Nonworking fireplace, how to furnish around it

jai4137570 · 2025-02-07T21:35:55+00:00

There was an error rendering this rich post.

My boyfriend and I just moved into a new space. One of our rooms that we'd like to use as an entertainment room has a nonworking fireplace that is in somewhat of an awkward space. My goals for this room are:

1) to have as much seating as possible (think big comfy couch)

2) to have space for a desk

3) to hang a projector

I'm curious to see how others might layout this room. Right now the best we can come up with is an L shaped couch to the right of the fireplace (the shared wall with the fireplace is 102 inches). Desk to the left as we come in, and a blank wall from the entryway to the closet doors (this I think will look a bit strange).

Apologies I know these photos aren't the best! Below is our best attempt but this layout feels off to me. Pls excuse the mess as well.. we barely unpacked!

Find more posts tagged with

Living Room

Office & Dens

NYC

Comments

DanielaAraya

I love the brick walls! Makes me miss my old NYC apartment. What about something like this?

Of course, this isn't to scale, but maybe it can get some wheels turning! To make the fireplace feel less random, I'd use it as an opportunity to center your seating around. You can use the wall where your desk currently is as the projector wall. Were you planning on projecting right on the wall or getting a screen to pull down? Either way, this nook should work for that purpose (unless you want something much larger, in which case I think the blank wall your sofa is currently facing is probably the best wall). I would move the desk so it's facing the window — way nicer to look outside than at a wall when you're working! I suggested a floor mirror to the left of the desk in my floor plan because I noticed that the corner gets a lot of natural light. You can use the mirror to direct light throughout the rest of the room. Use your extra wall space for styling bookshelves, hanging artwork, and displaying your and your boyfriend's personalities. Also, check out this article for tips on how to style your mantel! Hope this helps!

tigerlillysmom2326

The fireplace and wall paneling are too nice not to keep also. If you want it to feel cosier you could paint that a warm color too.

Zephy

I agree with Daniela — even though the fireplace doesn't work, it and the brick wall are the most prominent architectural features of the room (and really pretty!), so ignoring them will just make the whole room look discombobulated. I suggest pretending it works and arranging the furniture around it. Could a pull-down projector screen be hung over the fireplace? Then you could have the sofa in the middle of the floor facing the fireplace, with the hassock or coffee table in front of it, maybe a comfy chair to the side of the couch. The desk could go on the wall where the couch is now or in front of the window (I like that idea!). Bookcases/shelves/storage could go to the right of the entry, or a long, thin table could go behind the couch). It's a pretty room and looks bright — enjoy!

bonnie2613

What a beautiful room! Before you buy an L-shaped couch center your rug on the fireplace and move your existing sofa to face it. This will give you an idea of scale for an even larger L-shaped couch. Then try your desk on the right side of the fireplace. If there were more space the desk would instead be to the right of the door against the near wall as you walk into the room. Keep the window as free of obstacles as you can to give a feeling of space. Use one light-weight living room chair (on legs) to the room then bring in a couple nice dining room chairs when you have company.

user2005622

That fireplace, panelling, and wall need accentuating in my view, not burying behind bits of furniture etc. All I can say is arrange your seating and rug around the fireplace focal point and your projector screen above it, that'll give you a comfy place to relax in. Have a desk outside that area (give serious consideration to exactly how much desk space is actually needed and downsize accordingly). For emergency extra seating you might consider stackable chairs, with luck they'd fit nicely out of sight in that closet.

therapt1182

Gorgeous architectural features—do not hide with furniture or paint!

I agree with the person who says center the rug in front of the fireplace; you could keep a cluster of plants there or you could use the nonworking FP as a "gallery space": a revolving artistic site for whatever you're creating at the moment. I imagine a series of shelves at diffeent heights, each holding a work of art: pottery or sculpture; or unframed canvases, maybe one in progress on a short-easel (as long as it doesn't break the line of the mantel). Or a fabric/textile art extravaganza : use the mantel as your "frame" for colorful textile art inside that "frame." Or fans of different sizes; or a collection of cultural stuff like masks from around the world, or whatever cool thing you collect and display. Or whatever your personal creative thing is. Or, just the clusters of plants are also nice. Some people like to put seasonal decorations there. But it's a focal point, with beautiful detail, so make it work for you.

Put the desk somewhere where it is not in the line of sight from the sofa to the firefplace, and not in the line of sight from the main doorway to the window, if possible: desks tend to be messy and look work-like, and your main function in this room is living space.

I would also hang the projector over the mantel and maybe frame it creatively or just cover it with art or with interesting, room-coherent fabric when not in use. Smaller scale chairs come in from another room when you need them. A large sectional/L-couch might overpower this lovely room.

InspiredCFSUK

Your space has great character, and a few tweaks can make it more functional and balanced. Instead of tucking the L-shaped couch into the fireplace corner, consider floating it slightly to make the room feel more open. A U-shaped or modular sectional could also maximize seating while keeping things cozy.

For the desk, placing it to the left of the fireplace makes sense, but adding floating shelves, art, or a bookcase will keep the wall from feeling empty. If possible, position the projector opposite the window or use a pull-down screen above the fireplace to keep it discreet.

To make the fireplace a focal point, style it with candles, books, or a small media setup. Would you be open to adjusting the couch placement to improve flow? Also, do you need extra storage in the space?

jai4137570

This is amazing! Thank you all for the comments, and special thanks to Daniela for the mock up. We read all these and then furiously rearranged the furniture to try a few more options out. We landed on the attached - given the amount of space we had, and the larger couch that's on its way, we opted to put the couch facing the fireplace directly. Its a little tight with the door but we think it's the best option!

DanielaAraya

https://community.apartmenttherapy.com/discussion/comment/3567#Comment_3567

There is nothing better than furiously rearranging your furniture in excitement, right?! This looks so good already! I didn't realize the area you're standing in is the door, but I agree this makes the room feel the most spacious. Please share more updates when you get the new sofa 🤩

tigerlillysmom2326

Much better! We have a living room with no uninterrupted wall space. I float mine and use a long cord under the couch for lights, and then hide it under a rug for the rest of the way to the wall cord. If you own now, and do not have a finished ceiling in your basement, you can also have outlets put into the floor by and electrician. We did that in our last house. enjoy your beautiful home!

Zephy

Yay! Thanks for showing us an After picture — or I guess an "in process" picture. It's looking good! Good luck!