Danielle's Living Room-After

Remember Danielle's Living Room from Friday?  I'll be helping them out with a new floor plan because she's already done a great job decorating the space!

Here's their new floor plan:


Here's how I did it.  First off, make a floor plan of the space.  Just include walls, doors, and windows:

Then I like to make arrows showing directions of travel through the space.  This is helpful so you don't inadvertently place a huge piece of furniture directly in the path of travel.  In designer terms, this is the circulation path.  (Yes, if the space is empty you would walk diagonally through the space, but for the most efficient space to layout the furniture we'll walk around the edges.)

Then I like to do an inventory of items in the room and their sizes if available:

Then I'll layout the space with all my pieces.  (Keep in mind that 15"-18" is a good amount of space to put between coffee tables or ottomans that will be in front of sofas.)  I removed the black computer armoire and the small bench in front of the window.

The final layout is more cozy but still leaves room to move around the space.  By moving the smaller accent chair in front of the fireplace we've opened it up more to be seen!  The chairs are arranged to maximize seating area and provide a great space to be social.  Sometimes, when seating is placed too far apart it makes socializing harder so by pulling things in a little we've provided a better atmosphere for this.

Thanks Danielle for letting me help you with your design challenge!