Furniture Frenzy

When moving into a new place you are presented with a bunch of empty rooms. This can be overwhelming. Where is the furniture going to go? How will it fit? How will I set it up? The stress sets in. You want your house to feel like a home and the way you present it has a lot to do with achieving that goal.

I can't really tell you where to place what furniture, but I do know some questions and have some guidelines that may help you get started.

-Do you use this room as a pathway to another room or is it a destination? (Do you go through this room or to this room?)

If the room is for passing through you want to try and keep a simple pathway going through it. Straight lines are best. You want this space to be efficient. Walking around pieces of furniture detracts from the simple task of the space.

-What feeling do you want to create when you are in this space? Warm and cozy? Open and spacious?

Warm cozy spaces are created by placing the furniture in groups closer together. An open feel needs more space.

-Will the room be used for entertaining? 

If so you will need flexibility. Extra seating maybe placed out of the way and moved into use when company is over.

Some guideline to help:

-Place the largest piece of furniture first.

-Place the next largest piece and work your way down to the smallest. Add tables last.

-Keep pairs of chairs together, separating them reduces their impact.

-Area rugs anchor groups of furniture.

-Try to leave 36-100 inches in between the sofa and side furniture. This makes the pathways more efficient to travel through. If you don't have that much space, be sure that you can walk through the the room with out bumping into pieces.

-Coffee tables are usually placed 14-20 inches from the sofa. 

-If the room is used as a TV room it will help that you can see the TV from the main pieces with out having to move them. The TV does not need to be the focal point where all the furniture faces just viewable from the main pieces.

-Three feet of spaces is recommended for pathways in and around the room.

-For ideal bed placement, allow at least 24 inches between the side of the bed and wall. Also allow 36 inches between the foot of the bed and wall or the bed and door.

Here are some ideas to get you started. Enjoy!

Horizontal Haven

Horizontal stripes on a person, not flattering. Horizontal stripes on a wall, now that is fun!

Do you have a room that no matter what you change or add to it, it still feels boring? Have you considered stripes?

Lets start small. The bathroom. Small space, simple furniture and fixtures, boring. Cheap fix? Soft horizontal stripes will bring life the this room. See the before and after I found on younghouselove.com.

Before

After

Adding a white strip with a soft beige adds texture and interest to a plain wall. Its simple, elegant, quick and easy to do! 

Now for a little more daring. Bedrooms are a great space for this technique as well. Transform your bedroom from dull to romantic. Try some soft blues, purples or grays. Do not use to many shades otherwise your room will start looking like the paint swatch your can pick up from your local paint store. Try to use a bold shade with a softer one. Too much bold stripes can equals a cartoon feeling space.

sochicdecor.blogspot.com

The stripes here give and ultra light feel with a smooth romantic tone. Simple furniture and fixtures keep the focus on the wall and stops the room from feeling too busy. Again, quick easy fix to spice up your room. Now I know husbands don't want a purple room, so try blues. You can get the same effect and your man will approve! 

Lets go a little furthure. If you are working from home and you spend most of your day stuck in your office, why not add some excitement to the space. Bold stripes can add a feeling of power, energy and strength.

comfortablehomedesign.com

This space is a bit more bold and masculine. It has a very earthy feel to it at the same time. To tone this down to feel a little more feminine just add some simple while acessories like vases or lamp shades, and change the furniture up using a white desk or table instead.

nnekasaran.blogspot.com

The pink and black stripes add energy to this space for sure! I wouldn't paint the other walls pink, its a little to crazy and young for my taste, I would stick to white to tone it down a little. The white curtains over the wall soften the space to make it a little more elegant but keeping with the high energy. You get the point. Try other vibrant colors for the same affect.

Lastly, accent walls are quick easy ways to change up a space without jumping to far out of your comfort zone.

A small wall by the entrance is a great way to add interest.

hgtv.com

Also that wall that sticks out above the fire place or behind the mounted tv can become a peice of artwork instead of just a wall.

hgtv.com

Fun, isn't it?

Save some money and work with what you have. Grab your tape, a roller and some paint and get creative! Hope this inspires some of you.

Displaying your Memories...

So I spent the day changing around some of my pictures and the frames. While I was trying to figure out where to put certain frames I found that I was really bored with just simply hanging pictures here and there. There was nothing fun or exciting about how they were displayed. So I thought I would give you all some fun ideas for hanging pictures.

A common mistake is hanging pictures too high. All pictures should be at eye level. If you are making a collage of pictures the centre of the collage should be at the eye level mark. 

examiner.com

This gives the wall and art balance. Have you ever looked at a wall of photos and thought it looked a little odd? That was probably because the centre point was too high.

If you have a small wall that is empty but multiple frames you would like to display you could try a shelf. It is less busy than a collage and more fun than a single frame.

On a smaller wall you would place the shelf just below eye level in the centre of the wall. As well you can add a second shelf above it to make room for more frames. This adds more height to the display and makes the wall seem larger.

lovethelookforless.blogspot.com

When you take the frames and place them on the shelves don't worry about them lining up or staggering them equally, try overlapping and using all different sizes and shapes. This makes the wall display more interesting.

If you are using the two shelf idea make sure the top third of the bottom shelf display is at eye level and place the second shelf a few inches above. A pro about using the shelf idea to is less nail holes :)

newhouseofart.com

For larger walls you could stagger the shelves or use one long shelf. In this case try to stick to using the larger frames, don't get picture happy and clutter the shelf with fifteen little frames. This gets to busy. Here's a great example for a single long shelf.

slettvoll.no

If you have a larger wall that you would like to display some photos on you could try a collage. Find the centre of the wall at eye level and build around it. Use different size, colour or shape of frame, this adds excitement to the display. 

photography-on-the.net

Lastly, the tricky wall beside the stairs. This space is uneven and sloping, how do you hang pictures with out having the dreaded straight line of pictures slopping downward? Try the shelf idea, stagger two or three shelves at different levels on the wall. If you want a little more flare you can try a collage idea. The downward angle of the frames should match the downward angle of the stairs.

lovethelookforless.blogspot.com

Place a few frames or different sizes at each level. Remember, when you are on the stairs the pictures beside you should be as close to eye level as possible. This will leave you with an interesting display and great balance on a tricky wall.

If you have ever gone shopping for frames you may find that they really are not that affordable if you want to hang a dozen or so pictures. Money saving ideas? Try Ikea, they have great prices and lots of different types. Walmart is also a good place. Home Sense has designer frames for cheap. Be careful though, you can get trapped in there for hours and plan to redesign every space in your home. Happy shopping.

Remember, the less uniform, the more interesting. Have fun hanging those pictures.