How to Rearrange Furniture

Rearranging the furniture in your room can give it a new feel.

Rearranging your surroundings is the first step to rearranging your life. Whether you just rearranged your furniture last month, or it hasn't moved an inch in 10 years, you can benefit by changing the placement of your furniture to maximize the flow of energy throughout your home.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Cleaning supplies

Instructions

1. Sketch your plan on paper first. The furniture you use most in the room should be farthest from the door. If possible, avoid positioning your couches, chairs, dining tables or desk against walls. Give yourself at least three feet of space to pass between the furniture in the room's high-traffic areas.

2. Give yourself plenty of time and enlist some help before you rearrange furniture. What looked good on paper may not look good in the room. You may need to try two or three combinations of things, in which case you don't want to rush or move heavy furniture on your own.

3. Clear your furniture of all items. You may think you can balance that knickknack on the coffee table or those CDs on top of the television, but if do that for every piece of furniture, you're going to have at least one accident. Save yourself the regret and put everything in a box. Then you can clean the furniture without having to carefully dust around everything on it.

4. Vacuum or mop the floors before you rearrange the furniture, rolling up and removing any rugs in the room. This way, you won't be moving a piece of furniture onto a dirty area. As you move each piece, vacuum or mop the floor underneath. By the time you're finished rearranging, every inch of floor should be clean.

5. Remove all drawers from tables, dressers and desks to lighten your load. Use the same philosophy to break up heavy items in the room, such as sectional sofas and dining room tables with multiple leaves.

6. Make sure the corners of your furniture are not close to the door or protruding into high-traffic areas. You want your passage through every room to feel as smooth and easy as possible.

7. Rearrange until you love the design if your original sketch on paper doesn't work in the room. Never settle for an arrangement that you're not happy with, or you'll be reminded of your dissatisfaction every time you walk into the room. That's why giving yourself plenty of time is so important. If you do get tired or frustrated, take a walk, go out for a bite to eat or sleep on it. Chances are all you need is a fresh perspective.

Tips & Warnings

• Save your sketches. If your first choice doesn't work out, you may already have several alternatives to try.

• When positioning couches and chairs into seating arrangements, cluster them into semicircles that invite conversation.

• Find a focal point in the room and rearrange furniture accordingly, though not so close as to cut off all opportunities for conversation. Though the television is the obvious focal point in many rooms, consider your fireplace, picture windows and special pieces of art.

• If you have a piece of furniture in a room that is never used or that doesn't quite fit, try moving it to a different room. For instance, a rocking chair that you thought should be displayed in the living room may get more use as a reading chair in the bedroom.

References

• All Things Frugal: Rearranging Your Furniture
• Apartment Therapy: Tips for Rearranging Furniture