Today’s couches are so much more than the three-seater pieces of days gone by. Sectionals are useful and trendy, and their shape offers a built-in conversation area. Chaises – ideal for lounging – take away the need for an ottoman or footstool. Sometimes, though, it can feel challenging to locate the best layout for the furniture in your room. The following information provides solutions for arranging uniquely-shaped sofas comfortably in almost any space.
Modern-Day Tips to Arrange Your Furniture
Determine the intention of the Room
Before beginning playing with different furniture layouts, it’s imperative that you consider how you will use the room. Will it feature a television along with a media console, or will it be a conversational space with few electronics? You may be decorating the spare bedroom that will double as a reading room, and you wish to find the best arrangement for a sleeper sofa and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Even if you intend to use the space in multiple ways, determine what the primary purpose of the room is going to be and design your furniture arrangement to best meet these needs. In large spaces and open layouts, don’t be scared to divide the room into two (or maybe more!) distinct seating areas.
Take a look at Traffic Flow and Focal Points
Next, take into consideration how you move about the space and the overall flow of the room. Here are some recommendations:
It’s a good idea to maintain enough area surrounding doorways and entrances. To keep the space feeling open and comfy, allow for about three feet of walking space along traffic paths. This will help prevent you and your guests from bumping into furniture or walls.
Think about where you first would like your eye to land as you look around the room. Traditionally, fireplaces or televisions serve as points of interest, but sometimes a large window or even a piece of statement wall art can serve that purpose.
Many rooms have multiple focal points, such as a fireplace along with a large window, and lend themselves to multiple options. Switch it up to maintain so things are interesting. If you have the space, consider rearranging the room to face the fireplace during winter and your gorgeous view during the summer.
Save Your Back – Use the Computer
Search online for digital room-arrangement programs that enable you to enter the measurements of your room and existing furniture to help visualize different layouts. Some retailers even have an interactive app that shows how their products will look in your space.
Prefer pen and paper? Take measurements of your room as well as the furniture. Using graph paper, equate one square on the page with one square foot and draw the shape of your room. Then, draw the basic shape of every piece of furniture, again using the one square foot rule. This enables you to rearrange furniture to your heart’s content, without risking scuffed floors, carpet snags or a tired back.
Think Big
Now that you’re prepared to arrange your room, you’ll want to begin with the largest piece of furniture: the sofa. Consider these tips:
Start by facing your couch towards the focal point of the room, focusing on the traffic paths and keeping entrances as open as possible. For a sectional sofa, test out middle-of-the-room versus against-the-wall placements.
Allow a minimum of 6 to 9 inches between the sofa and the wall, as this provides a sense of spaciousness.
If the room has a television, take into consideration how you can position the sectional to enjoy the best viewing angle for the screen. (If you don’t have room for a sizable media center, consider a shallow, space-saving console table to corral electronics, then mount the TV on the wall.)
Looking for a spot for a chaise lounge? Try and place it in such a way as to avoid having to walk around it to sit down. The same rule applies for sofas or chairs with extendable recliners.
Think About Your Vibe
You’ve considered the room’s focal point and traffic flow, but what about how the space makes you feel? Different seating arrangements have an effect on the ambiance of the room. For example, using symmetrical seating arrangements create a sense of order, while using offset pieces creates energy and visual interest.
In layouts with sectional sofas, balance the weight of the sectional with one or two chairs to supply visual balance as well as a conversational feel. Chairs on casters enable you to rearrange the room at a moment’s notice, and in small spaces, choose poufs, stools as well as folding chairs that you can easily tuck away when they’re not necessary.
Add some Finishing Touches
Once you’ve found a seating arrangement that you love, add in the rest of your furniture, such as side tables, coffee tables, and floor and table lamps. Given that they have no corners, round side tables allow guests to easily navigate around them, and nesting tables are wonderful space-saving options.
Last, add the finishing touches to round out your room. Throw pillows and blankets provide coziness and layered textures, along with an area rug will ground the space and tie the room together.
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