News / 

View Archive

At Home Design Solutions ~ Lori DeBald & Tracey Rauh ~ 610.489.2172

Hi Tracey and Lori,
     I have a large family room, however, I have 2 entries, French doors, a fire place and another set of windows taking up all my wall space. I have only one wall which my television and electronics are on, but my sofa is “floating” in the middle of the room and looks ridiculous. Please help! ~LeAnn

Hello LeAnn,
     Many new homes give you a whole lot of bang in the main living space with all these great features, but create a challenge with furniture placement. The trick is to ground the seating area with an area rug. Whether you angle the arrangement (to view both the fireplace and TV) or place it directly opposite of the television area, “floating” can create an intimate seating/conversation area and the rug will define that space. Don’t be afraid to place a rug on top of a rug, but do make sure that it is the right size. A rug that is too small will not create the affect.
     The first option would be to place a rug right up to front of your furniture pieces (in other words, when sitting, your heels would be on the outer edge of the rug). The best scenario is to make sure that the rug is completely under all the upholstered pieces and to have it extend beyond the furniture several inches. Both options will not have the furniture rocking (half on, half off). Keep in mind the traffic flow of the room. You can often create a “walkway” with the furniture and direct the traffic as long as it is not too disruptive. If you place the sofa at least 3 ½ feet in front of the French doors (with the back of the sofa parallel to the doors), this will create a walkway behind the sofa and leave swing room. (Unless your doors open out, in which case you obviously would not need the same amount of space). The same can be said for the other entries into the room. The “walkway” can direct traffic to the kitchen or whatever area is adjacent to the room. Embrace all the beautiful features of this room and create a cozy place to live!

Send your questions or design dilemmas to loridebald@yahoo.com