bench kitchen table and chairs image
Autumn
It's about 4' x 20'. It's at the back of my apartment coming off of the kitchen. The thing is, it's the only room with a good view (the other rooms all look out on a brick wall). It's currently being used as a storage space, but I'm cleaning it out and I'd like to do something with it, but I just don't know what.
It's about 4' x 20'. It's at the back of my apartment coming off of the kitchen. The thing is, it's the only room with a good view (the other rooms all look out on a brick wall). It's currently being used as a storage space, but I'm cleaning it out and I'd like to do something with it, but I just don't know what. I'll try to show you what it looks like. The door comes from the kitchen and there's a bit of wall that juts out.
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Ok, that didn't work too well... I'll try it once more and I'll leave out the back wall:
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The view is of some trees and a lake. It's much better than the brick wall view I get from the rest of my windows!
Answer
Four feet wide? Hmmmm - pretty narrow. What was the purpose of the room? I'm thinking it is a storage room. If you have a "good view," you may want to make it look like a porch area, especially if the view looks out to a nature scene, such as trees, a garden, grass, flowers, etc. Real or silk plants in pretty containers, or hanging from the ceiling, or on stands would add to your garden feel and yet take up little space.
Because the room is extremely narrow, you'll need to use small scale furnishings. If there are lots of windows, you could position a narrow bench, perhaps an upholstered bench, opposite an especially appealing aspect of the view outside.
You may also consider a small park-type bench, either wood or wrought iron. Add some comfy cushions and a throw to dress it up.
A couple of small wicker chairs flanking a little round table might work. You might try some narrow bookshelves along the walls, but be careful - don't "line" everything up. Better to have a few defined areas (reading area, desk, sitting area, etc.) than one long, cluttered-looking space. I'd keep it sparse but functional. Maybe you could still use some of the space for storage, concealed behind a decorative screen, curtain hung wall-to-wall, etc.
Four feet wide? Hmmmm - pretty narrow. What was the purpose of the room? I'm thinking it is a storage room. If you have a "good view," you may want to make it look like a porch area, especially if the view looks out to a nature scene, such as trees, a garden, grass, flowers, etc. Real or silk plants in pretty containers, or hanging from the ceiling, or on stands would add to your garden feel and yet take up little space.
Because the room is extremely narrow, you'll need to use small scale furnishings. If there are lots of windows, you could position a narrow bench, perhaps an upholstered bench, opposite an especially appealing aspect of the view outside.
You may also consider a small park-type bench, either wood or wrought iron. Add some comfy cushions and a throw to dress it up.
A couple of small wicker chairs flanking a little round table might work. You might try some narrow bookshelves along the walls, but be careful - don't "line" everything up. Better to have a few defined areas (reading area, desk, sitting area, etc.) than one long, cluttered-looking space. I'd keep it sparse but functional. Maybe you could still use some of the space for storage, concealed behind a decorative screen, curtain hung wall-to-wall, etc.
What to do with a really long living room?
starryeyed
OK this is hard to describe, but let's just say that it's 30 by 13 and the picture window ends up right opposite the entry way from the kitchen- so that the couch can't be placed there...
It's like, OK, here's the door that we don't use... here's the only place for the TV, right across from te long couch, and the recliner ends up on the same wall.
Yikes!
I hate this house.
Answer
I can't really picture the room and it wouldn't help you anyway.
What you usually do with long narrow rooms is break up the space and use it for different things.
With a room that narrow, bring the furniture away from the walls to make what is called a conversational cluster around the TV with seating. Put the sofa at a 45 deg angle from any wall, facing the TV then put a tall table behind it...then allow a way into the seating group with a shorter piece to finish out the V. Does this make sense?
Then use other pieces, totally outside that grouping to make other arrangements. You might have 2 chairs with a table in between right in front of the pic window, if it offers a nice view.
These might be little isolated groupings, and against the walls but NOT in a row...kind of stagger anything like this, one across and down from the other, or whatever. You don't want to line them up trailer house style (with everything on one side and a passageway to everything on the other side).
You might place a bookshelf and one chair and table, make it a cozy reading area.
You might define a corner as a toy area.
You can use the area closest to the door as a launching pad...with a storage bench to hold mittens, backpacks, etc, sit down to put on and remove shoes, and a coat tree and a mirror for out the door. You do say you don't use this door, my question would be why not? This might enable you to MAKE use of the door, bring traffic into that space, and make it more user friendly.
You might have a small writing desk or a computer station.
You might be able to put a dinette set in there. Make the length of the table follow the length of the room so it doesn't obstruct traffic.
An alternative, might be able to put a card table in somewhere, with folding chairs and slipcovers to make it look nice...and set up a checker or chess board, etc. Keep a small shelf or cabinet nearby to keep games in. Make sure there is adequate lighting. Put the table at an angle for visual interest.
Use floor coverings to define spaces too. You can hold any of these arrangements together by using area rugs. And each area can have a slightly different color scheme than the others. You can also play with the color scheme in each area to define different spaces. If you have four colors through the whole space, use a different dominant color in each area, and round out with the other three to keep the space cohesive but slightly different.
Boy I hope I am making sense.
Do keep traffic patterns clean so you don't have to squiggle through the room to get from one end to the other. You don't want a completely straight line but you don't want an obstacle course either. Just a gentle, natural walkway.
I can't really picture the room and it wouldn't help you anyway.
What you usually do with long narrow rooms is break up the space and use it for different things.
With a room that narrow, bring the furniture away from the walls to make what is called a conversational cluster around the TV with seating. Put the sofa at a 45 deg angle from any wall, facing the TV then put a tall table behind it...then allow a way into the seating group with a shorter piece to finish out the V. Does this make sense?
Then use other pieces, totally outside that grouping to make other arrangements. You might have 2 chairs with a table in between right in front of the pic window, if it offers a nice view.
These might be little isolated groupings, and against the walls but NOT in a row...kind of stagger anything like this, one across and down from the other, or whatever. You don't want to line them up trailer house style (with everything on one side and a passageway to everything on the other side).
You might place a bookshelf and one chair and table, make it a cozy reading area.
You might define a corner as a toy area.
You can use the area closest to the door as a launching pad...with a storage bench to hold mittens, backpacks, etc, sit down to put on and remove shoes, and a coat tree and a mirror for out the door. You do say you don't use this door, my question would be why not? This might enable you to MAKE use of the door, bring traffic into that space, and make it more user friendly.
You might have a small writing desk or a computer station.
You might be able to put a dinette set in there. Make the length of the table follow the length of the room so it doesn't obstruct traffic.
An alternative, might be able to put a card table in somewhere, with folding chairs and slipcovers to make it look nice...and set up a checker or chess board, etc. Keep a small shelf or cabinet nearby to keep games in. Make sure there is adequate lighting. Put the table at an angle for visual interest.
Use floor coverings to define spaces too. You can hold any of these arrangements together by using area rugs. And each area can have a slightly different color scheme than the others. You can also play with the color scheme in each area to define different spaces. If you have four colors through the whole space, use a different dominant color in each area, and round out with the other three to keep the space cohesive but slightly different.
Boy I hope I am making sense.
Do keep traffic patterns clean so you don't have to squiggle through the room to get from one end to the other. You don't want a completely straight line but you don't want an obstacle course either. Just a gentle, natural walkway.
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