One Room, Three Floor Plans
New year, new look. When you feel its time for a change don’t just jump in without a plan in mind. After all you don’t head out on a road trip without knowing where you are going do you? No one travels without a GPS these days, don’t navigate your living room without a plan.
Ask yourself ”What do we do in this room - read, watch TV, socialize, study, work? There are a lot of different purposes for a living room and you want your furniture arrangement to support your activities. A room can change its function as your life style and family dynamics change so you may want to re-arrange the room to better suit your current lifestyle. You can bring pieces in from other areas of your house or buy new pieces and change the whole look and function of the room.
Here are three common room shapes with arrangements to suit different needs.
A square shaped room designed primarily for conversations with a few friends or alone time to read or watch TV. Bookcases display favorite artifacts and books while the center console houses a TV for chilling out time.
This arrangement can comfortably hold more people for a gathering spot to socialize or enjoy some music or TV. A loveseat fits works in this space where a sofa would be to large and over bearing.
One large piece of furniture in a small room often makes the room feel larger. Your eye doesn’t stop at each individual piece but rather the one larger piece creates a more cohesive whole. This arrangement makes for a cozy family room.
This L shaped room can change its function as your family grows. In this scenario the quiet corner is made for curling up with a good book. The rest of the room functions as a perfect spot to enjoy a warm winter fire with friends and family.
As you family grows the quiet reading nook becomes an office/study with a desk and bookcases to support those activities.
Later in life you may want a game table to enjoy cards or puzzles with the grandkids and maybe even your evening meal.
A large open plan presents lots of challanges. How do you make it feel intimate and make use of all that space?
This arrangement offers a great conversation area as well as a more quiet intimate space to read or enjoy TV on the wall mounted flat screen.
In this scenario the game table gives you a place to eat, play games or work.
Here the TV/Entertainment Center is located on the wall opposite the fireplace so mom and dad can still supervise the video games while enjoying a good book sitting by the fire.
Good planning can save you time, money, and aggravation! Enlist the help of your interior designer to help you find the perfect arrangement for your room. You may have pieces you never dreamed would serve a better purpose in another room and a few new finds can change the entire look of a room. You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water to “Create The Look You’ll Love To Come Home To”
I love this post! Great ideas!