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Go Rogue for Effective Furniture Arrangements
Why stick with a traditional setup that just doesn't cut it? The most advantageous arrangement may be the least obvious
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor based out of Hershey, PA. Come visit me at 'A Nest for All Seasons' where I write about design, photography and modern garden living!
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor... More »
Sometimes when you move into a new space, the layout is just strange. There are walls in weird places and rooms that are too big or too small, and your furniture just doesn't work the way it used to.
Apartment dwellers and homeowners everywhere struggle to fit their beloved furniture into their new spaces — furniture arrangements in one home rarely translate exactly to another. That's when you need to get creative. Ditch your preconceived notions of a living room, a dining room or even your kitchen and create a setup that is anything but average!
Apartment dwellers and homeowners everywhere struggle to fit their beloved furniture into their new spaces — furniture arrangements in one home rarely translate exactly to another. That's when you need to get creative. Ditch your preconceived notions of a living room, a dining room or even your kitchen and create a setup that is anything but average!
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| When you are blessed (or cursed) with a large, open space, how should you arrange the furniture? The typical L setup or placing sofas to face each other just doesn't utilize the space to its full capacity. Try placing sofas back to back for a clever arrangement that makes an excellent use of space and doesn't block any gorgeous windows. |
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by AMI Designs
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| Placing your sofas back to back can create two rooms out of one without the space feeling choppy and oversize. More ways with two sofas |
| Is there a living room with a fireplace right off your kitchen? Is it weird to hang out in that room when someone is cooking? Would you rather have a dining room in that space? Just do it — a fireplace in a dining room is a lovely thing, and it doesn't need to dictate how you utilize the space. |
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| I told you so: Fireplaces are wonderful next to a dining table. |
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by Lucy McLintic
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| Is your formal parlor supposed to have a couple sofas and a piano? Not necessarily — ditch them for a dining room table. Does your long, rectangular table make the space feel cramped? Be brave and swap it out for a round version. |
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| If you like to just invite a few friends over instead of large groups, arrange your living room to fit your entertaining style. Splurge on four luxurious, upholstered chairs instead of sofas in your living room — what a wonderful space for sharing stories with friends. |
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by Aidan Design
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| Use a long, narrow window bench to create the little breakfast nook you've always dreamed of. Bring in a full-size dining table and additional chairs to make this your dining room. Who says the breakfast nook can't be your full-time table? |
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OK, tiny-house dwellers, this is for you. You know this room — the room right inside the front door that is cut into by the staircase. This room serves as the walkway to the kitchen and dining room and living room too. Yeah, that room. The one where you are supposed to put a sofa on the long wall, but that means the sofa faces people entering your front door and it just always seems kind of weird. Be brave and scootch that loveseat over to the stairway wall. You might be shocked at how well it works.
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| Beds are usually to be lined up like soldiers against the longest bedroom wall. But what happens when twin beds won't fit lengthwise in the space? Try placing them headboard to headboard for a cozy, perfectly functional arrangement. |
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Got triplets? Who says you can't place twin beds directly beside each other? This arrangement looks like pure bliss for three little girl cousins or sisters.
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| Whether you are reworking the typical placement of furniture, repurposing the function of a space or diverting traffic patterns with your designs, be bold and brave with your furniture placement. You don't have to do things the way they have always been done; you just have to do what works. More: New Uses for the Dining Room Could Your Living Room Be Better Without a Sofa? How to Arrange Your Living Room for Entertaining |
Ideabook published on July 24, 2012.
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When we lived in apartments, it was always a matter of hiding wires under rugs, getting extra long wire and attaching it up and around moldings and then painting it to match or arranging furniture with cords in mind. It is definitely a consideration with the amount of electronics most of us are working with. Hopefully soon everything will go wireless and we won't have to worry about it, right?