Question: For six years we have arranged and rearranged the furniture in our living room. We want to create a sense of intimacy in a room with two arched entryways, four windows, a fireplace and built-in shelves. We also must take into consideration the running paths of our three young children. What do you suggest?

Lisa Van Nyhuis
Oakland

Answer:From what I see from your photographs, the problem is the size of the furniture you have.

Furniture layout is driven by architectural features (the fireplace, windows and other elements) as well as by considerations for the family's access and movement. Your layout is a good starting point; it just needs a few modifications.

Fortunately, you're willing to purchase new furniture, so let's start by examining the scale to determine what you'll need to acquire.

The right fit A six foot long sofa replaces one that was out of proportion for this living room. The media/entertainment components are now grouped along one wall, eliminating a bulky TV armoire that had further crowded the space.

Typically, the largest piece of furniture in any living room is the sofa. It anchors the room and it should influence other decorating decisions. And, like clothing, it should fit properly.

Regrettably, your sofa, the piece you'd like to keep, is much too big for this room. At 7 feet, 4 inches by 43 inches, it is throwing the proportions of everything else off. This makes you feel as if the room doesn't work.

I suggest choosing a sofa that's 6 feet long by 3 feet deep. Granted, it's not as spacious for the family as the current one, but it will definitely make the room feel more in balance, which translates into "more comfortable," and therefore, more intimate.

On either side of the sofa is a pair of end tables, and on them is a matching pair of table lamps to give symmetry to the sofa and contribute to the sense of balance in the room. In front of the sofa is a 4-foot-long coffee table, the correct proportion to the new sofa.

Next is the large club chair in the corner near the fireplace. I'm replacing it with a wall-hugging recliner that is smaller than your chair. It will give you a comfortable reading area and still be functional when you socialize. An arched reading lamp placed on the floor behind the chair illuminates this space.

Perpendicular to the sofa is a small occasional chair for additional guest seating.

The next change is removing your television armoire. Now that flat-screen TVs are the standard, I'm placing the entire entertainment area on the wall next to the niche. Select a cabinet that stores all the peripheral audio-visual components. The doors can be open or can contain a grillwork design or fabric that the remote controls can operate through. The TV will hang from the wall or be placed upon the cabinet. My preference would be to hang it on the wall, making sure that the wires are inside the wall.

For the color scheme, select colors and fabrics that support your desire for a feeling of intimacy. Your red oak floors and brick surround on the fireplace are the fixed architectural elements, so you'll want warm, earth tones in everything else to complement them.

Select your area rug first; it's easier to find fabrics and paint colors to match it rather than vise versa. And, to bring the whole room together, choose a rug that fits the room properly. One that's too small is like wearing an outfit that's too small.

It would be ideal if you can find an Oriental rug that's the right size, but if you can't, go to a carpet store and have one made to your exact dimensions. Select one with a woven texture for visual interest. It can be bound to match (called "self binding") or you can choose a contrasting colored tape or decorative border. In any case, all the furniture should fit on it as shown in the diagram.

Repainting the walls is the fastest, least expensive way to make a significant change to any room, and I would paint these a warmer, mustard color rather than the sunny yellow you currently have.

The sofa could be a rich chenille fabric, the coffee and end tables and the media cabinet can be wood (not necessarily the same wood - too matchy-matchy), and the reclining chair could be another warm-toned fabric. Add texture to the room with natural wood shades that are mounted inside, leaving the window casing as a contrasting decorative detail.

Once you've made these changes you'll find the room works better and you'll enjoy living in it much more.

 

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