I never tire of rearranging furniture. I can't help myself. I see a room that is ill-configured and I immediately begin the mental gymnastics of flipping sofas and lowering artwork. Often times, for me, the urge to want to move furniture around is to make a room feel better, have better energy, better flow. Read any article about how an interior designer achieved a certain look and you will more than likely find the words "energy" and "flow" describing the process. These kind of words, when used in the context of interior design, are not quantitative or qualitative concepts. Describe a room as having good energy and one might think you're one ottoman away from being a bit cuckoo. But it is true, this is how rooms are described and more importantly experienced. It is the experience that matters and words like energy and flow are words that describe experiences. As a trained architect I naturally strive to create environments that are memorable and engaging. Environments that make one feel like they're in good company. A room should feel as if it is full of people even when there isn't anyone in the room. Now that's a room I would like to experience.
The picture above is an example of a large living room in Orono, Minnesota with furniture placed around the perimeter of the room. One of the challenges with builder designed homes is the scale of the rooms with relationship to the furnishings. In most cases the rooms are simply too large and the furniture inevitably appears lost and disconnected. A natural instinct for some is to arrange the furniture around the perimeter of the room. The result is a sense that the furniture is orbiting the room - floating without any sense of being grounded. Placing furniture around the perimeter of a room is an interesting human phenomenon. It is much like the way some people think of their property - calling out the boundaries of the land with fences - drawing attention to the boundaries of the yard. The problem with arranging furniture around the perimeter of a room is that no matter how large a room the space will always feel smaller and less interesting. Pushing furniture to the outer walls in a room simply informs the viewer of the limitations of the space. On the contrary pulling furniture away from the walls creates depth, increases the intimacy between the pieces of furniture and forms an environment that is more compatible with human interaction.
In the "before" photograph above the home owner has one of the two large sofas with it's back to the kitchen (same direction of the photograph). The sofa ultimately creates a "closed door" to the living room. The connection between the heart of the home (ie. kitchen) and the living room is instantly broken by placing the sofa in this position. The arrangement ultimately shuts off the space and compromises views into the room. The fireplace is hidden behind the sofa and there is no sense of a focal point. The room is simply not appointed properly and lacks any kind of engagement. The room is slowing dying and needs immediate resuscitation.
The "after" photograph shows a completely transformed space - same furniture, same accessories, same room, simply rearranged. This is the same view from the kitchen. The space is open and inviting. The fireplace reclaims it's rightful place as the center of attention and can be experienced for the first time while working in the kitchen. The upholstery pieces are positioned closer together for better conversation and function. The carpet comes into view once more adding much needed texture and pattern. The furnishings take their assigned position with confidence and bravado following the order of the architecture. The room feels better - more energy - better flow - more engaging - more interesting and full of life. Looking at the room reminds me of a bunch of friends getting together. Kind of makes me want to join them! Loving What You Have is about experiencing a room in a way you haven't before. Love What You Have and it will love you back. Jay Nuhring
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