Who uses this room and when? Who uses the den and when? Is this room best used as a living room or are there other purposes that would suit it better - entry room with storage, office space, reading nook for one?

By the way: Your home and dog are beautiful. Raymour and Flannigan is crappy furniture. A darker color or oatmeal color would look better. Love seats aren't great furniture because usually no more than one person will sit in it so you are better off getting a nice chair.

The color of that sofa doesn't look like a good match for the rug if you're keeping it. Almost all manufacturers make small sofas or loveseats, but as Kendrah said, you might be better off in this space with two comfortable chairs.

Thank you. I would use the living room may be as a sitting area, extra seating when friends/family are over. I do like the rug but I am open to replacing it. We use the Den to watch TV but the couch is too big/bulky but will have to do for now.

How do you feel abou this if it went the other way?

It's 55 inches (including the table)

These are 52" wide and come in a whole bunch of fabrics

https://www.garnethill.com/hamptons-upholstered-settee/605776?offers_sku=49963%20RBOC%20SETE&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&SourceCode=DGW25B

That path from the front door to the stairs IMO is going to be used so much I'd reconsider placing a rug across the room. Here are layouts that might work.

Don't know if you have considered this but one arrangment might be 2 highback chairs qt each side of the fireplace, floor lamps behind them, with a compact sofa facing them. Leave enough space between chairs and sofa for the door swing, and in lieu of a coffee table, separate portable drinks tables with handles.

chairs for (somewhat) each side of the fireplace, with their backs to the fireplace)

Drinks tables to the right of each

This kind of sofa (with a different upholstery or rug)

I like mytwo’s idea of two chairs. But…would two small club chairs fit facing the fireplace?

I really like the Settee and/or chair combo, rug sideways. Facing fireplace is nice idea but the room is very small. I am afraid it make look even smaller. Wonderful ideas, thank you.

What about a small 2 seat sofa on the left side of the fireplace and chairs on the right?

Agree with Beverly that the rug is not helping the seating arrangement and can be a hazard from the front door to the steps.

It looks like an historic Craftsman. Really lovely! And the dog is adorable….

Your dog is adorable and your house is gorgeous!

if this were mine, I would have 2 small matching sofas, one on either side of fhe fireplace. Room and Board (mid-market), IKEA (low), and Ligne Roset (high) all have things that would work.

Other IMPORTANT option is:

Take down that problematic door and save it but get a 2-panel french door stained just like it that opens in the middle. You'd have half the problem the door swing creates, and if you can get it to swing the other way, even better.

I have to see how costly it would be to replace the doors but I like it.

I would probably float a comfortable conversation area for four (with full-sized furniture) in the middle of the room and let traffic flow through that area when it needs to (presumably not when conversations are actually happening). I like the square wood coffee table but replacing it with a round ottoman would prevent barked shins. (Can the coffee table find a home elsewhere?) This arrangement accommodates the current door swing, but @mytwo cents' suggestion of a double door is great if budget permits. (I'm guessing at whole-room dimensions, assuming the rug is an 8x10. Two squares here equal a foot.)

Yes, that's the layout I envisioned with high back chairs, although I think I would put reading-type floor lamps with the chairs as well and I always prefer using drinks tables to having a central coffee table/ottoman. (Are those nesting tables I spy in the corner?) Can't tell from the mock-up if it would be possislbe to put one's feet up on that ottoman. Originally I thought I would add a foot rest for the left side of the sofa -- vintage. And yes, a console table for behind the sofa.

Here's another simple high back chair from from williams and sonoma (comes in a zillion fabrics)

I wish these had dark legs (from Perigold)

It's possible there's room for chairs that are deeper and loungier but I couldn't see on my device how far the hearth sticks out on the fireplace (chairs that swivel on a peg could help you cheat). Visually I think tall and a bit slender might be best so that side of the room doesn't look overweighted, having the fireplace too -- but:

From Perigold

by the way, regarding the door, what's needed is a pair of 5-lite interior doors. Most often they are used for pantrys, so a kitchen cabinet maker might be where I would start.

I would use the living room may be as a sitting area, extra seating when friends/family are over.

Where do friends and family sit now when they come over? I find that people gravitate to a kitchen and/or stand somewhere else in a clump and pretty little sitting areas like this go totally unused. Instead of spending money on this space, which may get little use, I'd invest instead on getting a less bulky sofa and setting up the den exactly as you want it. For now, you can just tidy up the living room space, get a comfy chair off of Facebook Market place, put a little lamp and table next to it, all for very little money. See who ends up using it, if anyone does.

I think it is a great idea to eventually make this space more functional, but I'd prioritize your den.

Yes you’re right everyone sits in the kitchen or where the TV is. We just moved to this house, smaller than what we had, and we no longer have a eat in kitchen. I will also need room to put an extra table for the holidays. I moved the furniture around to see what a couch would look like and maybe use the den for a sitting area. I don’t know if I’m not used to it but I feel like it looks very busy and maybe cramped. But this room does give me more room to sit as a TV area.

Living room with the couch and add TV on the fireplace

I have a room similarly situated and think of it as a hall - A dorway on each of the four walls. There is a bar cabinet and coat tree type of open closet.. I’d like to add seating for two and these suggestions are helpful.

I think we need to see a to scale floor plan The measurement from FP to stair is fine but no other measures are there . iMO a loveseat is just a big chair with no way to reach the other armrest and no arm rests is really bad. Maybe just wait to deal with this space since you just moved in recently I would wait to see what you need most in the space and how the rest functions.

The couch location is appealing, however the armchair might do better on the the other side. If you are just testing ideas, any chair on the window side might need to be less bulky and let more light into the room. But as it looks like an area likely to be moved through a lot, 3 seater might be too much. 2 seater might offer more flow?

Some chairs for either side of fireplace?

Bulky furniture is not going to work in this space. Totally agree that the room should be fitted out for function, including keeping things flexible for the holidays. Do already you have a table that would be going into this space? Where would you put a TV in this room and how many people are going to need a seat to look at it?

We have a dining room but use folding tables for the holidays for extra seating. I would put the TV over the fireplace. We do have a 65 inch TV. I would want room for at least 4. The den is small and only fits a couch chair & TV. But you really can’t ‘pull up a chair in the den it too narrow.

@tozmo1: Great idea to consider club chair/club idea for that room. Those two-cushion loveseats usually just get one sitter anyway, so you still need chairs. Here are additional examples of no-sofa alternatives with well proportioned chairs for the amount of space.

Paran Valley kitchen · More Info

SAN MARCO RANCH · More Info

The den is - 6’.5”x13’ not including a nook that can fit a chair. The LR is 17’x11’.5”. With a big radiator and lots of openings.

I love the 4 chairs!

Your space is perfect for four armchairs! If they swivel, even better. You already have the large sofa in another living room, no need for a second sofa. Just make sure new chairs are comfortable but have smallish proportions that will work in the space. Measure twice before you buy!

Scale of furniture will matter. The existing furniture in the above photos is quite large. The suggested floor plan above used a 72-inch-long sofa (not the more usual 84"+ for a three-seater) and 32-inch chairs. Four chairs would work well too, if you don't mind not having a sofa to lie on--and you would have to be on the short side to stretch out on a 72-inch sofa anyway. (By the way, I find that two people are quite willing to sit on a 72-inch sofa.)

Great idea to move your furniture around in the space and start to see what it feels like. I like the set up you have with a chair in that corner and the sofa across from the fireplace. If you get new, less bulky furniture it will look great. This layout has a more cohesive feel than four club chairs. The four club chairs look great in the photos, but those rooms don't have all of the doorways and pathways in between that yours does. Try to imitate a four chair layout in your space to get a feel for it and post a pic. I'd love to see.

I think the fireplace is too high for a tv. Not good ergonomics at all. I'd mount the tv to the wall left of the fireplace where you currently have photos hanging. You can put it on an arm to angle it out towards the sofa. You could also leave it flat and then the person in the corner chair can watch it too. Plus, your fireplace is really beautiful and will look so much nicer with pictures on the mantle than with a TV over it!

It's really crucial to measure how far out into the room the hearth projects.

Much prefer to see the TV on the stair wall, mounted on a swing arm. Take the photos now on the wall and move them to the opposite wall. Personally I would want a convex mirror over the fireplace with your swirly votive holders to either side of it.

https://www.chairish.com/product/11719311/contemporary-uttermost-tropea-convex-wood-mirror

So examples of furniture size I'd be looking for are like this compact swivel chair from Martha Stewart. Comes in other neutral colors

This is a 70" sofa from Everly Quinn via Wayfair. Comes in other colors but thinking might be more fun to simply recover the central 3 pillows and otherwise keep the upholstery in the room neutral (maybe solid color lumbar pillows for the chairs)

So again, I'd have 2 chairs with their backs to the corner of the room and a sofa facing the fireplace. If a TV is a must, goes on the stair wall. New door or no door.

I don't believe this space was meant to be a living room. It looks and sounds very much like a large gracious entry. It sounds like the "den" was meant to be the living room not a family room.

The standard items for a space in front of the fireplace might be a grate with a bench, or just a bench, plus two high-back chairs facing each other. For parties you could add folding chairs and TV trays here. The TV trays I'm thinking of are attractive ones that come with a rack and would be stored along the wall next to the front door on the fireplace side.

The other standard item would be a rather good-sized hip- to waist-high round table with drawers in the middle of the entry. This serves as a landing place for mail, keys, purse, while you go sit in the chairs to take off boots or shoes and put on indoor shoes. That table would serve at a lovely place for fresh flowers, and maybe you've seen movies set like that. Does it have a light overhead? For parties, a place for a tray of snacks.

You have the right idea with the small chest to the right of the door on the way out, but it could stand to be larger with room for all your scarves and mittens and a large rectangular mirror in front to check your look on the way out the door. The radiator would be a great place to put wet mittens on a winter day. There are attractive metal radiator covers you might prefer, since this is a home entry. A coat rack in this corner to dry a wet coat would be appropriate.

For all these items you could keep costs down by searching on-line or at local antique stores. This space was created for an older more gracious time that has found it's day again with our need to set aside a space for an entry.

Do you walk through this room on a daily basis? Whether you use the sofa/two chair set up or a four chair set up, consider not putting a large cocktail table or ottoman in the center of the grouping as it impedes the traffic flow through the grouping. Use smaller tables that can be moved into the center of the grouping only when the room is in use.

There is a side door off the kitchen but we do use the front as an entry way. We have a vestibule so that would be where we could store our coats, hats, etc. I like the idea of 2 chairs and opposing small loveseat/Settee (based room on room size not
More than 60-65”) opposite fireplace. Someone asked about the hearth. It’s 20 inches from fireplace

Interior Define's 64 inch loveseat is probably the nicest, and offers you the most choice of upholstery

https://www.interiordefine.com/winslow-loveseat?adgroupid=&campaignid=20350020198&creative=&g_acctid=855-997-9769&g_adgroupid=&g_adid=&g_adtype=none&g_campaign=ID+%7C+Performance+Max+%7C+Swatch&g_campaignid=20350020198&g_keyword=&g_keywordid=&g_network=x&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr_CnBhA0EiwAci5silhKjtphUqFpWgfTNVvwoJWmAXgznhnT4ik70n3HJ0e47hWl-F9gFRoCOJQQAvD_BwE&keyword=&legs-type=38593&material-type=38555&options-2074=9329&options-2079=9343&options-2080=9345&options-2081=9348&options-3352=38593&sku=WINS.FABRIC.SOFA.LOVESEAT.AK-618-21.CUSHION-BENCH.DC-03.DEPTH-35.Leg024-3.LENGTH-64&utm_adgroupid=&utm_campaign=PerformanceMax_Swatch&utm_content=&utm_keyword=&utm_matchtype=&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=&options-3351=38555

Regarding the hearth, it only matters that the chairs near the fireplace can sit level and not be so far out into the room you can no longer open the side door.

This would pair nicely with the interior define sofa, and it's leg arrangment is quite helpful for positioning the chairs near the hearth. Comes in 50 or 60 different fabrics!

https://www.la-z-boy.com/p/chairs/reegan-high-leg-swivel-chair/_/R-210460?region_id=50858467&WT.srch=1&cid=search&cid_account=USA_Tier1&cid_campaign=&utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=&gclid=CjwKCAjwr_CnBhA0EiwAci5simmZPKIwN8JkHv07T4B7hmP-501FoM8pygsVF6IH2hIwyfzOeSu4nBoC970QAvD_BwE

I don't know if the front door swinging the opposite way would be any better--just throwing it out there. The sofa and the big chair and the rectangular coffee table in the living room was a good idea...because it makes you realize that furniture that big will NOT work. I'm thinking smaller-scale chairs on either side of the fireplace and a loveseat. A round ottoman on wheels could serve as a coffee table and/or footrest and be moved easily out of the way. Also, matching built-in bookcases on both sides of the fireplace (only as high as the top of the bricks) would add book storage space and maybe, if you need it, a place to plunk down a TV.