Why Not Think Inside the Box?

We all have them in our homes. They come in various sizes, both squares and rectangles, but nevertheless, they are all variations of boxes. And there are many of them inside our homes.…. from front to back, side-to-side, upstairs and downstairs. There's even a large version of the square or rectangle hanging overhead. And to add to it, various sizes of squares and rectangles called windows and doors, accent them.

Yes, they are boxes and rectangles, but they are ours, the rooms in our homes. We enjoy coming home at the end of a long day, shutting the main rectangle on the front of our home and settling down in our own geometric space.

So what do we bring into these geometric spaces? More variations of squares and rectangles in the form of tables, dressers, bookcases, beds, sofas and chairs called furniture. Then we accent the furniture with even more of these same shapes called picture frames and big screen TV’s!

Enough square talk already! Do you feel backed into a corner!? Yes, you do…. however, there is a chair in that corner, so sit down while we talk about thinking outside the box.

Is your furniture lined up along all walls like a basketball court? Is there some reason the couch needs look like it is holding up the wall? It’s time to learn a new trick… angling…which has nothing to do with fishing, unless you need to fish in the drawers for the tape measure. It’s all about placing furniture on an angle in a room.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Edit the Room - There may be just too much stuff in the room so it looks overcrowded. If you have too much furniture, move some of it out to other rooms, the garage, the basement, or have a yard sale. This will free up some space in the room making it ready for angling.

Remove Accessories – Take the artwork, wreaths and other accessories off the walls, patch the holes and paint. If you don’t remove the accessories, you will have a tendency to place the furniture right back where it was next to the accessory. If possible, start with a clean slate.

Rearrange on Paper – Let’s not wear ourselves out moving furniture all over the room for hours trying different looks! Create a paper grid of the room the room and the furniture. Simply measure the width and length of the room and, using a scale of 1/2 inch = 1 foot, draw the measurements on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white paper. If you prefer, purchase graph paper and draw the appropriate room measurements. Remember to mark the location of doors and windows and other architectural elements (the fireplace, for example) around the room. Measure and draw the furniture pieces on a separate piece of paper. Cut the furniture out. Now you're ready to try some new arrangements.

Find a focal point – Decide what you would like the focal point of the room to be. It could be the fireplace, the view or the TV, for example. Choose the focal point you want to feature and place the largest piece of furniture, i.e., the sofa, at an angle to it. Then build around the furniture piece. Place a sofa table with lamps or accessories behind the sofa. Place a chair and table opposite the sofa at an angle. Include a cozy conversation or out-of-the-way corner for reading – angle it, too. Experiment with different arrangements by moving the paper furniture pieces in different positions onto the room grid. Move the paper furnishings into the middle of the room away from the walls and angle them.

Go back to the room – Once you've reached a pleasing arrangement on paper, move the furniture pieces back into the room. Create vignettes in the room without losing continuity. Place accessories thematically around the room.

Soften the Corners – Place up-lights on the floor in the corners behind the angled furniture. They will soften and bring out the corners of a room. Or place a tall plant in a container or on a plant stand behind the furniture. A floor lamp next to a chair fills the void.

By thinking and arranging furniture inside the box we can make our living spaces much more spacious and comfortable.