How would you do up this living room?

[DecorDilemma]

I'm planning to get my living room redone, and would appreciate some outside perspectives on what would be best. I've attached photos from various angles so you can see the full room. It's pretty large (6m in length), so there's a lot of space to play with. The few furniture items you can see don't necessarily need to stay (though the piano most likely will, unless it goes to another room).

The one thing I'm not planning to change is the original parquet floor, and the only furniture items I'm intending to put in this room are (probably) the piano, and plenty of comfy seating with some side tables etc. I've toyed with the idea of having some kind of dining/board games table in here too, but I'm not sure there's a good place for it, and it's not essential. No TV in this room, and I'm not big on knick-knacks/display items etc. Feel free not to read the rest and just look at the photos, but otherwise, the main questions in my mind are:

1. What is the best location for a radiator? I am planning to strip out the current pipe system, which includes a horrible old skirting board radiator thing that I can't wait to get rid of (you can see in some of the photos that I've taken the cover off parts of it already to reveal the disgustingness within - and those things on the floor are the covers) and the radiators under the windows. I'm thinking of replacing these with one long pretty column radiator along the back (internal) wall. The only alternatives I can think of are along the wall the piano is currently on, or the two tall narrow walls opposite the door. I think the back wall minimises disruption from both a visual and furniture perspective, because I can't think of anything I would put against that wall, and it won't be in your face as you enter the room.

2. What should I do with the windows? The current ones definitely need replacing, and I'd like to minimise the amount of in-between/connector bits and maximise the amount of light. One thought is to replace each of the four main window bits with a single pane of glass, then have openers above the doors. Will that be enough openers? Another option would be to knock down the two walls either side of the door (but not the diagonal walls) and make a larger windowed area. I'm a little worried about potentially regretting this though, as it's hard to visualise what it would look/feel like. Any thoughts on why this would be a good/bad thing?

3. What should I do with the fireplace? The house is 1930s, and I can't figure out if the fire surround is from that era, and/or if I should keep it. Either way, I don't like the part below the mantelpiece, or the hearth, so they need changing. There used to be a gas fire in the current hole, and I can see that there was some additional brickwork put in to bring it down to this size, so it might be relatively painless to widen it again if there's any reason to. I don't want to put any kind of actual fire in there, so it will be purely decorative.

4. What should I do with the lighting? There are currently four ceiling light fittings, in each of the four corners. At the least, I want to change the fittings. But would you change the positions, or have something different entirely?

5. What colour(s) should the room be? It's north-facing, so isn't the lightest at the best of times, so I assume light colours would be best. I saw this and thought it looked really nice: https://www.direct-fireplaces.com/gallery-crown-arched-cast-inset.html - would it be weird to have just that fireplace wall painted something like that? I'm feeling so overwhelmed with all the options.

Thanks if you've read this far. I know there's loads of inspiration on the web, but I'm really struggling to get a coherent plan in my mind, so I'm hoping there may be things that are obvious to other people when you can see the layout.

Oh, also, the fireplace isn't supposed to representative - I just couldn't find one in the app that looked like mine, and the design of that is still very much undecided.

Do you envisage yourself using those doors to access the garden? Might be a bit awkward. Looks nice though!

I like your layout and I think there is enough room by the table to open to doors to the garden. However, I would prefer to have the two radiators the same size so they match on either side of the bay. Also I’m not a fan of having the sofa sitting on the rug, I’d put it a few inches back so that the rug is in the middle of all the seating.

You can guess that I like balance and symmetry in a room! Possibly rather old fashioned.

You said originally that the dining/games table wasn't necessary in here -- if there's another room it can go into, I'd do that, and not block the route out to the garden. That is, if you think this will be used, or even whether it will be open on warm, sunny evenings.

I much prefer rugs going part way under the sofa. Makes the room look bigger.

I really like the layout you have created - it looks inviting as well as practical.
Am not over keen on the two matching tall rads, are you sure you need to max out the BTU? Maybe speak to a plumber.

Having looked again it looks tight with the table and doors. Do you need a table in there?

@Chewbecca I'm not sure if access to the garden through this room is a priority for me. We have a kitchen on the other side of the piano wall which has similar (wider) patio doors, and that is the route we use most often to get outside. I know it looks quite nice when people have those indoor-outdoor situations where the sun is out and everyone is coming and going, but realistically I think the number of days where the weather is good enough for that is far outweighed by the number of days where the weather is more suitable for staying in and playing board games, or having a cosy chat with a cup of tea. I'm also a bit of a clean freak, so I'm not massively excited about the idea of facilitating people traipsing bits of garden into a room with soft furnishings (as much as I wish I didn't care). I'm willing to revaluate this position if someone has convincing reasons, though - it's possible I just don't know what I'm missing. As it stands, I think the design leaves plenty of room for getting outside through those doors (the bench will tuck under the table, so that leave a good 60cm clearance), but it could also move out a little further if needed.

@Ihateslugs What do you mean about the radiators? They are identical on each side of the bay in this plan. If you're talking about the positioning not being 100% identical in the plan, put that down to me being an amateur with the online tool. Re: the rug, I didn't think particularly carefully about where exactly to centre it, or how big to make it, but I consider that an easily changeable detail - this was more to solidify the overall (perhaps less changeable) structure. Though I still value this feedback, as it will certainly matter for the final "look"!

@MidYearDiary I do have a dining table in the kitchen, but I thought it might be quite nice to be able to use this as the main social space for everything, rather than having to move between rooms (as there isn't any big open-plan kitchen/living room/diner situation). I like to have friends over for a mix of things - I've had evenings that involve making music, playing board games, eating and drinking, and generally lounging around. I thought the table (if I find the right one) could make some of those things feel more natural in this space, and the seating for it can double up as general social seating when the table is not being used. Do you think it looks strange to have a table in there, or was your point just about access to the garden (and if the latter, would you agree with my thoughts on this above)?

@CellophaneFlower Noted! I guess I'll be trying a few different rug arrangements given the clearly differing views on this. (I haven't yet formed a strong opinion, but I do think by default I'd lean towards putting it some way under the sofa.)

@trickyex Thanks! Can you say more about what you dislike about the radiators? If the BTUs weren't dictating things to this extent, what do you think would be the ideal radiator location(s)? My plumber seems to be mainly deferring to me, in that he asked if the existing two radiators gave off enough heat, and made his initial suggestion based on me saying that I think they did. But actually, I'm not at all sure that they do (hence the rethink), because the old skirting radiator system (that will be getting ripped out) outputs a not-insignificant amount of heat, and I have no way of knowing the BTUs of that. Also, the existing light fittings have 20 incandescent lightbulbs between them. Most of them have blown now, and we didn't bother replacing them because we knew we wanted to redo the room, but when they were all working I think they may have been contributing significantly to the heat of the room too. We also haven't made that much use of the room, so it hasn't been tested in the coldest temperatures. Because of all these confounders, I'm nervous to go against the general BTU wisdom. What would be a reasonable justification for not maxing out the BTU (as determined by the online calculators)?

See above for some thoughts on the table. I'm also not set on any particular table size, so I could get a slightly smaller one, or position it a bit further away from the door. And I would expect the door-side bench to sit neatly under the table when not in use. Do these things change your view at all?

Okay, a couple of questions:

1. What do you all think of something like a daybed as an alternative to the table? I actually have a teak Indonesian daybed in the bay of another room, which I could potentially put here instead (I've attached a photo of an identical one). Or I could get something without a back, like in the plan. Or some completely different seating. I'm just not sure another sofa would work there, with its back to the window blocking the light from the door and ignoring the bay as a distinct feature.
2. Am I right in thinking that it wouldn't make sense to have the radiator behind the sofa with this seating arrangement, even if I could get one long enough to heat the room? Either way I wouldn't push the sofa right against the wall, but it still looks like it would need to be too close, to get the positioning relative to the fireplace right. I'm basically trying to understand if I should be ruling out the "radiator on the long wall" option completely with this seating arrangement.

One more question:

Is the general arrangement above with the sofa looking towards the bay (give or take the table/daybed/whatever) better than the attached arrangement, where the sofa is facing the fireplace, the seating area is smaller, and the piano is separate from everything else?

Have you thought about enlisting the help of a local designer?
Its clear you want to get the best out of your space, I suggest getting some help from someone who you can talk things through with, either locally or via an online package.

The daybed idea is great! Definitely do that. I like the sofa facing the bay, because that means it doesn’t have its back to the piano for your musical evenings, and so you can look at the view. I agree with the tall thin radiators where you’ve put them, but once you’ve chosen a wall colour paint them the same as or a toning colour with the walls. I would definitely not mess with the shape of the bay.

As you like blue and would prefer a lighter colour, Skylight by Farrow & Ball or Borrowed Light are both gorgeous light blues, and somehow not cold if you pair with warmer tones in the soft furnishings. If you went with a light blue for the walls, try an olive green sofa, and a brown/tan leather or linen armchair, and one in a deeper blue that tones with the walls. Then a big sisal or jute rug, and a couple of creamy sheepskins. Cushions, lamps, curtains in olive, tan, warm yellow and blues. Texture in the cushions - velvet, fluffy, woolly, corduroy. A ticking striped blue mattress for the daybed.

Oh, and keep the wooden rocking chair and put one of the sheepskins on it.

@trickyex I have considered it, but the idea makes me even more overwhelmed, because I'd have no idea who to choose. There are so many options and I'd have very little information about the quality of their work before committing. I'd worry about it feeling like a big waste if they didn't come up with something good/much better than I'd have thought of. I know the usual advice is "ask for recommendations", but I don't think I know many people who have used interior designers.

https://fifimcgee.co.uk/blog/our-living-room-renovation-design

this might help with some ideas

Hi op, I actually used to have a really similar reception room. This was the layout I found best.

Definitely only floor and table lamps needed.

And, if you have other bright rooms in your house, embrace the darkness with this one! It would be such a lovely cosy place to be with friends and enjoy music!

I can send pics privately if you're interested.

Red- sofas and chairs.
Yellow- piano
Turquoise- rads- you'll appreciate the warmth
Blue- bookshelf, display a few bits
Black- side tables, preferably Indian, Syrian etc style, and of differing heights.

Keep some of the space in front of windows clear, and pick a chair with lovely side profile and very, very comfy!

Oh and forgot to say, about wall colour. I don't know how anyone picks from literally thousands, so if budget allows go to the best Persian rug shop you can and pick out the one that you fall in love with, size a couple of feet off all walls to see a bit of your gorgeous floor, then allow all your colours to flow from that. I'd also consider a color consultant once you have the rug.

There was a room very similar to this on one of the George Clarke programmes on C4. Didsbury and Streatham. Completely knocked it through to the kitchen next door but had a very similar bay they replaced which you mind like to see?

I've been thinking about swapping to skirting-board radiators when we eventually replace our boiler. I have no idea whether they are any good, but they might work for that room. This is the sort of thing I am talking about: https://www.discreteheat.com/?AdSource=0110

You could have a gate leg or other sort of flap table. These can accommodate board games or breakfast but fold down when you are not using them. We had one on castors which meant it could be pushed against the wall when we didn’t need it.

Personally I wouldn’t want to sit on a bench for longer than fifteen minutes, certainly not for the duration of Monopoly.

Consider re instating the gas fire. You can get modern ones which are flush, or look like inserts. Very useful during the power cuts which Ed Miliband is doing his best to ensure for the winter.

I havent read everything, but if the radiators are not going to be in the bay, you can curtain across it for the winter, which greatly enhances the warmth and cosiness. I used to have a winter (thick) and summer ( almost voile) set which moved with the seasons.

BTW, Pledge wooden floor cleaner is excellent for mopping parquet.

I just watched this, and I have to say, I was a bit sad at how much they changed it. I think the living room and kitchen could've been nice without knocking out the walls, and I'm not sure the dark window frames really worked. But maybe it's just me - I'm not a huge fan of the open plan trend when the rooms are already well-proportioned. I am planning to replace the old windows in the bay, but just trying to settle on a nice, slightly simpler, window configuration at the moment (and they will be staying white).

I looked into this a bit, but I found the reviews quite mixed, and also wondered why it hasn't taken off in a big way if it really lives up to the promise. Aside from that, the heat output wouldn't be enough for my room, so I would still need radiators. In general, I feel more comfortable with time-tested fittings that most plumbers know inside out, rather than systems needing specialised parts available from a limited number of suppliers. I don't want to be reliant on a single company, and whatever terms they dictate, when something goes wrong!

Looking at your updates I prefer the layout with the daybed i(or chaise longue/armchair etc) n the bay and the piano on the side, sofa facing window. NIcer to have the piano and sofa more open to each other.
CHoose your rug first (I bought a persian rug on FB for a song) as another poster says and pick wall colours from there.
I have an olive green sitting room and love it, esp in summer with the wisteria around the bay window.

I would start with a budget. Moving lights around will probably mean ceiling needing to be replaced. Windows changing could vary greatly depending on what you are going for. Labour won't be cheap (we are doing a very small kitchen and it's 5.5k just for labour). I would get a few people in for quotes and advice, especially if they've worked on similar houses locally. I would decide on piano placement and then put the radiator as far away as possible from it!

On the subject of knocking through, I think Covid prompted a lot of families to have a rethink as they all tried to work/study from home.

I has an email the other day about rechargable wall lights. It seems like a good idea if you didn't want the upheaval of electrical work: https://www.pooky.com/products/elbow-rechargeable-wall-fitting-in-antique-brass?
A few co's seem to do them now.