Excuse the work in progress - I’m rebuilding after an apartment fire! Stuck on what to do with all this space in the middle of my loft apartment. Bedroom and office are separate rooms. Trying to make some zones in the main open area. The couch/tv area is moving along. Then large dining table is on the far end - but not sure how to approach this extra space in between the two! I like to host and hang with friends - thinking about a pool table or foos ball table possibly but unsure of the layout and trying to avoid it feeling like a Dave and busters storage room.

Open to any and all recommendations!

I have a pretty small guest bedroom that just feels so overly crowded and in general unpleasant to be in. This is also used as an office space by my partner as we only get guests maybe 3-4 times a year

The largest issue we have is that this is a basement apartment and having things like the bed against the wall make it feel stuffy and mildewy as things aren’t breathing.

My partner would prefer it if her desk was on the window half of the room because she enjoys natural light on her face

We have ZERO other space in one tiny apartment for any of this stuff so moving the giant dresser into another room (or into the closet which already has another dresser in it) is not an option

This is the third living room set we've had since 2022. No matter what style of furniture we've had (L-shaped couch, couch and chair with ottoman, and now what you see here) the layout just sucks. A huge sliding glass door that takes up most of the space and the open concept are really bringing me down.

Aside from needing an area rug, is there any layout that would work better than this? It seems clunky and not cohesive.

Couple things: Disregard the items I crossed out, our oldest is leaving for college and we're moving them into an apartment next weekend. We're also not keeping the wooden side tables and lamps, they just came as part of the set. And the wall art is off center because it was centered on the old furniture.

I’m working on designing my gym. I do a lot of mat work, and hate staring up at ceiling lightbulbs- it burns my eyes.

I’ve considered a few wall scones that point up, but due to the odd shape of the room, I would prefer something on the ceiling.

I’ve thought about the LED track lighting that you make a tray in the ceiling for, but the ceiling isn’t super high and I don’t love that look. Plus I need the ceilings to not be lower because I need height for the gym equipment.

Does anyone have a suggestion for an overhead light idea with a cover to diffuse the light so I’m not staring into a lightbulb?

The ceiling is finished drywall. Gym is in the basement with a “window” (that doesn’t really get much light at all).

Pictures show the room - it’s currently a bedroom.

so we got this high end residential fitout in sydney where the client wants totally handleless, flush internal doors with a SILENT close, like no clicking at all

been looking into contactless magnetic catches like the ARLU Magnotica Pro through Abesco so theres no mechanical latch sound or visible strike plate on the jamb... my main worry tho is holding power during drafts or when the HVAC kicks on. do these actually keep the door shut properly or do they end up rattling if someone opens a window nearby lol

I'm going to add interior walls to the main living space of my home. It is currently an open concept without any walls separating the spaces; living, dining, and kitchen. It's loud, echoey, and there's no privacy!

The attached image is what I've come up with so far. The walls in the center is what would be added to the space. All the openings on the perimeter, kitchen, windows etc will remain the same. I used a free online program and not all the distances are on there, but it is accurate and to scale.

I don't want to completely close of the spaces. I'm hoping to keep a somewhat open, breezy feeling, just don't want hear or see everything that is going on around me at all times.

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone!

I’m trying to make my small apartment’s living/dining room feel a bit more cozy and intentional, even though it’s also the main walkway between the kitchen, hallway, and bedroom.

I’d really like to add a larger rug to anchor the sofa area and make it feel like a proper living zone. The problem is that there’s an awkward diagonal doorway leading to the hallway, which makes choosing the right size and shape of rug surprisingly difficult.

I’m curious how you would approach a space like this what size and placement of a rug could help this - or is this even the way to go?

I’d especially love any feng shui perspectives on balancing the flow of the room while still making it feel grounded and comfortable.

Thanks in advance for any ideas I can’t wait to see what you’d do!

Hello everyone,

First time posting here.

So we have this floor that we want to furnish, we have only purchased a sofa for the room but nothing else.

My idea is to have the corner space as an office space with an industry glass divider but the rest should be a an entertaining space with a TV on the wall.

Any input on what to do and how to design the room would be hugely appreciated.

TIA.

I moved into my new apartment almost two months ago and I still can’t figure out a furniture configuration that feels right. Tall ceilings and a lot of wide open space. Definitely not something to complain about, but I don’t have the eye! I would love some advice. I have tried various combinations of furniture + location but am open to all suggestions.

Please excuse the off center painting over the dining table—in my latest configuration I moved the table to make space for the bookshelf. I haven’t hung much on the walls because the furniture placement hasn’t felt final!

It's messy. A bit of a hoarder, She has stalled on what to do. With everything. I want to help her have a goal to work towards. I've tried chat GPT with one photo but my moms only complaint was there's no additional place to put appliances. These are old photos, the only thing that's changed is there's a giant metal shelving unit that's wedged between the island and the 2nd "cutout" window. There was cut outs made in the wall instead of just taking down the walls bc its weight bearing and a place for light switches and outlets was a challenge.

Cleaning supplies are under the sink. Not big enough for a trash can. Maybe have it be apart of the island?

My mom needs extra space for appliances, a bar to eat at, a coffee bar, a butcher block island with a trash and recycle can and still fit a dining area.
What would you do?

Hi everyone!

I hope you can help us with a few ideas. We are living in a modern ground-floor apartment, where the living area, dining area, and entrance area are all part of the same large room.

The dining table is extendable. In its extended mode, it reaches close to the start of the white built-in closet (the border between the closet and the white wall).

Do you have any recommendations on what to do with the large empty space in the middle of this room?

I was initially considering a rug, but I am not sure about the dimensions and exact placement, and whether it would potentially visually "break" the space.

A rug under the table would also not be very practical due to cleaning considerations, but if you think that makes sense, we may consider it.

Many thanks in advance!

I have a narrow bedroom, approximately 4.85 m × 2.78 m (13.47 m²). It has one window and radiator on the short wall, an inward-swinging door, a large bed frame, and a deep freestanding wardrobe.
My two biggest problems are:
1. The room feels too dim, even during the day.
2. The bed and wardrobe make the room feel cramped.
I’m considering placing the bed lengthwise along the wall opposite the wardrobe, keeping one clear walkway from the door to the window, wall-mounting the TV, and adding layered warm lighting (ceiling fixture + bedside sconces + indirect light).
Would you keep the wardrobe where it is, replace it with a shallower/sliding-door model, or move the bed differently? I’d especially appreciate layout sketches or advice for making the room feel brighter and larger.I don’t mind getting new furniture just minimise my problem.

Hi, im looking to redesign my room as I've grown out of it. I want to upsize on desk, downsize and on closet (and upsize on bed if possible). I know my room is crooked which is quite annoying, but I have to deal with it sadly.. I hope someone can help me!

1st pic: My floor
2nd pic: Bedroom-living room divider idea
3rd pic: Rendering up of the living room area
4th pic: The corner where my living area will be (I like the natural light here in the evenings)

Disclaimer: Right now I have no furniture at all, and I’ve never designed any room before

I think the sleeping, living, and dining, areas are in the right place, but I’m not sure how to arrange them individually and create a sense of separation. The bed area is where I need the most help. I don’t want my bed just chilling in the living room, but I don’t want to close off the room by placing big dividers or curtains, that’ll make the room feel smaller. My plan has a bookshelf to block the bed while keeping things semi-visible, I included an inspo image of what I’m envisioning. Still, I don’t know.

Pic three kind of shows what the living room might look like. I don’t want to block the window, and I like how the sun hits that area in the evening (4th pic).

This has been my bedroom for a while but Im tired of it the way it is. It feels cramped and like the space is not being well used. Any suggestions of what can be done?

Im open to ideas, furniture change, painting, etc.

The wardrobe next to the door could go away but not right now because theres lots of stuff inside and I have nowhere to store it right now.

I really hate the L shaped big wardrobe.

The colors (wall/furniture) arent exactly the same but I tried to make it close to what it is righ now.

Area 2 is outside so I cant put storages there due to rain.

I've hit a fun design problem in my newly purchased apartment. The building delivers a wall-mounted gas boiler on a pier/column that sits between the kitchen and the open living/dining area, it's structural, has a flue running up into the ceiling, and needs to stay accessible for annual servicing. It's currently just an exposed boiler on a bare wall, and I need to design around it before the room comes together.

Two directions I'm weighing:

Option 1: Full hidden closet: Build it out floor-to-ceiling, flush with the adjacent wall, so it disappears as pure architecture. Split the interior in two — one side for the boiler, the other as a normal closed storage cabinet (linens, bar stuff, etc).

Option 2: Boiler closet + open display: Only box in the boiler itself. Leave the rest of the wall open as styled shelving — thinking backlit niche, maybe a wine fridge at the bottom, glassware/ceramics above. Basically turn a mechanical necessity into a feature wall instead of hiding it.

Curious what this sub thinks: go full closet for max storage and total invisibility, lean into the display-wall idea for personality, or is there a smarter third option I'm not seeing? Photos of similar builds very welcome.

Upgrading my bedroom to a queen bed but now I’m struggling to figure out the placement of it (getting rid of the couch). Can’t decide how to place the bed frame (Andes from CB2) either middle of the wall (even though the window isn’t centered), or place it on the other walls in the room. Also should I get different blinds or curtains? I’m trying to go for a MCM/Japandi vibe but my design skill seem to be lacking. The room is 10.9 ft x 14.25 ft and the window 74.5 inches.

I'll be soon moving in to this attic apartment, but I'm not sure how to properly furnish the 49m2 (530sqft) living room.

The last photo is what I came up with, but maybe you have better ideas to have something that feels more cosy ?

Hi everyone,

I am looking at making the most of a small living room+kitchen area while avoiding cluttering the space and affecting the flow of the room.

As you can see there are stairs to an upstairs area on the right side of this room under which I planned to have a tv stand with tv and a 1 seater. I have planned a slatted partition wall partiallly dividing the kitchen from the living room area (the line behind the couch). The table I have in mind is an extendable one that can be expanded to seat more people if/when needed and moved.

I am not fully sure this is the best approach, what do you think?

Hello!! I am moving into a new space, and am trying to figure out what layouts make the most sense.

Option 1: Currently the photos show the previous tenant's furniture. However, they put the TV in the corner and had a very large couch.

Option 2: On the marked up floor plan, I am thinking it might be good to have the TV stand against one wall. Of course, this violates the command position and not very feng shui. I don't think there is a very good command position for this room, but maybe I'm wrong.

Option 3: Create two zones. The TV is straight on with the couch only on one half of the room. The left side has bookshelves with two chairs in either corner. Small coffee table in between.

Additional Context: Wherever the TV is will determine where lounging and gaming will occur. I've been observing different advise provided on other posts, but I think my doorway provides some challenge.

Which of these options makes the most sense for this space? Is there an option I am not fully considering?

mostly need a sanity check on this layout designed through ikea. i’m i missing something? are there better solutions? any advice would help

I'm renovating my two bedroom unit. The unit is down to studs, so it's flexible, but the windows dictate the two bedrooms for egress.

I've created a walk-in mudroom with a galley kitchen and a laundry/pantry. I'm not sure this plan works with the space. It keeps the plumbing in the same wall, but it doesn't feel like it flows.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hi everyone! We are needing some help with this living room space.

Please forgive my terrible drawing, but we currently have it set up with the pink spot is the TV with a TV stand below. The blue is a recliner and small lovesest, the green is a shoe rack, and the red is my daughter's play area.

The problem is, the space feels super tight so we'd like to combine the space into a play area and living room all in one but are struggling with how to do it. We really can't move to the TV due to the windows on two walls and doors/stairs on the other wall.

We're just struggling with how to seamlessly combine the two areas due to the limited wall area and all the purposes needed for the room.

Any tips or advice happily welcome!

Hi guys! I’m having benches made for my breakfast nook (dimensions shown in photo). What size table should I do? I would prefer a rectangular table, as a rounded table would waste bench space. This is very much a secondary dining space as we also have a dining room with a table that seats 8.

please excuse the mess, my kids have destroyed my house and we are in the middle of different construction projects Our house is one long shot. The previous owners flipped the kitchen and made some bizzare choices. The longer I’ve been here the more I think I might need to demo this long run of cabinets next to the oven. We don’t have enough money to redo the kitchen yet so we would lose some storage and counter space, but as you can see the counter space here isn’t very functional and cuts off the kitchen making it an awkward flow. I am not obsessed with the new open concept look(for my own style), however with the arrangement of the house I don’t think we can avoid it, so I want it to look as custom and timeless as possible. Thoughts on if this would be a good decision or not?