Flow? Why it’s important?
Our home should make us happy and productive, reducing stress, and feel welcoming. After all, our environment sets the tone for our lives. Living in spaces that make us happy can drastically alter the way we feel about ourselves and how we approach life.
Have you ever found yourself looking at a room and think, why doesn’t this space make me feel happy, or feel inviting? Well… furniture placement can very well be the culprit!
Creating Good Flow
The first rule when deciding where your furniture goes, especially your sofa, is to keep in mind where all the entries and exists are and to then place your furniture accordingly. There are FIVE doorways in this space, and with THREE of them, the first thing you saw was the back of the sofa. You want to avoid blocking the flow of traffic. When I say “traffic”, I’m referring to the way people move through the space as they live in and pass through it. Energetically, blocking the flow of traffic will make a space feel trapped and uninviting.
This is the view of the back of the sofa as you leave the master bedroom. The back of the sofa is also what you see from the front door and the garage door.
Placing the large, sectional sofa in front of the unused sliding glass doors completely opened up the space. Now, you can walk freely from one side of the room to the other with access to FOUR of the FIVE doorways. To see the full project, CLICK to go to THE RETRO HOUSE.
Using the same “flow” technique from above, here are some other “before and after” examples of a family room. Again, placing the large, sectional in front of the unused sliding glass doors, has completely opened up the family room and created a warm and welcoming space.
Here’s a look at the same space from the breakfast nook which is on the other side of the room. As you can see, there’s no way to avoid showing the back of the sectional from this side of the room. The furniture placement in the “After” picture still works, however, because the main entrance, which is across the space near the staircase, has been left open. Keep in mind, if at all possible, to avoid placing the back of the sofa toward the main entrance. To see the full project, CLICK to go to THE 5-IN-1 HOUSE.
If the unavoidable happens, here’s what you do!
Provided there is space, transform the back of your sofa by adding a console, bookcase, or desk. This creates a two-sided effect. Now, both sides are inviting. Take a look at these three examples for inspiration.
Example 1 – Use a Console. CLICK to go to GRAND HAMPTON HOUSE.
2 – Use a Bookcase. CLICK to go to the POOL TABLE HOUSE.
3 – Use a Sofa Table. CLICK to go to THE BIRD HOUSE.
Happy Tweaking!
"12 Tips to Tweak Your Way to a Happy Space”