Practical and Stylish Furniture Arrangement Tips

• Don’t place any large items of furniture directly in front of you as you step into a room - You don’t want to be greeted by the huge side of a wardrobe when you enter your bedroom



• Always consider the view - the space you see immediately on entering the room - and what you see as you turn from the door, to look at the main part of the room, or at the main focal point. Make sure the way is clear!



• Don’t place large items of furniture where they might stop doors from opening, or closing, fully - your room will just end up looking small and cramped.



• Don’t place any large items of furniture in front of the windows - they will block the light - and stop you from getting close to the window to admire the view (.... or just check what the neighbours are doing!). One exception to this furniture arrangement ‘rule’ is - it can be nice to have a low backed sofa in front of a window. It feels so good to take a seat, and just watch the world go by! This idea works especially well if you have a bay window.



• Don’t just arrange your furniture along the walls around the edge of your room. You will end up with a room that looks like a doctor’s waiting room! I appreciate that in a small room this can be difficult to avoid - in my tiny lounge I have no other option than this furniture arrangement - and to be honest it looks just fine - lovely and cosy!



• The above point is important, though, for larger rooms - here try to divide the room with furniture. Try dividing eating and sitting areas, in a living/dining room, with tall or low open shelves, decorative folding screens, hanging bead door curtains - or simply use the seating itself - eg. the long side of a sofa. - If the back of your sofa is not very attractive, use a bookshelf, sofa table or ottoman in front of it.




• If you want to use such a furniture arrangement, to divide a room in this way - do consider using furniture like open shelves, bead curtains or fretwork screens - furniture that is not solid! You will still be able to catch a tantalizing glimpse of the other part of the room, beyond!



• Consider the size and scale of your room - and choose the size and scale of the furniture to match. So, in a large room, choose bold or solid pieces - in dark colors or dark woods. Dainty pieces may look like dolls’ house furniture! In a small room, choose smaller pieces of furniture - in pale colors and pale woods.



• If you are decorating a small space, try transparent furniture - particularly if you like a modern style - tables and chairs in clear plastic or strengthened glass are practical and stylish! They help make the space feel larger, as it appears there is nothing there!



• Also consider mirrored pieces of furniture - (as long as you are sure you can keep the sticky fingermarks off) - they are beautiful in more traditional schemes, and reflect light around the room wonderfully - making your room feel light and spacious.



• For true professional interior design style, keep the theme or style of all the furniture in a room similar (or even in your whole house). For example - Use all traditional, or all dark wood, or all modern glossy white. Avoid a mish-mash of colors and styles (unless going for a boho look) - but, don’t go too far! You don’t want your room to look like it just fell out of a fitted furniture catalogue. Inject some of your own personality and style - a beautiful traditional heirloom can look wonderfully ‘designer’ in a modern styled room - equally, an ultra-modern piece, in a traditional setting, lets the world know you are not an old fuddy-duddy, stuck in a style rut - you still have your finger on the pulse of interior design style!



• Consider storage, and items which you use frequently, in your furniture arrangement plans. If you use a piece of furniture often - keep it in the central focus of your room’s furniture arrangement. Items you don’t need very often can be relegated to far flung corners of your room.



• If you are decorating in a small space, think about how cupboards will open. Is there enough room to open the cupboard? and bend down to put something in? Consider using fitted furniture, and sliding cupboard doors. We have sliding wardrobe doors in our small bedroom - it is the only way we can get the bed, and some chests of drawers in there! If you choose mirrored, or glass, sliding wardrobe doors, it can bounce a lot of light around a small room too.

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