10 Ways to Reinvent Your Room Tonight

 

 by Kristine Gregory, Allied ASID

 Does your room seem tired and dated? Is it set up to serve your family or is furniture there just because "that's how it's always been" or because "the movers placed it there"? Sometimes rearranging your furniture is all you need to do. Don't forget to pull things from other rooms or even the attic for your new look.

It's time to rethink your space. Here are 10 easy ways to reinvent your room tonight.

1. Re-purpose - do you really need a formal living room? Add some bookcases and reading chair and a good lamp and you have cozy library. With the addition of a desk, you have a home office.

2. Think about the traffic flow - you don't want to have to walk around large pieces of furniture to get into the room. You also don't want to walk in front of someone watching TV. Pay attention to the placement of furniture with sharp corners, your trip through a room should not be painful.

3. Plan your conversation areas - a comfortable distance for talking is a few feet. Place your seating to encourage conversation. The maximum recommended distance between any seating is 8 feet.

4. Do not line the walls with furniture - eliminate the "doctors office syndrome" and move sofas and chairs away from walls and corners to the middle of the room. Don't forget to try diagonal arrangements.

5. Avoid placing all heavy, large pieces of furniture on one side of the room. You don't want the room to appear off balance.

6. Create a focal point - in the bedroom, the bed is the natural focal point. The sofa or the fireplace is a good focal point for living rooms. Try not to overwhelm the room with multiple focal points. The focal point is usually the first thing you see when you enter a room. Plan your arrangement around it.

7. Light the room effectively - avoid dark spots. Make sure you have good overhead light and sufficient task lighting for each area.

8. Accessorize - use accessories to personalize and add impact but don't overdo it. Collections grouped together have more flair than pieces scattered all over your house.

9. Hang artwork in proportion to the surrounding furniture - center art over sofas and tables closer to the piece than to the ceiling. If there is no furniture, such as in hallways, 57" on center is the standard.

10. Leave some open spaces - don't feel the need to fill every wall and every corner. Give your decor some breathing room.

Need help? Give me a call 804-744-7645, kristine@bedeckers.com