The Greatest Design Sin
By Guest Blogger: LaMar Lisman
Mar 25, 2009 - 10:05 AM
People often ask me what I consider the greatest design “sin”. Believe it or not, it’s not bunches of plastic grapes or baggy slipcovers. I attended a party recently and was saddened yet again to see what could have been a great room—tragically ruined by bad furniture placement. Why must people line up all the furniture in a room along the perimeter walls, like a dental office lobby or wedding reception center? Are they planning on hosting a square dance competition after cocktails?
When you place furniture in a room, your goal should be to create a feeling of closeness, comfort and sparkling conversation. Pull furniture away from the walls. Try floating a sofa in a room as your main anchor and then begin placing smaller pieces like accent tables and occasional chairs around it. Even if your room is small, pull the sofa away from the wall at least 6-8 inches. This will make the room feel and look larger and people won’t need a megaphone to converse across a cavernous room.
I stayed at the party until most of the guests had left. When it was about over I grabbed the hostess and pulled her into the room. “Look where the furniture is,” I said. Club chairs had been pulled closer together, ottomans had been moved out of the entry and placed near the sofa—even some small tables had migrated next to chairs. Virtually nothing was left hugging the walls of the room. Guests had actually moved the furniture away from the walls in order to have conversations and have a place to set down their drinks and plates. This is the best test I know of to determine if your furniture placement is working. And besides, these days we all need an excuse to throw a party!
—LaMar Lisman, CEO and Interior Designer, Lisman Studio, SLC
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Reader Comments:
This is so true. People need to realize that their rooms should not look like a furniture store. Mix it up people! Pull your couch off the wall and add some funky mismatched chairs. Instant party.