Above: a 360º-ish view of the living room as it is today (well - and yesterday. Damn you, Daylight Savings!, for my newfound cozy-but-low winter light). (Also! Proof that these were taken on two different days: disappearing plants, and moving candles. It's like one of those "SPOT THE SEVEN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TWO PHOTOS" games! Stylist fail.)
Alright! SO. I had to change the way I thought about this space before I rearranged it. It's one room - but really, it's three: an entryway, a cozy hang-out living room, and a home office. Instead of finding nooks and corners for each overlapping function, I cut the room in two.
When you open the front door now, to the left is the living room. We're actually closer to the TV now than we were before! (We just started watching Walking Dead - and I love being as close to those zombies as possible.) To the immediate right is my home office, and past that is what I now jokingly refer to as "the reception area." The club chairs are in the same place, but now I've tucked the record player between them to create a little more purpose for that area. I love how the fireplace gives the record player this odd prominence. And there's a straight line from the front door to the rest of the duplex - my entryway. (I also use it for yoga.)
At first, I was a bit worried about shoving the couch in the corner, all close to the door and whatnot. Bad feng shui? Or maybe because I usually try to give more breathing space around furniture. I told myself I'd just give it a few days and see how it felt after the newness wore off. And? - I like it. I like having one arm up against the wall - It's becoming my new favorite reading spot. I also like how the two big windows that used to be behind the couch are now opened up to the room. I also also like that now when Micah and I make a floor palette in front of the TV on weekends (...and some weekdays...), there's still a clear path from the door to the rest of the duplex. Before, we'd have to awkwardly inch around it. But we did it. 'Cause palettes are worth it.