I know most of you are very busy at this time of the year, but I wanted to take a minute to talk about your home. Is your home warm and inviting or does it feel cold and distant? If you answered the latter, the problem may lie with your furniture arrangement. There are no hard and fast rules to arranging furniture, but there are guidelines that can help you create a warm and inviting space that you can enjoy.
The first step to any design is to ask yourself a couple of questions. How will the room be used? How many people will use the room? What is the natural traffic pattern in the room? What is the focal point in the room? The focal point is the item of main importance in a room. In a bedroom, it’s usually the bed and in a family room, it’s often the fireplace. If you don’t have a focal point, you can create one with furnishings.
Using draft paper, draw out the perimeter of the room. Be sure to mark all windows and doors, fireplaces and built-ins, and electrical outlets, phone and cable outlets. Draw the natural flow through the room.
Arrange the largest pieces first. That would be the sofa in a living room or the bed in the bedroom. In the living or family room you want to create conversation areas. Pull furniture away from the wall or interest. Remember to allow between 14” and 18” between the coffee table and the sofa. Remember to balance your furniture. This will make your design more effective and aesthetically pleasing. Don’t put all the heavy pieces on one wall or you will have a sinking ship effect. When you are happy with your sketch, arrange the furniture.
Once you have your furniture arranged nicely, add your lighting. Remember lighting is very important to the design of a room. Lastly, add your art and accessories.
Before the room was a cluttered mess! It was a catch-all for odds and ends.
Using what the client already had, the room was transformed into a lovely guest room.
Before the room was a cluttered mess! It was a catch-all for odds and ends.
Using what the client already had, the room was transformed into a lovely guest room.
