Rearrange your room for new pop of style
Have you ever wondered where you should start when rearranging a room, or whether there is a correct or incorrect way of placing furniture in a room? Because each room varies in size, type of activity and number of occupants, not all rules will apply, but this can guide you through the beginning stages. Here are some tips:
The purpose of the room should be the overall guiding force in your arrangement.
Personality should be evident in the selection of furniture and accessories.
Each item and piece of furniture should be placed so that it feels obvious and natural.
The arrangement of furniture should encourage the level of activity, whether it be a reading room, game room or a place to sleep.
Flow is of utmost importance. Place furniture deliberately so that doorways are unobstructed or that views and egress remain unblocked.
Allow architectural features to dictate the furniture placement — such as seating areas around a fireplace.
The room should display items in both low and high locations for visual balance.
Furniture should be distributed evenly in a room. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a room that is heavier on one side than another.
Art hung on opposite walls should be hung so there is balance between each wall.
Furniture selected for a particular room should be in scale to the room and to each other.
Select tables with rounded edges if placed near circulation pathways.
Take overhead lighting such as chandeliers or wall sconces to cue your furniture placement.
Books, magazine and usable tabletop items should be within reach.
Seating or chairs should have an adjustable source of light or lamp nearby.
Area rugs can help you begin your furniture arrangement.
Because the living room or main room in a home is the common meeting room for all members of the family, as well a place for receiving friends and guests, your furniture arrangement should accommodate as many people as possible. There should be place for all different activities from conversation to reading.
Depending on the room’s structure and architecture, you should determine which activity will be the dominant one or the focal point. For a successful room arrangement, allow this activity to engage the structure or architecture of the room, such as pair of pillars, a long wall, a window or a built-in piece of furniture. Once this center of activity is established, other furniture can be placed around the rest of the room or float to create secondary hubs of activity.
Keep in mind that there are many ways to arrange furniture in a room. So there are some wrong ways to arrange a room, but more often than not, it will look great. My motto is to always keep the furniture moving, as this makes for a refreshed home.