By skyforbes 
I wanted to show you how with a little creative thinking and problem solving you can arrange the furniture four different ways in a living or family room.
When I start working with a new client I usually walk into a space and see the potential of what it could be. Not in a judgmental way! I’m not picking apart what is wrong with the cosmetics of a house or room so much as I immediately begin to visualize how this space can be best utilized for the homeowner.
When I was a visual merchandiser for a well-known young adult retailer I loved when it came time to do a floor-set and move the fixtures around! From season to season we had the exact same pieces to work with but by arranging them in a different layout we could make it feel like a totally new store to the customers. Here’s a little secret, you can do the same thing in your house!!
I know not everyone is a big fan of change but for those of us out there that like to keep things fresh and moving it’s nice to have the option to switch things up every once in a while.
Sure some rooms are pretty locked into their “ideal” floor plan, like dining rooms. Unless you’re really swapping out furniture pieces most of the time the table sits in the center with chairs around. But, for living rooms, family rooms, offices, bedrooms, and outdoor living spaces the floor plan arrangements are endless!
Note: I’m not mentioning kitchens. That’s a whole different ballgame, we’re talking about quick changes today!
There are a few things to take into consideration like doorways, openings into a room, window placement, closets, stairways, etc. You do need to be mindful of traffic patterns to make accessing a space and the furniture within fairly easy. General walk-way clearances in a home can be slightly narrower than in commercial settings.
Not to toot my own horn here but I feel like this is my bread and butter! I love to come up with different floor plan layouts for clients, friends, family members, and my own home. If I really think back I do believe this is what got me hooked on Interior Design as a little girl. I loved to rearrange my room as a kid, for no other purpose than I just got bored with how it looked! And let me tell you my room was TINY with a capital T, but damn it I made the most of every inch of that room! I guess that’s where my knack for space planning kicked off?!
Anyhoo! Just a little background story to get us started.
I do think it’s how my brain is programmed to think at this point. I’ve always been a picture person. Words, not so much my thing! (hence why it’s taken me 6 years to really start blogging, so bear with me all your grammar guru’s, I’m learning!)
Rooms are rarely perfect squares with symmetrical window placement or centered fireplaces. There’s always an awkward corner, window or doorway you need to accommodate.
Unless you have the luxury of building a totally custom home, often times you have to make the best of the space allotted. And even after years of living in your custom home, you may just need a change!
When I start working with a client we go through a pretty detailed questionnaire regarding how they hope to use the space.
Some may argue there are rules to design. While I may partly agree, I think of them more as guidelines. Nothing is set in stone. There’s no right or wrong (well okay maybe some things are just wrong) but I think you all understand what I mean!
There are many ways to design a floor plan, you can have multiple solutions to the same problem. It all really comes down to the person or family who will use the space. For instance, a family with 2 – 3 young kids may require a different layout than say a young professional who’s living on their own.
If it is a room whose purpose revolves around TV viewing AND has a fireplace then oh, boy! The real debate begins! What gets priority, the TV or the fireplace? How can you accommodate both?
Well, let’s take a look!
Here is a living/family room measuring 23’-0” x 13’-0”, with 10’-0” ceilings, a fireplace, five windows, and two doorways stepping down into the room. These doorways lead to separate areas of the home. As you can see this is a long narrow room, with some architectural features that need to be taken into consideration.