Furniture Placement

Figuring out how to place furniture is like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes what you imagine in your head or on a floor plan (and I know this from experience) often doesn't come out the way you'd hoped it might. Most times that's when " decorating anxiety" usually starts to kick in.

Fortunatel , there are some basic rules that I know will help you avoid anxiety and also save you both time and money.

# 1 When arranging your seating, a ( as I said in one of my topic for "The Ten Most Common Mistakes" ) U-shaped conversation area is ideal, while an L-shaped are is always uncomfortable. A sofa and a matching pair of chairs easily establish a comfortable U-shaped configuration that allows everyone who is seated to have an intimate chat facing everyone else. A sectional sofa or a sofa and loveseat that form an L-shape, on the other hand, make everyone "twist and shout" when to have a conversation.

example of a great conversation area:

Candice Olson Divine Design

2. Avoid pressing the furniture against opposite walls. This common decorating mistake makes conversation awkward because it creates " screaming distance." Floating furniture in the center of a room, such as a pair of love seats or sofa facing one another, or a U-shaped group around a fireplace, fosters a sense of intimacy.

3. All the seating should be the same height, or within a few inches of one another, in order to avoid a "roller coaster" effect. Most people think about style, color, fabric, and comfort when they comtemplate buying a new sofa or chairs. But they never think about the height of their seating. The issue of height is especially important if you are buying a pair of chairs to go with a sofa or vice versa.

example: as you see in the above picture...