Question: Our living room is ugly. All the homes in our Forest Knolls neighborhood are the same, so by helping me, you'll be helping a bunch of us. The fireplace is centered along one wall. There's only a partial wall on the other side, so we can't center a sofa facing the fireplace or it will hang out over the opening to the dining room. The fireplace is ugly, so perhaps it shouldn't be the focal point. It's white wood paneling with no mantel. We are stumped!

Cindy Mesaros
San Francisco

Answer: How nice of you to solve an entire neighborhood's design dilemma in one fell swoop. I've suggested a basic solution with a few variations so you don't walk into a neighbor's house and think you're home.

TAKE YOUR PICK Here are three possible arrangements for furniture in this living room. Personalize the room with your choice of fabrics, colors, textures, and window treatments.

I'll start with three furniture placement options. I'm not a big fan of positioning a sofa with its back toward a room's entry; it's not as inviting as a more open floor plan, in my opinion. However, given the criteria we have to work with, two of these plans show the sofa this way. All three plans use a sofa that's 7 feet 6 inches long by 38 inches deep so there's a comfortable napping place. A smaller sofa might be a better scale if it's in front of an entry. The plans also include a large coffee table, with variation in size. This table can be either an upholstered piece, all wood, or glass with a wood or metal frame. Additional seating comes from a pair of club chairs. End tables with lamps are strategically placed, as well as plants on either side of the window in two of the plans. Use a large area rug to ground the room and add interest. I would make the window treatment an important element, choosing fabrics and materials that complement the upholstery. Some neighbors' windows could have drapery panels with natural material shades, others could use shutters. Use colors well and let textures tell the story in your fabrics. A built-in bookcase and desk provide computer work space on the wall opposite your already built-in bookcase and balances this end of the room.

The fireplace is a natural focal point, and its basic design lends itself to changing. If altering it, work with a licensed contractor because it's a structural element. One option is to clad the brick surround and hearth with stone tiles or slab and put an attractive mantel over the opening.

If you prefer a more contemporary appearance, you can clad the brick and carry the stone of the face wall all the way to the ceiling.

A third option includes cladding the brick with stone and then building a mantel that spans beyond the fireplace wall. This mantel can be wallboard and painted to match the wall, or wood, but the fireplace surround and hearth must be made of stone or tile, per building code requirements.

The way you remodel the fireplace should be based on your style of furniture and taste. Traditional furniture would look inappropriate with a very modern looking fireplace, and vice versa.

For more interest on this long wall, you can incorporate custom-built bookcases on either side of the fireplace or use pre-made bookcases that fit well.

Now that you have several design and fireplace remodel ideas to share with your neighbors, perhaps a big block party to sell the furniture you're all giving up will help defray the expenses you will incur.

 

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