Dear Joe,
I recently started looking for new living room furniture; sofa, two chairs and tables. A designer at one of the furniture stores showed me some pieces the she says will fit the space perfectly. I've held off ordering because the pieces seem so big and I'm worried about the scale. I don't want the room to be too crowded. What's your suggestion?
Bill
Dear Bill,
You are right to be concerned about the size of the furniture.
I recently went to a new client's condo. They had already purchased 'some' upholstered pieces for the living room. The furniture was so large and out of scale that you had to squeeze between the pieces and there was no room left for tables!
There is a current trend in the furniture stores for over scaled upholstered furniture. Where these retailers think that this stuff is going to fit is a mystery; especially when rooms seem to be getting smaller. The consumers end up buying these goods and wondering why they just don't seem to have enough living space!
The first step is to measure your room completely ( all walls, doorways, windows, etc. ) Taking these measurements, draw a floor plan of the room to scale.
Next, measure all pieces of furniture that you are considering to buy and any of your own that you may be using. Make cutouts of these pieces to the same scale of the room, and try arranging them on your floor plan. If this doesn't make it clear enough for you, don't be afraid to cut the actual sizes of the furniture out of brown paper and lay them out in the room.
The designer at the showroom should draw up a floor plan. She should then sit down with you and go over it in great detail, taking into account the function of the room and your daily living habits. If she did not do this, then don't buy.
This may seem like a lot of trouble, but it can save you precious time and quite a bit of money. You will be able to see how the furniture fits in the room. You will also be able to determine the amount of space that you will have to navigate between each piece. This is one of the most important factors in creating an interior. The most eye catching and beautiful furniture is worthless if it does not help to create a space that you can live in comfortably.
Dear Joe,
I am looking for a new area rug for my living room. I want a contemporary design with bright colors. And yes, it can't be too expensive. I've been looking at the furniture stores but can't find anything. Any suggestions on where to look?
Thread Bear
Dear Thread Bear,
You don't say what is 'too expensive,' but here goes.
Ready made area rugs in a contemporary designs can be hard to find. This is because the colors and designs are so specific to individual contemporary interiors. The manufacturers only produce a few designs that they feel will appeal ( read: sell ) to a large group of people. This, of course, leads to homogenized designs, or the lowest common denominator.
Most of the great contemporary rugs are custom made. This way, the customer can have his choice of all the ingredients, even the design. Of course, this is very expensive.
My suggestion would be to check out carpet stores. Often they have racks of area rugs that have been made up as samples or were perhaps made for clients who refused them. You may find one that will work for you at a bargain price. Also, don't rule out Oriental rug galleries. Sometimes they also have good buys on high quality area rugs in contemporary designs.
E-mail your questions to jos.riceinteriors@att.net . In the subject box, fill in 'WCT Design'
Joseph Rice is a full-service interior decorator. With 24 years of experience, he specializes in designing window treatments for 'hard-to-treat' windows. For more information, visit www.JosephRiceInteriors.com or call 773-271-2361.
