How to Rearrange Your Furniture and Rethink Your Living Space
Whether you own or rent the place in which you reside, you want it to feel safe, welcoming and comfortable at all times. If you've lived in the same place for awhile, a "face lift" or rearrangement can make it feel like new. Though there are many possible ways to arrange furniture, you can take an "energy" approach, such as Feng Shui, or simply do what pleases you visually. A key approach is to use cutouts before actually moving things around. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Large paper
- Pencils
- Floor plan
- Paper cutouts of furniture
- Tape measure
- Home design books, magazines and websites
- Boxes
- Helpers for lifting heavy items
- Paint, lamps, plants (optional)
Instructions
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Get rid of anything that is cluttering your home or that you are tired of looking at. This will give you a sense of clearing out and will allow new space for planning. For example, if you have an old desk that is scratched and falling apart, or an end table that is seldom used, consider tossing it. You can also go through your entire home and put things in boxes labeled "sell," "donate," or "trash." If you plan to purchase any new furniture, first remove all the old items.
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Determine how much money you have and are willing to spend to rethink your living space. Get clear on whether you want a major overhaul or a few simple shifts in the environment. For example, will adding a few tall potted plants be enough, or do you still need to completely change the living room furniture?
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Review books, magazines and online sites to get ideas for home decor and furniture arranging. If Feng Shui intrigues you, spend some time learning about its overall concepts before springing into action. Get a feel for what appeals to you in photographs, and cut out any magazine images so you can refer to them for ideas.
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Paint any rooms that really need brightening up -- do this before moving or adding the furniture. Lay tarps over furniture, move pieces to the center of a room, and then paint the walls. You can find paints on sale from time to time at department stores and specialty paint shops. Some people add wall paper or wood trims to a room to give it a new feel. These ideas will occur to you when seeing images in magazines or television shows.
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Notice the traffic flow in each of your rooms. If a particular piece of furniture is always getting bumped into, move it to a better spot. Keep the traffic flow in mind when arranging furniture. For example, you don't want to place a large couch right at an entrance. Rooms should have an easy "flow" and people should be able to maneuver easily within them.
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Sketch the rooms in which you want to rearrange furniture. You can do these to scale or by close approximations. Oddly shaped rooms need special consideration, but start by sketching the general floor plan.
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Measure the furniture you want to move and make paper cut outs that represent them. Use a scale of either 1/2 inch or 1 inch to equal a foot of measure. For example, the cutout for a 7 foot couch would be 3.5 inches long, using the 1/2 inch scale. You may also be able to find generic furniture cutouts at some home design stores.
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Place the cutouts over your floor plan drawings. Focus on one room at a time. Try various furniture combinations on paper. You can move the lightweight objects around to get a feel for how things will look, but wait to move the larger items until after you have a strong sense of where you actually want to move them.
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Move the actual furnishings once you have settled on the new layout. Always place the largest item first. By placing items more widely apart, you create a sense of openness. But for those who prefer intimacy and a cozy feeling, set the furniture pieces more closely together, with enough room for people to move around them.
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Change any lighting that feels too bright or add small lamps to brighten dull corners. Also, shift artwork or add fabric touches to complement color schemes. Even adding a few brand new, colorful throw pillows on a couch can instantly brighten a room. Curtains and drapery or blinds can be cleaned, moved, or replaced, too.
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Add a few small throw rugs or a large new rug under or within a furniture arrangement. Ideally, set larger rugs in place before place the furniture on top of its edges. Some will fit beautifully between a couch and two opposing overstuffed chairs. A coffee table might go on top of it between the furnishings.
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Tips & Warnings
When your child gets older and moves away from home, especially when she takes all her belongings, you may want to turn her room into a guest room. Of course, she can use it when visiting. You can create an entirely new feel in the room with a few simple touches. You can also combine room ideas by making an art room/studio that also has a bed for guests.
Work with other house members to get ideas and input for new ideas. Pop some popcorn and watch videos of home makeovers or have everyone review the magazines to share appealing concepts.
Take before and after photographs of your rooms and home.
Most importantly, have fun and play with ideas that make you feel good.
Use your knees and avoid injury to your back when lifting heavy furniture items. It's best to get a couple friends or family members to help out. Use a dolly for large items, such as a refrigerator.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
