Making a Luxurious Living Room

“When my guests come over they always walk right by my living room. No one ever wants to sit with me!” complained my client. Although there was plenty of seating and her arrangement honored the traditional focal point, her guests tended to shy away from the fireplace area. She also felt like the room didn’t reflect her personality. “It’s the biggest room in the house and we never use it. How can I make this space more inviting and give it some oomph?” she asked.

As a design consultant and redesign specialist I help my clients rearrange what they already own to make a more cohesive, functional and beautiful space. I immediately sensed what made the space unappealing, but I needed to ask some questions first:

• What is your goal in changing this space?

• What do you do here?

• Do you have what you need to do those activities?

• What do you like about the room now?

• What don’t you like about it?

• What needs to stay what can be moved out?

• What other arrangements have you tried? Did they work or not? Why or why not?

What I noticed about my client’s living room was that the sectional boxed you in and forced you to stare at the fireplace. Sectionals can be great for letting lots of people watch TV together, but they are not so good for conversation. People often have a preferred position while chatting, and a sectional doesn’t allow for much choice. There was also no place to put a coffee mug or glass of wine. Although the line of family photos was meaningful to my client, it was not a strong enough focal point to anchor the room.

Armed with my client’s responses and my own observations, we rolled up our sleeves and started rearranging the furniture to create a more open, guest-friendly room, with more pizzazz.

Before

• The boxy sectional made the seating area seem small and confined, so we needed to open up the arrangement. People who don’t like to sit too close or who prefer to sit in a chair would naturally avoid this space.

• There’s no surface for drinks or snacks. Don’t you hate perching your teacup on your knee?

• The row of family photos on the mantel isn’t a strong enough focal point.

• Although there were a few elements in the room that reflected my clients bright personality, the room needed more spunk.

After

• We removed the shorter arm of the sectional and switched it out with two chairs she had in her sunroom. Placing the chairs across from the coach released the room from its boxiness and offered more options for guest seating.

• We moved in a coffee table from her sunroom, which worked perfectly as a place for beverages and to display a few bright accessories.

• We moved her family portraits to an étagère (out of view on the right). We went on a “shopping trip” amongst her many fun accessories and created a new arrangement on the mantel, strong enough to anchor the room.

• My client had loads of colorful pillows, throws and artwork. We played with placement until we came up with balanced color and just the right amount of personality.

On a return visit to help with her sunroom, my client expressed her happiness with her new living room: “My family and friends loved the transformation! We’ve already had several parties and everyone loves to congregate here! I think this is my favorite room in the house now.”

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