Alternatively titled, “Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”
I went to my client’s condo today to see what could be done about her furniture layout conundrum.
You see we had initially planned a bookcase-surrounded TV cabinet. With a budget and space constraints in mind, we bought two bookcases and a square cubby from Ikea (available locally at Furniture Source) to serve as her “TV cabinet.”

billy bookcase kallax shelf ikea furniture
The furniture pieces were a perfect fit for the short wall.

Here’s the thing: She wants a big TV—minimum 60 inches. I told her, “No, no, no, 31 inches max.”
She agreed, but I could sense her extreme disappointment on the Viber screen. 
You see, ladies and gents, this is why it’s important to get measurements of your appliances first before purchasing furniture.
She had forgotten to tell me what her TV size preference was, and I had forgotten to ask her. Still, lesson learned! From then on, we (I) were always saying, “measure, measure, measure!”
One thing I love about working on one’s home is that there is always a better way to make your furniture arrangement work for you and your lifestyle.
She had actually bought this console from Philux—which I think is absolutely gorgeous—and which we promptly placed in her nook, for use as a bar table.
copen media storage console sideboard philux furniture
Copen media console at the center, from Philux’s Scandiniana collection. {Photo from Philux}

copen media storage console furniture philux
The console was also a perfect fit for the dining nook, and would have made for a great-looking bar. But, life had other plans for it—for one, to be used for its originally intended purpose!

Client goes, “Can you do something about it please?” (In so many words 😉), and as I am not one to shy away from a challenge, I reply, “Of course!”
So I roll up my sleeves, bring out my scale ruler and T-square, and first map out a battle plan on my drafting board.
draft plan furniture layout
{Sorry for the poor pic quality!} I like doing things old school—somehow, I feel like I can think better this way!

Then after getting a “Hey! I like this!” from client after she sees the furniture plan, off I went to her unit to see it in action.
With help from a couple of kuyas from our renovation crew, we moved furniture around and tadaaa! 
The fruits of our afternoon’s labor!
furniture layout ikea billy bookcase
Bookcases are now placed behind the sofa. While we are losing two shelves to this arrangement, I suggested to client that she can store un-display-able or seasonal stuff there like appliance boxes. The Kallax shelf now serves as a side table under the living room window.

sitting area reading nook copen media storage philux ikea
The Copen media console is now to be used as—you guessed it—a media console! Since there’s more than enough free space next to it, I was able to fit in this clear Erland Miller chair for a reading nook. Now all it needs is a lamp 🙂

The dining nook will be getting a new sideboard, most likely a much longer cubby shelf for books, to compensate for the shelves hidden behind the sofa. The colorful paintings will be hung over the sideboard, where my client will be displaying her collection of crystals.

The Embla dining table—again from Philux—will be placed under that gorgeous copper lamp from Mandaue Foam. Those white Tolix repro chairs are from Mod Living, while the Izarra armchairs are from Furniture Source.

We customized the vanity table from two 5-drawer Alex cabinets from Ikea.

The unit is still a mess, but so far so good. Best of all, my client said, “OMG ANG GANDA.” That’s more than enough approval for me!