Hello to all! I hope you are having a great week and staying safe. Are you spending loads of time in your living room? Are you getting tired of the view and perspective, do you want to improve the flow of the space or make it appear more open and spacious? Whatever the reason, rearranging your space might be in the plans this week (or is now!) and is any easy way to update and refresh it without having to spend a cent! To assist you in making the most of your space, I am sharing the following tips for rearranging your living room space.

Focal Point

What is the focal point of your living room? Is it a fireplace? A picture window? A TV? Art work? Whatever the focal point is, it will be the ‘anchor’ for your furniture arrangement. If it is your TV bear in mind seating should be 8-12 away and the viewing angle no more than 30 degrees.

Measure

Once you have determined your focal point, measure your space and sketch it out on graph paper or if you have access to design software (VisioTM works really well for this!) draw the dimensions of the room. Next measure your furniture so you know what will fit and what won’t fit. (If you are hand drawing, make to scale paper cutouts to move around the floor plan). Play around with various arrangements to find one that is comfortable and will work for you. You may even find that you don’t want to keep some pieces of furniture and need to relocate them elsewhere in your home or get rid of them.

Occasional Tables

Once you have set your seating area, add in your coffee and end tables. The rule of thumb for coffee tables is that there should be 18” between the sofa and table to ensure easy access to the TV remote, beverages, books or magazines, etc. End tables can be placed at either end of the sofa and/or adjacent to chairs. Any ‘passages’ through a room require at least 30” for ease of access. And remember that nesting tables work well in smaller spaces.

Lighting

Once you have the furniture in place, it is time to add in your lighting. Floor lamps provide excellent reading light and work well in place of an end table as long as there is a coffee within easy reach. Table lamps should not take up the entire table – they should be in proportion to the table and look best placed in the back third of the table. If you have a ceiling light, centre furniture below it to ensure the space appears balanced and intentional.

Area Rug

If you have an area rug in the living room, centre it in the main seating area. Make sure the front legs of the chairs and sofa are on the rug to anchor them and create a harmonious look.