What to do with entryway/useless room in 1920s bungalow

[Anonymous]

I have a 1920s 1600 sq fr bungalow. The entry/first room you enter is supposed to be the living room but the formal dining room is being used as the living room. We also have a butler pantry with a built in banquette where we eat so there’s no use for the formal dining room. I had a formal dining room in our last house that was much bigger than the current house that we used maybe twice a year so it isn’t worth it to me to have it. What would you put in the entryway/ living room if you weren’t using it as a living room and having a very formal entryway doesn’t really fit the house?

[Anonymous]

Um. A living room?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um. A living room?

It doesn’t really work as a living room for modern living. There’s no wall space for a tv to hang and because of the front door location putting a modern sized couch won’t work there.

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming it's not a huge space? What about an arrangement of 2 chairs with a drinks table between them on one side, and a secretary (can be mid century or west elm / crate and barrel looking if that's your decor) on the other side. Artwork and decorative mirror on wall. So you can use it for reading or doing work/homework etc but still has a living room/entry room vibe.

[Anonymous]

A cozy study/library with a few deep cushy chairs

[Anonymous]

I have a small living room at the front of my house and we put the TV there - it's in the corner on a TV stand.

Previous owners had it furnished as a study with desk and bookshelves. But if I had a small spare roo. It would be for art projects.

[Anonymous]

Can you attach a photo or sketch of the floorplan? That might help us provide better suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A cozy study/library with a few deep cushy chairs

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm assuming it's not a huge space? What about an arrangement of 2 chairs with a drinks table between them on one side, and a secretary (can be mid century or west elm / crate and barrel looking if that's your decor) on the other side. Artwork and decorative mirror on wall. So you can use it for reading or doing work/homework etc but still has a living room/entry room vibe.

Yeah,
I would make it a transitional room with few comfortable chairs.

[Anonymous]

+1 to a cozy sitting room with a couple chairs, bookcases

My childhood home had a room right off the entry with dining and large living room (tv room) at the back. The front room was my mom's quiet reading room.

[Anonymous]

Every spare space in our house is for books and cozy reading corners. Or an instrument etc. as kids get older they find it's nice to have separate space to chill from their siblings.

[Anonymous]

Ours has comfy chairs for reading/games. Big movable ottoman.

[Anonymous]

Library/office? Honestly it depends on what you need. I would just think about what function you want that could go there. You can decorate for anything. Mud room? You could definitely make it happen and be concealable. Office? Same thing. Even a guest room if you needed one and have a back entry, you could install a wall of shelves with a murphy bed and plan to not use the entrance when someone is sleeping in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Library/office? Honestly it depends on what you need. I would just think about what function you want that could go there. You can decorate for anything. Mud room? You could definitely make it happen and be concealable. Office? Same thing. Even a guest room if you needed one and have a back entry, you could install a wall of shelves with a murphy bed and plan to not use the entrance when someone is sleeping in there.

This would be my choice if room size makes sense.

I know it’s not DCUM-ish but I would love a mudroom in front of house where everyone removes all outdoor clothing and shoes before they come in house. I see this a lot in ski house rentals. Not glamorous but functional for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Library/office? Honestly it depends on what you need. I would just think about what function you want that could go there. You can decorate for anything. Mud room? You could definitely make it happen and be concealable. Office? Same thing. Even a guest room if you needed one and have a back entry, you could install a wall of shelves with a murphy bed and plan to not use the entrance when someone is sleeping in there.

This would be my choice if room size makes sense.

I know it’s not DCUM-ish but I would love a mudroom in front of house where everyone removes all outdoor clothing and shoes before they come in house. I see this a lot in ski house rentals. Not glamorous but functional for me.

I think if you have a bigger space, which it sounds like this is, it gets easier to make the mudroom stuff concealable. Perhaps not quite as easy to use as a chaotic, open mud room with lots of hooks. But maybe still better than not having one.