Maximize room design with furniture placement

When most people are decorating a room, they concentrate on the color scheme and the accessories and overlook what is, in reality, the most important feature of the room, the placement of the furniture. Furniture placement in a room can make all the difference between having a room that works and one that never reaches its full potential.

When deciding where the furniture should be placed in a room, there are many things that need to be considered.

Room usage

Before any decision can be made about the placement of furniture in a room it is important to consider what the room is used for. All the choices made will center on this usage. If the room is where people gather to watch TV, furniture should be placed so that the TV screen is visible. The same holds true for any other room.

A bedroom must have a bed that is placed in such a way as to be conducive to sleep and in a dining room you must be able to sit at the table.

Make a flow chart

Create a drawing of the rooms where you are considering a change in the placement of furniture. Include all the windows and doors in the design. Consider the traffic flow in the room when deciding where the furniture should be placed. Use your drawing to try different furniture arrangements; this is much easier than actually moving the real furniture around.

Determine the focal point

Every room has a focal point. It can be a fireplace, a painting or a gorgeous window. The furniture placement should highlight this focal point. You don’t need to place your sofa facing the fireplace but completely blocking it from view is not a good idea either. If you don’t have an architectural focal point, a rug can be used to anchor a room or place a painting to creating a focal point.

Scale

The size of furniture is an important factor in placement. The way pieces relate to each other can affect the overall feeling and flow of a room. A small coffee table can seem even smaller in front of a huge sofa and the same is true of a huge end table next to a small sofa. The room will feel unbalanced.

In a small room, large furniture can make the room seem claustrophobic. In a large room, small furniture can make the room seem cave-like and cold.

Balance

When considering where to place the furniture in a room it is important to create a balance between the upholstered furniture and the wooden furniture. Try to place upholstered pieces in between large wooden pieces. In rooms such as a dining room, it can be the curtains or a rug that add the balance as well as having upholstered chairs.

Move away from the wall

Lining all the furniture up against the wall can lead to a very boring room. Consider moving the furniture away from the walls into groupings. You can create more than one grouping in a room. Especially in a living room, this can work well. Trying to create an area for reading and one for conversation is one option.

Placing furniture diagonally can be a nice change if your room will accommodate this.

Mix horizontals and verticals

If you have a tall piece of furniture, try placing it next to one that is shorter and longer. It is visually more appealing to mix the heights of the furniture in a room. You don’t want all eyes to be drawn up or down all the time.

Furniture can be placed many different ways in most room. It may take a few tries to come up with the one that functions best. It should be functional, visually appealing and most of all work for your family.