large walls like yours with a large piece of furniture- or something similar in size. You could also have a large piece of art (or collection of art) on this wall that acts as your focal point. A long console table with art above it would also be perfect. It is a large wall- you will need large wall decor to not have a scale problem.
2. Balance. I feel like your plan above is off balance a bit- Check out this living room below- from the set of It's Complicated. An arrangement like this would be perfect- a sofa- (it took me a minute to figure out what your 3 seat lounge was- but I figured it out-
ahhh- the
sofa!) You could have your cozy chat with a friend using two of the chairs- or a larger group of friends could fill the room. To further balance the room- I centered your furniture arrangement between the pillars- this leaves the room a little wider on the side with the staircase. You could put a piano there- like you suggested- or- I put in a little built-in bench area- where you really could escape in a corner with a good friend or a good book.
3. Scale. I have mentioned scale already- but want to address it again with the size of coffee table. Your large room, and large seating area calls for a large coffee table. The one I drew was about 54 x 42. That is not a typical size- it is large- but it is what your room needs to really look right. Remember that you could also use a large tufted ottoman for your table- using trays for your drinks- or you could use more than one table. Notice in the picture above that the coffee table is really pretty big.
I never saw the movie- (It's Complicated). Anyone out there see it? Was it good? I do- however- really like the set. So Susie- remember: Focal Point- Balance- and Scale- and your living room will be your favorite room in the house.
Check out
this post to see Susie's
Family Room.
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 1:27PM 
In my last post- I mentioned that I loved movies with beautiful people and beautiful interioris- which reminded me of one I saw recently- The Tourist- with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. 
The beauty of the interiors in this movie was one of incredible opulence- not something you would necessairily say- "I want that in my home!" - although some might be saying that. Personally, I adored the centuries old Italian architecture and wood work, like some of you out there were adoring Johnny Depp. 
The clothes and hair are another terrific part of the show. Just checking out Angelina Jolie's gloves is worth the price of the movie ticket. (did anyone else out there love her gloves?) The story line- well- it was ok too. ;)
