Do you often have trouble placing furniture in a room? Have you rearranged your furniture several times and still don’t think it’s correct? If your furniture placement is awkward or unattractive, you are probably feeling a sense of unrest. (remember – the ”chi” is trapped) Furniture placement in a living room or family room can be easier if you concentrate on a few important principles. First, you should consider what the focal point of the room is. It is the main area of interest in the room and could be a large window, a television, a large piece of furniture, or a fireplace. If you don’t have a focal point in the room, you can create one by placing your large piece of furniture or television on the dominant wall – the wall you notice most when entering the room. Ideally, your furniture should face the focal point of the room. The second concern should be creating a good conversation area which can easily accommodate 5-6 people by linking the sitting areas as close as possible . To do this imagine an invisible circle eight feet across. Place your groupings to fit within this imaginary circle. The third detail is creating good traffic flow. You want to ensure that guests are not trapped in your conversation areas . There should be ample space to move throughout the conversation area. Allow for these areas to be about 3-4 feet wide. How can you accomplish this? Let’s take a look at a few seating arrangements.
The first and most common seating area is the "U-shaped "configuration shown below. Chairs and couches are placed in a “U” configuration facing the focal point.
The second configuration is the diagonal arrangement which adds the illusion of width to a room. It also adds drama and interest and appeals the most to people aged 25-54 years old. If you were staging your home to appeal to this age group, this would be the configuration to use if possible. The sofa could be placed at a deep angle with a loveseat or 2 chairs next to the sofa angled towards it. The picture below illustrate this concept.
Remodel.com
The third arrangement is the traditional “L-shaped “placement which appeals to seniors. It is simply having a loveseat or two chairs placed perpendicular to the main sofa forming an "L" shape as pictured below. guests
Another arrangement is the circular arrangement of chairs around a cocktail table which is great in a square room but too visually cluttered for staging.
Have fun experimenting with the furniture arrangement in your living room or family room. You can always move it back if you're not happy. Just remember focal point, conversation space, and good traffic flow.
~ "All life is an experiment." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
