Traffic Control

I’m not gonna lie to you…I’m tired…tired but super proud of everything we accomplished over the last couple of days.  I’m sitting in my brother’s new, almost completely decorated house feeling pretty victorious to be honest.  We conquered the wallpaper, demolished the dirt, painted nearly every surface in the house and got some really nice, affordable furnishings and décor.  Check back tomorrow for the much awaited before and after photos…I’m super pumped to post them!  We’ve gotta add a few finishing touches, but boy oh boy is it coming along.  One of today’s biggest tasks was determining a layout for the “common areas”, most notably- the living room.  Here’s a few questions worth asking that you may want to take into consideration.

-Do I want an open or closed floor plan?  Meaning, do I want to create a few separated areas or one big area?  Open floor plans may make the overall space appear larger, but they offer less options for seating as the design requires the majority of furniture to be placed against the walls.  When it comes to designing the actual blue print of your house, an open floor plan is the more modern choice, however when it comes to arranging furniture, either option can be executed beautifully.  If your décor has a lot of similar themes, you’re well prepared for an open plan…if you’re messy or seriously value quiet, an open plan could create a problem.

-How do I want traffic to flow?  If at all possible, it’s best to keep the traffic patterns to the perimeter of the room so conversations are not constantly being interrupted.  Walkways require a minimum of two and a half cleared feet.

-What’s my largest piece of furniture?  You may need to place this item first…it makes for a great starting point since it offers you the least amount of options in terms of where it will fit.  It’s placement will affect the balance of the room from the get-go…keep that in mind when deciding where it belongs.

-Where do I want my focal point to be?  Is it a window?  A picture?  A TV?  Decide and plan accordingly.

-Is there a Television in the room?  There’s no need to plan the whole space around your television, but it certainly helps to recognize the fact that that’s where people will congregate.  If there is a TV, be sure to consider the glare situation.  Keep in mind that Plasma televisions are especially susceptible to glare as they are more glossy than LCD’s.  Try to avoid placing a TV directly in front of a window if at all possible and pay attention to where you put your “artificial light” in relation to the TV.  Lights placed near the television should have shades that point the light downward to best reduce glare.  

-What’s comfortable to me?!  There’s no formula, really…it comes down to what seems like a natural flow and placement to you.  For questions, comments and concerns, shoot me an e-mail at Gabrielle.beretta@gmail.com.  Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for before and after pictures from this week’s project!