How to arrange furniture in this small TV room?
July 26, 2017 9:54 PM Subscribe
I want to make my small back room into my family's main TV/gaming room. This room is also the main access to the backyard for the dog, and I need help figuring out how to arrange the furniture -- and possibly what furniture to buy -- so that this room functions well.
My house has two small living rooms, one at the front of the house next to the entry, and one at the back, which is currently set up as a library/reading room (the dining room is in between the two living rooms). The TV is in the front room, which means the kids have pretty much taken it over, especially when they have friends over. I'd rather they have their various messes and noise in the back of the house so that I can have a quieter and tidier living room at the front.
The back room is about 12 feet X 12 feet, and it has a wide doorway with a large double-door entry from the dining room (behind the photographer in the photo). The back of the room has the door we use to let the dog out, which means I don't want too much furniture in the middle of the room because it's also a hallway.
The other issue is that my kids want to sit pretty close to the TV for gaming. They either drag a chair up to the TV or sit on the coffee table. If I set up the room so that the only furniture is a couch, they'll bring in dining room chairs, which I don't want. But a sitting-friendly coffee table in the middle of the room seems like it'd get in the way of accessing the exterior door. So I'm thinking I'd like to have some sort of small stool or chairs they can move around. Or maybe an ottoman or footstool on wheels?
Right now I'm thinking about having a TV on a TV stand on the left side wall, with a couch on the right side wall. I think I do want a couch, not just gaming chairs (or whatever), as we'll also use this room for all of us to watch TV and movies.
But perhaps you all have some terribly clever ideas for how to organize furniture in a room that's also a hallway? And more ideas on how to set up furniture for gaming?
My house has two small living rooms, one at the front of the house next to the entry, and one at the back, which is currently set up as a library/reading room (the dining room is in between the two living rooms). The TV is in the front room, which means the kids have pretty much taken it over, especially when they have friends over. I'd rather they have their various messes and noise in the back of the house so that I can have a quieter and tidier living room at the front.
The back room is about 12 feet X 12 feet, and it has a wide doorway with a large double-door entry from the dining room (behind the photographer in the photo). The back of the room has the door we use to let the dog out, which means I don't want too much furniture in the middle of the room because it's also a hallway.
The other issue is that my kids want to sit pretty close to the TV for gaming. They either drag a chair up to the TV or sit on the coffee table. If I set up the room so that the only furniture is a couch, they'll bring in dining room chairs, which I don't want. But a sitting-friendly coffee table in the middle of the room seems like it'd get in the way of accessing the exterior door. So I'm thinking I'd like to have some sort of small stool or chairs they can move around. Or maybe an ottoman or footstool on wheels?
Right now I'm thinking about having a TV on a TV stand on the left side wall, with a couch on the right side wall. I think I do want a couch, not just gaming chairs (or whatever), as we'll also use this room for all of us to watch TV and movies.
But perhaps you all have some terribly clever ideas for how to organize furniture in a room that's also a hallway? And more ideas on how to set up furniture for gaming?
Best answer: How about putting some wheels on a couple of those small ottoman storage cubes? They could function as a coffee table and seating and be moved around as needed.
posted by mismatchedsock at 5:14 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by mismatchedsock at 5:14 AM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: Do you have an Ikea in driving distance? If not, Home Depot and other big box stores have some of the following pieces. Here's what to do with them:
Replace the current table and chairs with a table-height storage/bookcase/media Ikea-type system against the wall. Leave enough space at the dining room end--for a short, perpendicular tabletop and legs. Put the TV over at the far end of the bookcase. Put two rolling chairs on each side of the perpendicular tabletop. The kids can move the chairs as needed near the TV.) Place a small-scale but comfy sofa across the way--maybe even a small sectional with the "L" part by the door.
Measure everything carefully before you buy!
posted by Elsie at 6:52 AM on July 27, 2017
Replace the current table and chairs with a table-height storage/bookcase/media Ikea-type system against the wall. Leave enough space at the dining room end--for a short, perpendicular tabletop and legs. Put the TV over at the far end of the bookcase. Put two rolling chairs on each side of the perpendicular tabletop. The kids can move the chairs as needed near the TV.) Place a small-scale but comfy sofa across the way--maybe even a small sectional with the "L" part by the door.
Measure everything carefully before you buy!
posted by Elsie at 6:52 AM on July 27, 2017
How about a wall mount for the TV with a long arm? The TV could put flat against the wall, or extended three feet from the wall.
posted by ShooBoo at 8:35 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by ShooBoo at 8:35 AM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: "So I'm thinking I'd like to have some sort of small stool or chairs they can move around. Or maybe an ottoman or footstool on wheels? "
I think this is a great idea, specifically in THIS format:
"How about putting some wheels on a couple of those small ottoman storage cubes?"
which is available pre-made at a lot of stores. I think I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond? Anyway it's a one-person cube with a padded lid that lifts on and off and functions as a seat or a footstool. They can store video game controllers in them! Or games. Or blankets.
You can also find them with tops that flip, one side padded and one side wooden, or get trays to put on top, so that you can use them as small tables as well as seating/footstools.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:02 PM on July 27, 2017
I think this is a great idea, specifically in THIS format:
"How about putting some wheels on a couple of those small ottoman storage cubes?"
which is available pre-made at a lot of stores. I think I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond? Anyway it's a one-person cube with a padded lid that lifts on and off and functions as a seat or a footstool. They can store video game controllers in them! Or games. Or blankets.
You can also find them with tops that flip, one side padded and one side wooden, or get trays to put on top, so that you can use them as small tables as well as seating/footstools.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:02 PM on July 27, 2017
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We have a similarly annoying space as our main lounge (big doors opening to the back yard on one wall, and the entrance to the open-plan galley kitchen on the opposite side, with only a couple of small pockets where furniture can go without blocking the flow.) We get away with it by tucking a couch and coffee table one side of the walkway area, and a tiny dining table and chairs the other side of it, but I don't think we could fit a tv in even if we wanted to. We use another room as the tv room, and our large computer monitor doubles as a TV, being moved forward from its position at a work desk when we want to use it for movie night. But maybe it works for us because our TV/gaming time is only maybe an hour a day. If it's going to be used like that much more frequently in your house, moving it around or having it in the way might be more of a problem.
posted by lollusc at 1:18 AM on July 27, 2017