Let's Talk About Furniture Arrangement

Most of my posts have been about pretty things to inspire your space. Well now I think it's time to get down to the basics that will help you no matter what your style is.

Furniture placement is key to any space and it can truly influence the flow and overall feel of a room. Plus I would like to help everyone avoid the dreaded empty middle with all the furniture against the wall rooms. Please lets all take an oath to not push everything against the wall.

Some key things to remember when deciding where your furniture will be placed is...

Function:
What use will the space have? Furniture should be arranged to accommodate the activities in the amount of space available. If your living room is going to be used as a conversational area then comfy chairs should be placed near enough together to allow this.

Standard Clearances:

• Traffic areas should be 3 feet or wider.
• Minimum clearance is 1 foot 6 inches.
• Coffee tables need slightly over 1 foot between the edge and the seat.
• Desks require a minimum of 3 feet for a chair and a person.
• Comfortable dining requires just over 2 feet per person around the table's perimeter.
• Three feet is suggested between a bed and a dresser.  

Scale:
When furnishing a home don't forget to buy pieces that work with your space. A oversize sofa in a tiny apartment just doesn't work. So many lovely furniture stores have been creating lines of furniture intended specifically for condos/apartments, so if you are furnishing one of those be sure to ask. Opposite to that, small furniture in a large room makes the room look bigger and more awkward. If you have a large dining room you need a large table and chairs to bring the eye back down.


Balance:

Furniture arrangement should create a feeling of balance within a space. Symmetrical and asymmetrical are the most common types of balance used in a home. Symmetrical means if you draw a line down the center it's the same on both sides. For example, a matching sofa set placed opposite from each other with a coffee table in the middle is a symmetrical grouping. In an asymmetrical grouping the sofa could be replaced with two armchairs and it would still remain balanced. Neither is better it just depends on the individuals esthetic. 

Line and Harmony:

If you choose to arrange furniture against the lines in the room they still need to relate harmoniously to one another. A diagonal sofa is just fine as long as the rest of the room is on the diagonal as well.


This just barley skims the surface of furniture arrangement but it gives you an idea of where to start and how to make it look the most appealing. Stay tuned for tomorrow which will be Furniture Selection.

Happy Arranging

Kristina xoxo

Apartment/ Dorm Decor Tips

We have all been there. We pinch our pennies and eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches every meal to afford our first place all by ourselves. And even though the walls are usually just some kind of white and the space is very bare we love it because it is ours. I don't think that rentals or dorms should be boring and lacking in personality. There are some simple ways to add character to a space without breaking the piggy bank or loosing a security deposit.

1) Art
While it used to be that posters and magazines pictures were pasted to the wall with sticky tack or tape there have been some serious leaps forward in the ways people can fasten things to walls. My favorite non-marking wall hangers are the Command Picture Strips and Command Wall Hooks. (click here to find them.)

You know what this means? You can create so many things. Ikea has a great selection of art work that is reasonably priced! So find your favourite paintings or pictures and get hanging. Or for an even more personal touch you can create a photo wall of all your own pictures. I personally like the idea of a photo wall with mis-matched frames and fun adventure pictures.

2) Linens
Who said your bed has to be boring? There are so many cute comforters out there that are bursting with color, pattern, and life that will brighten even the most boring of bedrooms. Of course you can find fun bedding just about everywhere but I prefer to splurge just a little bit because you spend so much time in and around your bed I think that's where the most money should be spent. I choose some of my favs from the PB Teen collections.



 

 3) Home Accents

From a colorful throw on your couch to a collection of knick knacks from your travels the accents placed around your home can completely change the feel of your house/apartment/dorm. A colorful vase with some pretty flowers can create a pop of color on your kitchen table. Even if you don't have a lot of extra spending money there are so many ways to incorporate your own touches into a space. Check out places like Homegoods or Ikea for cute items to place around your house. Or if you're really short on cash then shop your closet. A cute clutch and some shoes can add a super girly feel to a vignette on a bookshelf or console table.

 

4) Wallpaper???

Yes wallpaper. While some may shudder just at that word in a renters world hear me out. There is a great new technology in wallpaper that makes it come off super quick and easy without damaging walls. Choose a wall in your space and pick a pattern that makes you smile. It does cost just a little bit more then the normal stuff but in the long run when you're not dealing with the mess of removal its well worth it. If that idea is still kind of daunting especially for a single girl (I couldn't put up wallpaper if you paid me a million dollars) what about wallpaper panels.

 

There are two different ways you could do this. If you have a handyman in your life get him to make you some bases and just hang those. Or if your so not a DIY person or don't know anyone that is you can always just go somewhere and find a huge frame with a pretty border and put a piece of wallpaper into it. Panels can double as art on a blank wall.

 

5) Double Duty Furniture

Furnishing your fist place can be scary and not to mention expensive. But have no fear there are some simple ways not to break the bank. First ask yourself is it necessary to have a kitchen table? Do you cook or have people over for dinner a lot? Or is it just you? If you don't absolutely have to have a piece of furniture don't. And don't buy something just because most people have it. Of course if you're like me and do like having a kitchen table you can always use that as a desk as well which is what I do. Which leads me to find ways to use furniture for multiple uses. A sofa table can double as a desk and a bookcase can hold more then just books with simple baskets for the more unsightly things.