arranging furniture, furniture arrangement, arrange furniture, redesign business, decorating business

Student's Case Study

Sandy Finch, one of my readers in Redlands, California, sent me her room measurements, her furniture measurements, and some before photos of her small living room. Sandy stated that the room was merely a passage way, leading to the rest of the home because it was uninteresting and uninviting. Having become one of my most avid readers and enthusiastic students, Sandy still felt she needed some assurance that she was thinking and moving in the right direction when planning for the rearrangement of this room. One of the bonuses I offer all my readers, is personalized help if they still feel they need it. So after I got all of Sandy's information, I created the above floor plan to match as closely as possible the furniture and arrangement she presently had. Then I rearranged the furniture several different ways and displayed them for her consideration. You can see them below.

First let's consider some of the problems that Sandy had. These should be obvious to you if you have read Decor Secrets Revealed already. If you have not read the ebook yet, you might want to do that first before going any further as it will make more sense to you afterwards.

Common Problems for Sandy to consider:
(1) furniture placed all around the perimeter,
(2) seating arrangement not focused on focal point that is close by and a true focal point,
(3) "screaming distance" between sofa and chair and focal point,
(4) natural traffic pattern cuts into the seating arrangement as centered on bookcase and chair.

Now let's take a look at some arrangement options I gave to Sandy that will pull the furniture arrangements into a cohesive unit, open up the room, make the seating more intimate and more interesting. Below is the actual arrangement layouts I did for her with the explanations, just the way I sent them to her.

Ideas for Consideration
LEFT: Bookcase and desk are interchangeable. Seating is arranged in "U" shape with loveseat as focal point of room. Place nice framed picture on wall above it to make unit become dominant. Round end table now serves both sofa and club chair. Floor lamp serves both sofa and rocker. Table has been removed for the room. Place desk or bookcase on opposite wall flanked by plants to fill out the width of the wall and make that side balance with other side of room. Note where the invisible walls are: You really have one room for seating arrangement, 2nd room for desk and plants, and third for wall unit. If furnace is ugly, paint it same color as wall so that it "disappears" from view. No real place for stool in this arrangement.

RIGHT: I didn't realize bookcase was so tall, so this arrangement won't work with the bookcase against window. Perhaps table could go here, but only if your have things on it to add a little height and more interest. Leave bookcase where it is. Don't try to put the rocker and the club chair side by side. Too much imbalance between the two. Notice I've added more plants. They are great for filler and helping to create balance.

More Ideas for Consideration

LEFT: If placing loveseat against window, you can create an "L" shape with the club chair and place rocker on the other side for intimacy. This is a very open arrangement. Conversational area is very intimate. You could hang a picture on the wall between the round end table and the rocker. Make the desk area a separate area. If there is room, place another plant on other side of book case for balance. These should be two floor plants either slightly shorter than the bookcase or taller. Place art on the wall between the two plants.

RIGHT: Move the loveseat at an angle away from the corner and fill in with plants, which will love the light. Don't try to put a wide table behind the sofa as it will force everything too far out into the room, most likely. Remove table from room. Don't get locked into using everything you have. Feel free to remove things that don't fit comfortably. This arrangement is very intimate. Since you don't have a TV in the room, this arrangement can open the room up and make it really interesting. Notice how I've kept the natural traffic patterns from cutting into the middle of an arrangement. Lower the hanging lamp.

BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOGRAPHS
Here are the before and after pictures. Sandy studied the 4 layout arrangements, tried each one and ultimately chose the one she liked the best. She added the accessories around on her own, periodically checking with me to make sure she was on the right track. After a few minor alterations, and a brief shopping spree to add a few things she didn't have, Sandy has emerged with a stunningly "new" living room. The before pictures are on the left; the after pictures are on the right below.

SUMMARY
Sandy wants to do room arrangement redesign as a business and has been methodically working her way through all of my ebooks and books, reading them, rereading them, taking notes, working out arrangement ideas on paper before committing to actually moving her furniture and accessories. She is an excellent example of the perfect student. She has written me several times, sent photos, asked questions and learned the material. She has gone shopping for extra things she felt she needed and is delighted with the results. Just as important, her husband is extremely happy too. Sandy writes:

"Thanks to you my living room has been transformed from a passage way leading from the front door to the family room, into an inviting place where you'd like to sit down and visit a while!!!!! Jim said when he first walked thru the door...."Hey....I really like this!!!".....this is the same person that doesn't notice anything about the house unless it involves "his" chair! . . . I retained more of the book than I thought....because it definitely came into play today. . . . We've decided that instead of sitting in the dining area to share our day with each other, we are going to sit in our 'new' living room. Much more comfortable!!!!!" - Sandy Finch

Links to More Help
Rearrangement-Redesign Home Business Info
How to Arrange Art Professionally
How to Hang Art Professionally
Art Consulting Home Business Info
How to Arrange Your Furnishings Professionally
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