How to Design Furniture in a Family Room With a Corner Fireplace
While every room in your home can present a challenge when it comes to arranging your furniture, working around a set object can be tricky. A fireplace, in particular, can feel like an unmovable burden for decorating, especially if it sticks out at all. If you need to design furniture in a family room with a corner fireplace, then you'll want a few tips to make your room look welcoming and open rather than isolated or awkward. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Remove everything from the room but a few large key pieces of furniture. You'll want upholstered couches, chairs and large ottomans to stay, but clear out anything else, unless it is too heavy or cumbersome to lift.
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Position your furniture to create a seating area by thinking of the fireplace as another seat in the room, making it easy to get to and in open view of the other seats. If you have a fireplace cover, you'll want to make sure it is in front of the fireplace so you know exactly how much clearance you have around it.
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Create an intimate gathering area by placing a chair on either side of the fireplace, against both of the walls it is touching. Place a couch at an angle facing toward the chairs and the fireplace. If this is awkward, still leave the couch facing in, but turn it to run parallel with just one of the fireplace's walls.
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Make the room feel open by setting the largest piece of furniture along one of the fireplace walls where it will face the main entrance of the room. Leave the chairs to float openly to face the fireplace, but with space enough to walk between them.
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Add a coffee table, end tables or other pieces of furniture to the room to complement the location choices for your seating area. Follow these pieces with any lamps or large plants. Don't overcrowd the space, however, just to keep a set of furniture together.
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Build up the look of the room by adding textures in the form of throw pillows, curtains, rugs and blankets. A piece of large artwork can be hung or displayed above the fireplace to further enhance the focal point of the room, so long as it takes up approximately two-thirds of the available wall space, otherwise it may appear too small.
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Tips & Warnings
Play around with your room layout on paper first if you are working alone or your furniture pieces are heavy. This should give you a preview of the room without lifting a finger.
Rather than trying to make one big space work, you may find it easier to break the room up into smaller nook-like areas with the fireplace being just a part of one little nook.
Anytime you rearrange furniture you'll want to be sure not to block the traffic patterns of the room. If your corner fireplace is right next to a door on one side, then you'll need to be sure to bring furniture in closer, or push it away enough that you don't block the pathway leading to the door.
Always keep flammable items far enough away from the fireplace that you don't create a fire hazard out of your family room.
