Design Dilemma - Where do I place my furniture?

There comes a time when you realize that the home you either just bought or have lived in and put up with for years isn't functioning for you. Aside from outdated appliances and finishes, the main complaint I hear from home owners is that they can't figure out where to place furniture. There can be many reasons for this, but these are some of the most common ones.

• The walls are angled
• The room is filled with windows and doors and not enough walls to place furniture against
• I don't know whether or not to put the television above the mantel

Everyone's home is unique, of course, so the following tips are general guidelines designed to help you think of solutions you may not have already thought of. I'll be focusing on living rooms to keep this blog post at a comfortable reading length! Drop a comment on this post if you have an awkward layout related to another room type.

Many homes have fireplaces on an angle so let's use that as an example along with 2 other walls that have obstructions to placing furniture directly in front of them.

• Start to think of the space in front of the fireplace as if you have your furniture on an area rug and we play with turning the entire setup in different directions.
• Let's also assume you are not in need of placing your television above the fireplace mantel at this point.
• Each option shows the same furnishings with one swap in room 2 - 2 chairs, 2 side tables, 1 love seat, 1 coffee table, 1 console table, 1 wall mounted television, and 1 floor lamp.
• Each option is a room with an entry at the top, a large window at the bottom, and the fireplace on the angled wall. ​

Tips for furniture arranging:

• Consider using swivel chairs and round tables. These will help your furnishing arrangements have the most flow within the room and around the furniture. 
• If you are struggling fitting everything you own in the room, it might be time to consider decluttering or just swapping out some furniture for a more scaled down version. The examples I have already have a loveseat rather than a sofa, but the actual size of loveseats vary as does the size of any furnishing item. Large puffy furniture may not be for your space. Look for arms that are slim, not rounded and a depth that is comfortable in the seat, but not oversized.
• The type of furniture you use is important to the layout as well. Room 2 is using a chaise rather than the loveseat as this will not cut down on seating when you are entertaining but will allow for a better view of the TV when you are lounging by eliminating the sofa arm nearest the TV,
• We don't need to line walls with furniture especially when you can utilize an area rug to define the space. You can place your furniture 12-18 inches from a wall with a window so you still have access to the window but now you have a usable area to place a sofa, chairs, or a table.

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In the rooms above, we do have the luxury of one long wall on the left. Without that wall, you may be forced to put your television above the mantel. This does consolidate your focal points which can be a good design decision. 

Room 5

Using a console table behind your sofa provides a place for adding lamps, charging stations, or a place for your drinks or books, etc. This also gives you options when you need to float your sofa near a walkway when you have an open concept living area.

Room 6

Placing furniture can be a challenge, but trying out different arrangements is the least expensive decorating you can do. Enlist some helpers so you don't hurt yourself in the process. Live with the new arrangement for a while before you give up on it. It may prove to be more functional than you think.

Dawn Hearn Interior Design - picture on the left
https://nextluxury.com/home-design/best-corner-fireplace-designs/