Are you overwhelmed at just the thought of filling an empty room? Do you ever look at your furniture and question if it’s worth pushing every single piece to the other end of your home, just for a “new look”? Why deal with this daunting task when everything already has a place that works?
Sometimes rearranging your furniture is the simple answer to achieving a new look in your well-loved spaces. It can give you a new sense of space, and even some peace-of-mind.
By following a few simple rules and “creative guidelines,” you could end up with a whole new perspective and a new sense of appreciation for your home.
Find Balance When Arranging Furniture
Consider both size and placement of the furniture you currently have (or are adding!) to the room. Don’t group all of your large pieces on one end and all of the smaller items on another. There should be a variety of sizes and shapes spaced throughout your room.
Mix it up!
Building off your new sense of balance, if you have straight-lined seating consider a round coffee table – or vice versa. Keep your guests visually interested by mixing and matching the lines of your furniture with the textures of the fabrics.
Choose a Focal Point
Focal points can appear “naturally” with fireplaces or large windows. They can also be added with furniture or accent pieces! Never underestimate the power of a focal point. Arrange your room around the focal point, as much as possible. If you have a large window with a spectacular view, don’t arrange all of your seating areas facing the opposite wall. Rock what you’ve got!
Create Conversation Areas
In a similar notion, your guests should naturally be able to talk to each other without having to crane their necks or shout across the room. While siting in your focal-point-centered space, you want the sofas and chairs to face each other. If you add coffee or end tables, you want them to be within an arms reach. If your space is quite large, consider adding multiple conversation areas to divide the room a little. If you cannot speak at a comfortable level with the person next to you, move the pieces closer together (before your guests have to)!
Leave a Little Space & Consider the Traffic Flow
The size of the room will dictate how far you can pull your furniture away from the walls, but even in a small space you’ll want to give pieces a little breathing room by allowing a few inches between the backs of furniture pieces and the walls.
People should not be tripping over furniture to pass through the room, but there is no need to feel like the furniture is creeping away from them when one enters the space. Make sure there are a couple feet (give or take a few inches) between the tables and chairs. Create a clear path so people can walk from one end of the room to the other without difficulty.
Add A Rug
Area rugs belong under the furniture – all the furniture if you can manage it. Exposing some flooring around the edges of the room is fine, but when using an area rug you want to make sure it’s big enough that all the furniture in a seating arrangement can sit on it. At the very least you want the front legs of large pieces to sit on the rug (the backs can be on the floor if necessary).
Let There Be Light
Lighting is oftentimes one of the most important, and least considered, elements of any room. Always use a mix of overhead lighting and lamps (and sconces if you can). A floor lamp looks great at the end of a sofa or behind an accent chair. Table lamps look lovely on side tables, shelves, and mantels. Placing your lights at different levels will continue that sense of balance we talked about earlier.
Plan Ahead
When it comes to arranging furniture it is best to plan ahead. Otherwise, you’ll be breaking a sweat just to realize that you have to push everything back to where you started! Grab a sketchpad and a tape measure and make sure that you have enough space to put your new (or existing) furniture where you want it. Plus, if you plan ahead, you might have time to purchase some furniture sliding coasters to help you easily move your larger pieces.
Need to add a new piece to your rearranged space? Have some questions about creating the right “visual” for your room? Let us know! We’re happy to help.
Locations
2133 Eastern Ave, Plymouth, WI 53073
(920) 892-6006