An Awkwardly Shaped Living Room

Whenever we first saw our future home, the living room seemed so perfect. It is connected to the kitchen and dining area. I like that I can watch TV while cooking. However, deciding where to put the TV and the couch was a problem.

My husband and I personally dislike the TV being above a fireplace. It's too high up, and I just don't like the look of it. So, we put our TV against the only wall in the living area, but then, where does the sofa go? The carpet angles around the doors to the pantry. So, you can't have the couch following the carpet line or it is crooked to the TV, and if it is parallel to the TV, there's a huge chunk of living room that isn't being used -- it looks empty.

You can see the shape better in this next picture. Here, the futon is following the line of the carpet. While not the prettiest thing in the world, this futon is very special. It was our first big piece of furniture -- a gift from my grandmother in law. And it is soooo comfortable to sleep on. Now that we have an adult couch for the living room, this baby is in the basement, and I take naps on it regularly.







It took a long time to finally arrange the living room in a way that feels right for us. This is how it looks today -- except for being decorated for Christmas with a tree where the leather chair is.

Don't mind the burlap draped over the cat tree; Snickers is taking a nap in her tree house.

It's functional, easy on the eyes, and feels like home. I try not to have too many decorations or things because I like minimalism. It looks clean, and it's easy to keep clean. We don't have a coffee table because surfaces tend to attract junk. Keeping the side table next to the Ikea chair clean is hard enough. It accumulates all sorts of things: hats, batteries, receipts, change, jewelry, etc.

We do have a small table in front of the sofa (surface area of approximately 10"x10") that is actually a plant stand. It is just large enough to put the TV remote and a drink on.

My husband and I are not tidy people. We leave things where they land, and because I'm a neat freak, I go on crazed cleaning sprees regularly. I can't focus if things aren't where they belong. So, to cope with these dueling personality traits, I think it's necessary for me to have a minimalist decorating style and many organizing systems. I also try not to keep anything we don't use. If we don't use it, it's just taking up space. I donate clothes and household items that we don't want anymore and keep a record of each item for taxes. You can keep your house clean and do a good deed all at once!

Have a great day!
-Linciel