Living Room Furniture Arrangement Above all else, the furniture of the living room should make it livable. And it should be so grouped that it will afford centers of interest, convenience and comfort. Can one imagine a more livable living room than one with a large, soft divan before the fireplace, behind it a long table filled with books and supporting a lamp at either end? Or else, at the end of the divan, a small six-sided table for the reading lamp and on either side a pair of comfortable chairs? These are the rudimentary, essential pieces. Upon the way they are grouped will depend much of the livableness and interest of the room. There are many ways of placing these pieces, as is shown by the accompanying pictures. Of the four, Diagram I is the most serviceable. Since it is balanced, it is restful and dignified. The light falls over the shoulder of the occupant of the divan. The table, holding two lights, should directly light two people at least. In Diagram II this double lighting is effected and the arrangement is still well balanced, since the sofa is heavy enough to counterbalance the table and one chair. In Diagram III two people are also well lighted, and the balance is maintained, but the two chairs beside one another are in rather an awkward position. Diagram IV is the poorest arrangement, since only one person is well lighted and an awkward space is created behind the left-hand chair. 
Desirable groupings of living room furniture.
In all these arrangements a center of interest is maintained. One extra table might be added, for instance, in Diagram II at the end of the sofa away from the fireplace; in Diagram III between the chairs; still we would have the one general group. If, however, in Diagram IV a table is placed at the end of the sofa near the chair, a second group is formed. These pieces, then, are the main essentials for the living room, and this grouping would apply to any selection of furniture in general. 
Arrangement of living room furniture providing balance and center of interest.
I have gone into this grouping in such detail because, however the quality may vary, this is the general quantity for living rooms. The main essentials are a comfortable divan, a table large enough to hold books, magazines and lamps, and at least two comfortable, upholstered chairs and a smaller table. To them may be added, at the other end or side of the room, a pair of book-cases, cabinets or a credence. These balance the fireplace, since they are placed against the wall and have a corresponding shelf, cornice or mantel line. 1 In developing the original simple formula there may be added a high, double-back seat, a good-size gate-leg table, another large lounging chair, a pair of straight chairs, a small low table or stool and a desk. Of course, one cannot presuppose what will be the necessary furnishings for every household, but there seem to have come to the surface as requisites, out of the conglomerate mass, these certain pieces that make the living room livable in any house. It is best not to group furniture in the middle of the living room. If the center space is kept clear and open, the size of the room seems increased. Corners arranged with two or more chairs and a table can be made into an attractive group. Furniture so placed as to lack this center of interest invites no spirit of congeniality; there is no spot to foregather and exchange ideas. When the decorations of a living room maintain their individuality against the distracting motley of the occupants, then that room is an achievement. This is not the desideratum for a dining-room which, I believe, should serve merely as a background against which life shows itself as a decorative unit. Remember that rooms react upon us. We are ashamed of temper in a quiet, dignified room; ashamed of petty quarrelings in a well-ordered room furnished with books, piano, pictures and flowers that denote sympathy with the larger, deeper motives of life. Next Page: Large Living Room Decorating. |
