Room for Improvement #4

What to do when your oversized sectional is the elephant in the room

The owner of this home (and probably the designer of this living room) went on Reddit to ask people how they would make it better. “I love this space but do feel like it’s just missing something,” says user burnt-spinach. On the positive side, he has a beautiful front window, generous floor space, and has attempted to form a sitting area with the monster couch. Bonus points: He likes cats. :)

The design critics on reddit suggested a plant stand to replace the Home Depot bucket on the right. That’s so mean. (Photos: Reddit)

Sometimes it works to use furniture as a room divider but not in this case.

But as he recognizes, he is missing the mark in some key areas.

There are some opportunities here for creating a much more cohesive and inviting room. Start with easy things like rearranging the furniture and installing a plant shelf above the window. Then, consider bigger steps that include built-in furniture and a decorative TV wall. Like any reasonable person, I would start with the easy and plan for the rest.

First: Move the sectional
Burnt-spinach loves the sectional and spent good money on it. It’s non-negotiable. I think the biggest problem is that it sits in an awkward place. There is hardly any space to move past it on the side towards the front of the photo.

Could he rotate the sectional so that it faces the window and wall outcrop? (Where the cardboard robot is currently)

It’s hard to tell from these photos but I think it would be an improvement since the rest of the room doesn’t seem to be used for anything. If that worked, I would mount the TV there.

That way, the sectional floats and allows for movement around the periphery of the room. Like these.

(Photo: Houzz)

(Photo: DecorPad)

Second: Create a decorative TV wall

If that works, move on to the TV wall and bring in color or texture (wood, metal, or even a wall fabric) to make it look more intentional. Here are some ideas to create a pretty focal point:

(Photos: Fancy House Interior Design)

If the sectional can be separated, then there might be ways to position the seating even if he wanted to keep the TV where it is.

Third: Add built-ins

That large wall on the right is perfect for some built-ins. You could remove the little TV stand and build in some cabinets and bookshelves. Something like this:

A wall of built-in shelves and cabinets would boost by fivefold this room’s architectural interest. (Photo: Houzz)

Fourth: Add some meaningful art

(Photo: Nadia Watts Interior Design)

Meaningful art goes beyond a quick purchase on Amazon. Look at the scale of the art pieces above. They fit very well in their respective places. Also, they convey a sense of intent; you can tell they were chosen carefully. For burnt-spinach, one option is to hang some decent temporary art until he finds better pieces. I suggest a couple of larger pieces on the TV wall (if he moves the TV).

Fifth: Build a window seat and enhance the front window

The front window is very pretty and is in a bay that really cries out for something built in. The whole issue with this room is that it really has very little going for it architecturally. This is where home builders save on costs but it leaves options for you to design something yourself.

Like a window seat.

(Photo: DecorPad)

Sixth: Rethink the indoor plant display

This chest, with its motley collection of indoor plants, doesn’t do anything for the room’s aesthetics. The grow light is even worse. I know these are useful for maintaining plant health but it is so far away from them I don’t know if it’s even doing anything.

To further showcase this guy’s green thumb, I would do away with this little corner setup and put the plants on a more visible stage.

What about putting a few glass shelves across the large front window and moving all your plants there? (With pretty pots) Sunlight filtering through the plants would create a marvelous greenhouse effect.

I suggest using the front window as a sunny spot for the indoor plants, incorporating a couple of wood or glass shelves across it. I like the idea of hanging the trailing plants on a curtain rod. (Photo: Shelterness)

Sometimes a little goes a long way in a room makeover like this. You could play around with paint, lamps, and rugs. Maybe even splurge on a fabulous central light fixture. It’s a fabulous feeling when you hit on something beautiful.