Thank you so much for your response Carolyn! I was thinking about doing 2 sofas as they would definitely fit but didn't think about the chairs facing the fireplace. We are actually going to take out the back windows and turn them into french doors leading out to the patio. Would you do any other type of furniture near the front of the room by the windows or the back of the room? Also, I was thinking a square tufted coffee table might work here. Do you think that would be a good fit? Thanks again for your feedback. It is greatly appreciated!

What about an ottoman instead of a table? The unit could have storage as well as serve to just put your feet up. I saw a beautiful light lime green ottoman in my doctor's office. Loved it.

I think it will be a good choice.

If you put chairs by the fireplace, you may consider recliners. I ordered custom fabric for a more formal looking recliner from lazy boy, and they are beautiful. They do not look like your standard recliner, but men do like them.

I would settle on what major seating pieces will fit in the room. You can make sure they fit by masking off the area of the floor they will cover with tape. Then you can consider tables, lighting and accessories.

-- So, this is the gathering spot for your family - lovely space.

Is tv viewing the priority for this space? If so, sofas facing each other in front of the fireplace is not going to be the best solution for your family.

You have enough room here for a sectional and an occasional chair by the fireplace, facing the sectional. Look for a sectional with lower backs. This will open up the area behind the part of the sectional that is running along the windows. Less bulk, with the sectional up on short legs, will give the room a lighter feel.

The first sectional shown has the lower back + chaise. The second sectional shows a curve in the center section. A nice change from most sectionals. This might give you more room between the sectional back and the windows - depending on measurements.

Try your high back chair in the spot to the left of the fireplace to see if you like having a chair there. It would give you something besides the fireplace to see when entering the room, also. A fun, colorful chair with some pattern would be great to see in this space.

A storage ottoman is a good idea for a family.

The corner with your computer can be developed more. Find a computer bookcase or armoire for that corner. Again, nothing clunky, but streamlined and more refined.

Do you have to have the computer desk in this room? I'd try pushing the sectional back into that corner and away from the railing. You may have room for a pair of sectionals - one on either side of the room, but I think TV is going to be hard to watch. Check out a pair of flex sectionals where the chaise portion can reverse from left to right.

Thank you again for all of your suggestions! I really appreciate all of them! We just finished renovating the living room and fireplace and are so excited to use it. All our furniture is from our previous home. I would like to fully re-furnish the room. We actually are going to move the desk to the room on the other side of those two french doors. I love the idea of an ottoman with storage in the center. This is definitely our main room for tv watching and family gatherings so a sectional and larger chair next to the fireplace might be a good option as suggested. 2 questions- would you put the sectional back up against the railing or leave room behind it? Also, I tried moving the chair to the left of the fireplace and I like that look a lot. Would you do anything further with the area by the front windows then or just leave it? There is still a good amount of room over there. Maybe a bookcase? Another seating area with smaller chair? Thanks again for all your help!

-- Thanks for the update! The room is beautiful and what ever you did to renovate, you made nice choices.

It looks like you have room to move the sectional [sofa] towards the fireplace. You should have at least 18" between the sectional and wall behind. This would open up the railing. At least 18" because you want this path to look like it was intentionally put there plus, you need that mich room to actually walk through there.

Hang draperies at both sides of the room, taking the rod right into the corners. You will need extra width in the panels to do this but it would complete those walls. Use the same fabric for both. Also, this will help to fill up the 4 corners. They can be stationary or working. If stationary, use decorative blinds for privacy.

How many would you like to be able to sit here? I ask because you could also consider a sofa and 2 chairs instead of a sectional. If the chairs were swivel, they could be turned to watch tv when necessary. However, because of the swivel mechanism, these chairs often have skirts and if they don't, the mechanism is seen. Don't know if this is an issue for you. The chair below has a great profile and the profile is an important element for your room.

If you put a 3 cushion sofa there with a pair of cozy chairs there, you could sit 5 and the room would not feel like it is filled with furniture - a little more breathing room. An extra large ottoman would be reachable from all seats.

-- In this corner, you do have a nice amount of room!

With the draperies going into the corner, and since this is a "family room", vertically hang black and white prints of family photos/portraits, individually and identically framed and matted.

If this is a place someone would like to sit and read [example], place a comfy chair/ottoman layered in front of the draperies. Or, if it would be better for you to add more seating from time to time, layer a pull up chair or 2 - depending on amt. of room - that can be added to the main grouping. Small side table for either option.

These chairs can be as outrageous as you are comfortable with. Very colorful, antique, brand new, reupholstered, a great find, etc. Or, simple, blended in using a fabulous solid color in a textured fabric, especially if all of the other fabric in the room is smooth. Of course, they need to work with everything else in the space.

-- In no way should you consider any of the colors in these examples. They are here only to suggest shapes and sizes.

Chair ideas and imagine ottomans with the club chairs. Also, keep in mind the round table and chairs when selecting pieces for this corner. All of the pieces should have a close relationship, design-wise.

You might want a small side chest or table with this chair - painted or stained.

The small metal/wood chair is a fold-up, made in India. With something like this, you could use a pair in that corner - table between.

if u have another place for the dining table and chairs I would place a small loveseat with a couple of scale comfortable chairs right there in front of the windows. from the pics I think u can still see the tv. I don't know what the view is like from those windows but sitting by a window to read and just hang out. dividing one room into 2 family or living rooms is cool. the room looks big enough to be able to do it. it can also serve as a board playing area while others watch tv. so many choices.

-- You could also place a bench or trunk-type piece under the windows. A bench upholstered in a kilim design would add color and pattern to that wall. An old steamer trunk would be another idea.

A console table would be too close in height to the round table. You need to use different heights in a space to keep the sight lines interesting. A chair, matching the dining chairs if you have one, placed at the end of a trunk, would work

Just came across the picture of your living room. From an A/V standpoint, you should really think about hiding that cable box under the TV and "Flattening" the TV on the wall. We all know how TV's are the new centerpieces for any family gathering room. However, when purchasing a home like this, I would think about hiding the TV completely. One thing that would look good in that room would be using a Vision Art type product. When no one is watching TV, the room will look much more "old school" as it should, instead of having a giant black box in a formal Living Room on the wall. Check out some of the work we have done!!

I really can't thank all of you enough! I'm attaching a few pics of what the room looked like before we bought it a few months ago. We stripped off 2 layers of wallpaper!!! What a tedious task! Please disregard the round table and chairs. We just borrowed it for a party and haven't moved it out yet. I think a sitting area in that corner facing the tv could be nice too! Unfortunately, we have these massive radiators under both windows at each end of the room. Which has also made it difficult in the arrangement of furniture. Love the tip on the curtains! Thank you Sandy. Of course my husband wants the sectional because he is 6'4 and thinks it would be nice for both of us to be able to lounge at the same time. We are just a family of 3 at the moment. If we did a sofa with two chairs, would you recommend the chairs flanking the fire place or both of them together on one side? Thanks again!

The bathroom is next! Check out this looker we have. My husband and I go back and forth on this too. I say move the shower to the far wall and have the window in it the shower. He says leave it but change the swing on the door so the shower isn't behind the door anymore but I don't like having the vanity in the back corner and all this empty wall before it. Thoughts?

Notice how the arms of the pictured sofa roll over and create lots of bulk? Be sure to choose tailored pieces with low-lying arms--they take up much less space visually than what is pictured, but you would still have enough of an arm to put a cushion against--if you wanted to recline while watching TV or the fireplace. Think about how you watch TV before making the investment--is a recliner a good idea for you? There are several sleek recliners available that don't consume the space they're in--and they don't require a separate ottoman. And as far as lighting goes--small end tables with floor lamps (arcing over the tables?) will work well in the space you have.

If you would give us a detailed sketch of the room, showing dimensions on each wall and each window and doorway, I suspect we could show you some really good suggested layouts for furniture in the space.

Regarding the bathroom, if the vanity is worth saving, then I'd paint it and change the countertop and install an undermount sink and new updated faucet. Please remove the curtain from the window and the shutters and install a wood blind. For the shower, you will need to remove all the tile, install new tile and a glass division that shields the bathroom from shower spray, usually a 36" glass, leaving 24" open space, will work. But do check local codes, please.

With additional photos of the bath, we could supply more suggestions for that area.

re: bathroom thinking . . .

Do not know how deep you are willing to dig in this room. But -

Place the tub/shower on the window wall and replace the window with glass block to make it waterproof. I am assuming that you want a tub since you are a young family and will need the tub.

Change the swinging door to a pocket door. This means tearing out the wall to install the pocket door but it might be well worth it. They save so much room!

If there happens to be a closet on the outside of one of the bathroom walls, lose the closet and add the square footage to the bathroom side. I mean, literally sheetrock over the [bedroom] door, tear out the back wall of the closet so that floor space is free to be added to the bathroom's foot print after tearing out the back wall of the closet and opening the space into the bathroom. You can also split the closet between the 2 rooms - half in the bedroom and half in the bathroom.

Or, install a door in the bathroom for access to that closet for storage and free up floor space in the bathroom with a pedestal sink or two. There is no picture of where the potty is so these are ideas that might not work.

-- Pix of a glass block window in a shower.