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Common mistakes
When it comes to arranging furniture, there are ways to make a room look good, and then there are the common mistakes that so many people make when setting out a living room.
Take a close look at the room arrangement above. Can you spot a common mistake in the layout of this room?
Feature walls
If you examine the layout of the room, the eye is immediately drawn to the large, red three-seater sofa that dominates the room and has been given centre stage. But centre stage of what? The room layout is arranged so that it focusses towards a large expanse of feature wall that is totally blank and devoid of anything other than a fireplace. The artwork mounted at the far end of the room would have been better placed on the feature wall above the fireplace.
The image right is another example of a room that is arranged around a feature wall that does not have any decoration. The layout of this room would have worked out far better with the two-seater sofa facing the outdoor area, and the two chairs on the opposite side with their backs to the windows.
To create a feature wall in a room, first consider existing architectural details such as alcoves, fireplace and chimney breast. Or perhaps the room has beautiful architectural features or interesting angles? Any of these are perfect for creating a feature in a room.
For an easy way to add a feature to a boring room, good quality shelving units, wooden cubes or an ornate dresser can be used to create a freestanding wall – perfect for displaying vases, ornaments or candles.
Balanced design
The room layout featured right shows a typically unbalanced room. The three-seater sofa in the middle of the room faces the opposite wall, the two single chairs are arranged at an angle in the far corners of the room, yet the fireplace, mantle shelf and mirror are at the bottom of the room and are not given any attention at all.
A more balanced look would be achieved by moving the three-seater sofa to the opposite wall, or at the end of the room facing the fireplace, with the two chairs arranged on either side.
The piano at the bottom end of the room could then be positioned on the blank wall opposite the entrance to the dining room. |
