Is a tv being place in the room? If not, try creating a seating and conversation area floating in the center of the room....maybe with two small sofas facing each other and a coffee table or ottoman in the center. Or two chairs and a sofa, the two chairs are more versatile for layout options. Good luck!

The best way to make a small space look larger is to avoid the tendency to add in too much furniture, or make it too large-scale. You need pieces that offer you enough seating, but with smaller profiles in both your living and dining space. Look for multi-functional pieces with storage, keep the wall color the same in areas that flow together, and use the walls for vertical storage and display instead of relying only on freestanding pieces. Look for furniture retailers that advertise "apartment size furniture," and see Houzz Photos under "small space living" and "vertical storage? for ideas. You can use art, an area rug or similar to decide your color scheme. Your apartment really isn't that small, fortunately, by big-city standards.

it is a long narrow living room

Hi Sarita, We would suggest three options - 1] You may place your sofas parallel and opposite to each other leaving the space in between to access the balcony. Not the best facilitation but it will give you an unobstructed space. Or you may place an L shaped sofa in front of the balcony door but leave space between the two for passage. This will help bring the sofa closer to the tv and leave you with easy access to the balcony. You can also put the tv unit on the left wall with a set of sofas in front. 2] Put a partition between the living and dining space that would house the tv unit on one side and the dining table on the other. This will screen the dining area and allow you to place your sofa(s) more flexibly and without obstructing the balcony. It would however make the dining area look a bit cramped. 3] Avoid putting the tv unit in the living space altogether. Put tv in your bedrooms instead. This will ensure privacy to the viewers even when there are guests over. You may also convert a bedroom into a tv room if you don't need it so that your formal and informal spaces stay separate. Hope these ideas help. Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur