awkward lounge (inc pics) - any ideas?

[DecoratingDivvy]

Hi, how can I decorate this lounge which is a bit of an awkward shape - a rectangle with a narrow bit on one side. We never use it as a family, we're always in the kitchen as it is is just so bare at the moment. We are 2 adults and a toddler so probably needs to be quite hard wearing. We don't want a lot of stuff, somewhere to sit, a coffee table, some lamps, a couple of plants, a rug. Maybe curtains. Everything can come out except the keyboard. I just don't know how to start.

I would separate it out into two rooms, a dining area and a lounge area.

Is it your only reception room?

Agree about zoning it, maybe using a large rug in a seating area, but keeping the bare floor if you use part of it as a play area.

If you can move the keyboard to a different wall, having a full wall of attractive storage - shelving and cupboards - along that wall would improve the overall proportions of the room and somewhere to hide a bit of kid stuff, house books etc.

I agree with having it as 2 distinct areas. If you need a dining area then that and a lounge, if not then I would perhaps do the extra bit as a bit of a study/library area, you could do this with your child in mind, so provide a table and chair for them too, bookcase with their books and toys etc.

You viable too much seating! You need some curtains and pictures or mirrors - what about a fire place as a focal point? A few plants and some personal photos -

Ok - 2 areas. That's a good place to start. Thanks. We also have a similar shaped but bit bigger kitchen dining room where we spend most of our time as it also has DDs play corner in it and a small sofa. So based in your ideas, I could do an adult seating area for entertaining, maybe with the keyboard in it, then a reading area with armchair and child chair corner with her books too. So 2 comfy chairs - one adult and one child in the small corner with reading lamp and side table - separate the room with a hip height book shelf and a big plant on the floor perhaps. I'd imagined an adult only room but that is probably not realistic or desirable if we want to spend more time in there. Moving the piano to another wall is a good idea - maybe in place of one of the sofas. You're right We don't need all that seating but what do you do at Christmas or other big family gathering time? All our books and personal pictures are in my home office - I guess I can get a few of the coffee table ones out. We have no ornaments. Only 1 interesting vase but that's soon changed.

Cody with the fireplace I'm not sure - we could do it. -but have excellent central heating on the walls so it would be for show only. So I think an interesting arm chair and some pictures might be a better spend. Thanks everyone for getting me started.

I would go to IKEA or similar and chose a large rug that takes your eye and base the room around it.

I am going to IKEA tomorrow to get a brusali cabinet and it can become a bookcase. Large plant and tripod floorlight would look good. Cosy curtains and throws.

You can get coffee tables that have seating underneath like little poufs -

I'm sure ikea will have lots of ideas - you seem to have patio doors that are blocked? Can the keyboard go opposite?

Nothing wrong with an ornamental fire place - even an eclectic one with colored lights makes it cosy

I would read up a bit on interior design and look at Pinterest. I'm doing our lounge at the moment and its a similarly awkward shape. We have tried all sorts of layouts of different furniture so we're now happy. But then I'm slowly adding other items like a rug, getting new curtains etc. But I'm really taking my time and its paying off in that it looks better than it has in years. For example I read up on rugs and how to choose the right size and shape for the room. I've tried hard to get lots of different textures in. I've used ideas from Pinterest to organise the book case so it looks attractive.

Don't feel that you have to have kids stuff in. I love it that my lounge is toy free. There is an ottoman with paper and pens hidden inside but that's it for the kids. They can bring toys in but they're expected to take them away again.

I know what you mean about the issue of seating at things like Christmas so I've extra seats as part of the design so the ottoman would fit two. The piano has a duet piano stool. I've a nice pouffe that could be a seat and there is a child's armchair. So while at first glance my lounge doesn't have much seating there is enough there for those family occasions where there's loafs of you.

you could keep it as adult space if you have somewhere else for her things, or a rule as has been suggested that her toys get put away elsewhere again although I personally feel if you have a family then it is a family house (but then I don't have anywhere I could have an adult only space!). If you do the reading area type space then you are still encouraging her into the space but in a calmer/quieter way I think and keeping books somewhere nice with somewhere suitable to read them is something I would love to be able to do.

Cody it is a first floor room in a terraced town house so no patio doors. I've got 3 doors into the room which blocks me a bit - unless I just block one and we don't use it to get more wall space. But DD and I likes to run in circles thorough the doors.

See what I mean