By RACHEL HANCE-Consumer Family & Science Agent
Positioning your furniture is one of the most daunting, yet most important, design decisions. These three common scenarios will teach you the basics.
Living Room
€Find a focal point. The focal point should be anchored to a wall. Place chairs no more than 8 feet apart to encourage conversation.
€Position a table within reach of every seating piece.
€Allow ample legroom by placing the coffee table 14 to 18 inches from the sofa.
€Choose side tables that are about as tall as the arm of the chair or sofa they are serving.
€Create traffic lanes that are several feet wide to allow easy movement through the room.
Multipurpose Room
€Give each area in a multipurpose room a dominant feature. For instance, focus your dining area on a large hutch or your sitting area on an entertainment unit.
€Create a natural divide using furniture placement. Aim for harmony by balancing two or more smaller items against a large one. Use area rugs to define each grouping.
€Allow at least 3 feet of space around the dining table to leave room for comfortable sitting as well as a wide aisle for traffic flow.
€Clear the entry of furniture and direct traffic toward the dining and sitting areas.
Bedroom
€Angle furniture to give your room drama. Anchor the space with an area rug or small runner placed on the same angle to emphasize the diagonal.
€Pair side tables at each side of the bed to create balance. €Create traffic options in tight quarters with diagonal furniture placement.
€Play up the bed as a focal point.
