Here are our top ‘Styling Commandments’ to help you within your space……..
1. Function over Form
- Understand and have the layout, reflect how the space will be used.
- For example, two sofas facing each other are pleasantly symmetrical but, if your primary activity when sitting on said sofa is watching the TV, not ideal.
- Think about what you’d like to do in the space, what needs to be within arm’s reach
2. Balance is Key
- Visually counteract a large piece of furniture with two smaller ones or a tall floor lamp with a hanging pendant.
3. Find a Focus
- Orient your furniture to make the best use of what your home does have.
- This might mean keeping the view of an ornate fireplace clear, arranging furniture to take advantage of beautiful views from a window, or keeping furniture low to show off panelling.
4. Every Seat Gets A Buddy
- Wherever you have somewhere comfortable to sit, make sure there’s also a surface on which to rest a cup of tea, a light to read by, or at the very least a buddy chair, so two people can sit and chat together.
5. Allow for Cearance and Flow
- Map your traffic routes, remember that less is more, and stick to at least 1 metre “walking room” between pieces.
6. Keep the Horizon Clear
- Keep the eyelines across a room clear.
- Paying special attention to items placed in front of windows, and directly in front of the traffic path when entering a room.
7. Create Zones
- In an open-plan space, you can use your furniture arrangement to create “rooms” and designate areas for specific use.
- A rug under a group of chairs makes a conversation zone and simply turning a sofa with its back to the rest of the room says “this is a living room.”
8. Don’t be a Wallflower
- Don’t push all your furniture up against the walls. Even giving a couch 30cm of breathing room can create the illusion of a larger space.
9. Experiment
- One of the best things about arranging a room? It’s just furniture. Many of us get stuck into one layout and convince ourselves it’s the only way our home will work. But often moving a chair, shifting a sofa, or re-orienting a bed is enough to give your home a whole new lease on life.