I was going to post this before my early swim but then being such a beautiful morning I figured the pool would be heaving (understatement) and I wanted to be at the door when it opened bang on 6.30, so excuse my lateness! Now I’m not one for rules however there are some principles when it comes to arranging furniture that are worth bearing in mind. Not only that its worth knowing the rules in order to break them I think so lets begin:
Function: Lets get the boring bit out of the way first. Before the arranging begins drill into how are you going to use the space and how many people are typically going to hang out in it. This will pretty much determine how much and what kind of furniture you need.
Focal points: Remember you will always need more than one, but find the main one first like a fireplace, a view etc and orientate the furniture accordingly. Oh and never never push pieces against the walls its the most criminal thing in the decorating book, no matter how small your room! Read any magazine and designers time and time again bang on about this and yet so many people still do it. WHY oh why?
Symmetry v asymmetry: This really depends on the vibe you want to create. The more symmetry the more formal. I tend to pair up. My chairs are the same style and same hue and that for me feels more sophisticated somehow. However its pretty much up to you. You can totally mix up every piece just make sure you reign in that colour palette.
Traffic: You’ll need a flow around the room and around the seating group, but not so large the space feels empty and miserable. Also you shouldn’t be able to walk in a straight line from one end of the room to the other. If so I can almost promise you that your room will read as boring. You need stuff in the way (before anyone writes in telling me this isn’t practical) practical sucks. Dogs, kids, cleaners, get used to it so don’t be putting obstacles in the way like that. Aren’t I bossy this morning, must be my new regime of a bulletproof coffee for breakfast. You guys heard of? Black coffee whizzed in a blender with a teaspoon of coconut oil. It’s a caffeine craze that is sweeping America. Gives you prolonged energy, sharpens your focus (look out team) burns calories, strips you of excess body fat and leaves you full until lunchtime. AMAZING!
I digress
Variety is key: If everything were the same scale the space would look super dull so variety as they say is the spice of life. Make sure you introduce lots of different sizes and scales in terms of tables, upholstered pieces and then you will delight, intrigue and tantalize everyone including yourself.
Oh and I have one additional thought or trick and this applies to dining rooms.
The Americans do this way more than us Brits and that is placing a super cool sofa against a dining table, the ultimate luxury I reckon. There is something about a plush sofa anchoring a dining table that just screams cool. Its unexpected but so darn fabulous. Not only does it glam up the space its adds a whole different level of comfort. I’m thinking of doing this in my cabin except I think it’s too small.. If you’re worried about sticky fingers and kids then you can always upholster in a fabulous outdoor fabric or fabric protector spray your sofa. Voila!