Fundamentals of Art and Design 3(1+2)

Lesson 07 :FURNITURE ARRANGEMENT

Furniture arrangement

In arranging the furniture, the utility, scale, rhythm, harmony, emphasis and comfort of the person using the furniture needs to be considered. Balancing furniture and accessories in a home, accounting for a furnishing's volume, size and mass and incorporating that special piece into a room's style and décor is to be considered essential in furniture arranging for placement.

Some tips in creating comfortable, balanced furniture arrangements are as follows.

1. Select a centre of interest/focal point and arrange the furniture accordingly, subordinating all other minor pieces around to group them together.
2. When planning/redesigning of a room, try to break old habits and do something new.
3. Furniture from elsewhere in the house may work well in another room. Equally, items that have traditionally been in a room don't necessarily need to stay there.
4. Scan your home for furniture swaps. Make a list of the items you want or 'need in each room.
5. Use the room/floor plan technique and use furniture templates to see how different furniture groupings might look on paper before moving heavy items.
6. Experimenting with furniture layout will help to create an interesting yet practical room. Plan and group focal points like sofa set, coffee table, news paper holder, magazine rack all as one unit. Don't put a TV and bookshelf directly beside a home theater or a fireplace as it would look crowded. Instead television to be arranged at a distance from seating arrangements. Home theatre may be arranged in another family room. Bookshelves, accessories along with indoor plants can be grouped together with a good lighting arrangement.
7. Think of the living space as a "city" with major roads, side streets and alleys. Translate this concept to the room's traffic flow/ circulation. Reserve three feet for the main pathway, two feet for pathways to a window or fireplace, and allow 18 inches for the "alleys," like the space between a coffee table and sofa or as a leg room
8. Traffic - consider the most-frequently used items in a room and the ease of access to them. The TV, sofa, door and fireplace can create similar traffic paths in a living room.
9. Arrange furniture in angles and on carpets to create depth and also for creativity in arrangements.
10. Convenience - a room must ultimately be adequate for the function it performs in the house and be comfortable for its residents. It may be the ultimate style statement, but if you can't see the TV properly or eat comfortably, all efforts in arrangement of furniture will be a waste.
11. It seems odd to consider that inanimate objects can create a welcome, but it’s true. If the view from a door way is predominantly of the backs of chairs a visitor won't be tempted in. Similarly, rows of furniture pushed against the walls seem uninviting, while angled groups look cozy.
12. The entry/ hall ways, living/ drawing rooms can leave an everlasting, pleasant welcome and memorable, if arranged well with the suitable furniture and indoor plants as accessories. The taste of the inmates if well expressed would make living comfortable for everybody and inspire.