subject: How To Create Conversation Areas In A Great Room [print this page] An expansive great room gives you lots of room for entertaining and enjoying family activities, but when the room is large, it can feel cold and impersonal, especially when there are only a few people in the room. And while it may help to break a room into zones for movie viewing, reading or other activities, you do not want the room to feel like a furniture showroom where you have to walk through a series of awkward zones to get to the couch.
The first step to creating a stylish space is to identify traffic paths in the room. Do this by drawing an imaginary line from each opening in the room. The paths can be somewhat altered with furniture, but main pass-throughs to popular destinations like the kitchen, are primary traffic paths and you want to locate your conversation area away from these heavily used paths.
The next step is to create a seating design that fosters conversation at a comfortable speaking level. A corner shape is ideal and can be created with furniture layout even when walls do not provide a tangible corner.
Tips for Furniture Arrangement
Do not follow the perimeter of the room with your furniture; this will just make conversation even more difficult and create greater space between people. It also tends to look cold and uninspired. Again, consider traffic flow: If a traffic pattern flows along the wall, pull the furniture about three feet away from the wall, and re-direct people behind you.
Now consider furniture and the scale of your great room. Oversized furniture looks bulky in a moderately sized room but sleek low-slung pieces might look forlorn in a spacious room. Also consider how many people use the room on a regular basis; retiring unused pieces and rearranging what is left could make the best use of furniture you already have.
How to accomplish style through layout.
Scale is important. For example, a classic arrangement with two loveseats is to place them opposite each other. If they are sleek and low, a coffee table in between is a great choice. But if the loveseats are bulky, a coffee table will only add to the perceived bulk. In this case, opt for narrow end tables on either side of each loveseat to keep the look cozy. You can create a variation on this arrangement by replacing one loveseat with two chairs.
Another option is to place the loveseats at right angles to each other anchored by a table or lamp at the corner. Ground the arrangement with a round or square coffee table and place additional chairs at a 45 angle at the far end of each loveseat. A rectangular coffee table can be placed on the diagonal between the two loveseats, or lined up with one loveseat, leaving room for two chairs opposite the coffee table.
With more than three or four pieces of furniture, allowing arms of furniture to touch will maintain a conversational feel. Allow space between pieces of furniture so people can come and go with ease; three to four feet is generally sufficient.
Now accessorize
Add the finishing touches with an area rug or decorative screen to define the conversation area. Add a tall potted plant in a corner and consider tall accents like floor lamps, floor sculptures or long wall mirrors to draw the eye upward. Repeat accent colors throughout the space in wall art, throw pillows, lamps and lamp shades and table top accessories.
