Help... awful lounge

[LiesLiesLiesLies]

I need the leather couches to stay. I hate curtains but these patio doors face the TV so hard to see TV unless dark outside. So need curtains but what colour? Hate the bookshelves but very useful. Should I paint them or remove? Also need to change the rug. Any ideas would be fab please?

pumpingRSI I think your plan is what wowfudge was suggesting. Good suggestions and I’m trying to think how they’d work in RL as my photos make the room look a lot bigger.
Please bear in mind that we’ve recently moved in and are having building Work done; so the Piano, closet, gym mats (they’re not speakers), printer table etc will be removed. That corner/alcove to the right of the fire is a glazed door leading to a playroom. So nothing can go there. The alcove to the left has a window with a radiator beneath. I guess the window could be blocked up and the radiator sealed off. The archway opposite the fireplace leads to all the other rooms. It’s quite a wide opening so you can see into the lounge from other rooms (ish). This is fine but means the back of the sofa will be the first thing viewed. The backs of my sofas aren’t pretty.
We are DEFINITELY getting rid of the radiator covers and bookcases. With the bookcases gone it could feel more spacious and allow the sofas to go L shaped as suggested. BUT this would somewhat block the playroom door - the kids would have to go in front of the sofa to access the playroom (but that could still work). So one sofa would need to go where the tv is at the mo and the other in front of the archway. I’ll give it a whirl tomorrow to see what you all think - albeit the other crap will still be there too!

If you have sofa against wall then you'd be able to easily see into playroom.

Is the playroom much smaller as would your current lounge make a better playroom and vice versa? I like kids central where I can see em, and lounge off another room but mess isn't for everyone.

You'd just be moving rad on wall a bit further down and replacing it with vertical rad, you could leave small length of pipe work exposed along skirting as it would be hidden by sofa. No oak floor jiggery needed. And rad behind tv would be fine in alcove. Even cheaper!!

Kids would still be able to go round sofa and you could keep one eye on that room and other eye on tv!

Ps I've just done this (moving rad and putting in vertical so I can put sofa on back wall, blocking window, adding tv point and electrics). Easily got change from £1k. But was having a whole heap of other work done so labour on site.

Oh and console table be hind sofa with books and vase on. Sorted.

Wow!! How right you all are!!! Thanks!! Okay so it’s a mess. Ignore that! Stuff in room that doesn’t belong. Ignore that. Rug wrong way round. Ignore that. But overall an improvement. The games and books can go in another room so bookcase definitely going!! If tv goes in the corner then we don’t need curtains.

my eldest has walked and said ‘ugh, this looks awful!!’ As I persuade her it’ll look better. She’s repeating ‘ugh, so ugly. Just bad!’
Where would the armchair go? Need it in the room as lots of us!! I’m thinking I need to push the sofas further out to get the chair in.

It looks so much better. Look how much more light you have coming into that room.

Trying to fit the chair in.

I think it looks so much better too. The chair works near the window, it doesn't block the light/view like a big sofa did.

As you can see that’s a very sunny corner so TV will reflect even more than does now.

From the other angles. I think it’ll look fab this way round. Thank you!!!!

Oh! Photos didn’t load!

From the other three angles

I prefer the new layout. Tv in corner or above fire. You're also utilising the beautiful view out of the windows. I'd paint the shelves first and if they still don't work, get rid. As the suite is so dark I'd go for light soft furnishings, cushions, throws, rug. Definitely shutters on the windows too.

If you do get rid of the rug, where are you and how much do you want for it?!?

Our lounge is also a thoroughfare from the hall to the sunroom. Our room is smaller than yours and we have two sofas, a chair and footstool, bench, coffee table and tv innit. It is very cosy. I have posted pics to show how ours is laid out.

You need to try the rug the other way across the fireplace so widest bit facing it.

I think that looks better - actually having the sofa where it needs to be walked around to get to the playroom will stop the kids charging up and down from playroom to kitchen (I think that's what you said was through the archway). You can chuck a blanket over the window and see how curtains or blinds would stop the sun shining on the TV screen if it were in that alcove. The fireplace is the focal point in the room which is why it doesn't work to have the TV on another wall and the furniture orientated around that.

Have forwarded photos to DH. He thinks TV above fire but I’m not keen on this look. Dyou agree?

Such a great room size!
The new layout is much nicer though the tv placement is strange, on top of the fireplace may look good as your DH suggested, maybe give it a try?
Also with the bookcases maybe look to paint them and either add an extra shelf or two above then box them in so they look built in? I've seen some lovely ones done online.

I dislike TVs above fireplaces, but it's not my house!

I'm not a fan of a tv over a fireplace personally, , I prefer it in the corner by the window, but see what you mean about sun glare. Once the bookshelves are gone you could have some light curtains to pull if needed.

I like it as it is.

I think your fireplace is too tall to have a tv above it. I've read that tv should be at about head height when you're sitting on your sofa/armchair so you don't have to tilt your head back.

Fwiw (and I am no expert!) I think put it to left of fireplace as pp's suggested. Maybe shutter that window behind it so light isn't shining in your face as you look at tv. Can you draw sofas into room bit more? Use console to hide back as per pp. Keep rad behind sofa low if you can create thoroughfare behind sofa.

procrastinatingPingu did you read my posts?