ROOM ARRANGING 101
by Magdalena Brandon
Creating an inviting room has less to do with what you have than how much you use it. By following these guidelines, you can design a room from scratch or rearrange what you have to make the most of your furnishings and space. How do you want the room to function? Do you want places for deskwork, hobbies, and kids’ games? Do you want to watch television, play the piano, dine, read a book? What about storage or display space?
Look at your present furnishings and decide which pieces you will have to add and which ones you can eliminate to meet your needs.
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS:
Measure your room: Plot it on graph paper using a square for each square foot of floor space. Determine the length of each wall, and draw it on the floor plan. Mark windows with double lines, leave an open area for doorways and indicate door swings. Include architectural features such as fireplaces, sliding glass doors, stairways, and bay windows.
Use Furniture Templates: Measure each furniture piece. To make your own special templates, outline them on graph paper or cut them out of self-sticking post it notes so you can position – and reposition – them as needed.
Find a Focal Point: Physically this is the cornerstone around which you build a grouping; visually, it’s the dramatic element that draws you into a room. If your room does not have a natural focus, a fireplace, built-in bookcases, or expansive window; substitute large scale or boldly hued accessories or use freestanding wall units.
GET MOVING:
Once you have found the focus, arrange your furniture templates on the graph paper floor plan.
Keep these tips in mind:
· Direct Traffic. If traffic passes through a room, it does not have to run through the center of it. Think of your furniture pieces as walls or guideposts that can funnel traffic around your conversation areas.
· Float Furnishings. A lineup of furniture around a room is as inviting as a waiting room. Pull pieces away from walls into close-knit groupings with major seating no more than 8 feet apart.
· Keep convenience within reach. Set a handy resting place for drinks or books close to every seat. It can be a true end table, a stack of books, or simply a piece of glass, on a decorative basket or cube. Just be sure the surface is roughly the same height as the arm of the chair or sofa next to it.
· Do a balancing act. Combine furnishings of different heights and shapes for interest, but avoid placing all of your tall or weighty pieces on the same side of the room. It will look lopsided if you do.
· Forget room labels. Use space creatively, letting your furniture determine the room’s function. Who says your L-shaped dining area cannot function as a TV spot? Why not dine in the living room?
· Try a fresh angle. Because a diagonal is the longest line through any room, an angled grouping creates an illusion of width. On-the-bias seating also takes advantage of two focal points – for example, a fireplace and window view – at once.
· Cozy up a big room. Divide and conquer. Break the room into two or more groupings for coziness and better function.
· Maximize a small room. Include a large scale piece, such as a vintage armoire or a fat love seat, for a feeling of grandeur. Use vertical storage in tight spaces.
· Widen a room. Place major furniture crosswise or on the diagonal to break a skinny room into a friendlier time-out spot.
· Fix low or high ceilings. “Raise” a low ceiling with floor-to-ceiling window treatments and tall furniture. “Lower” a ceiling with a colorful area rug and low-level lighting; play up the floor-hugging look by hanging artwork so that it’s at eye level when you are seated.
You can read Magdalena’s Bio HERE
Website: www.magdalenasvegas.com
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