10 ways you’re arranging your furniture all wrong

Give your furniture a bit of breathing room and never push it all the way up against the walls.

Even leaving a few inches of space can make the room feel bigger.

According to The Budget Decorator blog, try placing pieces on the diagonal.

“Placing pieces on the diagonal carries your eye smoothly through the room, so not only does it look larger, it looks more interesting.”

Whether you’re just rearranging your living room or moving house, shifting furniture can be a big task. Here’s how to move heavy items like a pro so you don’t damage them, yourself or your home.

When setting up furniture, don’t forget about conversation areas.

Never position chairs and couches so they are facing away from each other.

Decorating Den Interiors, a design company, notes, “The last thing you want to do is shout across the room when trying to have a conversation, so arrange your seated furniture in a way that inspires opportunity for close, intimate chat.”

Maybe you need to declutter before you start moving your furniture around.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the bedroom or the living room, each room should have a focal point. Perhaps it’s the television, an over-sized piece of artwork or the fireplace.

“You don’t want to ignore the fireplace or something else that would architecturally be a natural main element in the room,” said Los Angeles–based celebrity designer Nicole Sassaman in US Women’s Day.

As the centre of a family home, the kitchen is in use on a daily basis and is often the focal point during a party. Here’s how to create your dream kitchen.

Yes, you can have too much furniture. In small spaces, such as bedrooms, start with what you must have and add more from there.

Using fewer pieces will make the room feel more spacious.

Instead of a wide dresser, try a taller dresser which will give you the same amount of storage but will take up less room.

Keen to make your own furniture? Take a look at these templates and handy tips for constructing these cool retro furniture projects.

“Another common mistake that most people tend to commit is putting all the furniture in one particular side or corner,” according to the Austin Furniture Repair blog.

When it comes to arranging furniture, don’t put all the big pieces on one side and small pieces on the other.

Spread it out a bit.

Got an heirloom piece that needs upgrading? Refresh damaged timber furniture with these simple techniques for cleaning surfaces and filling chips and dents.

Make sure the rug is the right size for the room.

Exposing some of the flooring around the rug’s edges is fine, but make sure some of the furniture can rest on the rug itself.

“Rugs typically look better when all the furniture is on them,” Sassaman told US Women’s Day.

Want to make your own rug? Give ordinary fabric a treatment borrowed from the early settlers to turn it into a statement floor covering.

“Don’t let your family members pass through a maze just to go from one room to the other,” noted the Austin Furniture Repair blog.

Always consider traffic flow when arranging your furniture.

People should be able to walk through the space without tripping over furniture or other people in the room.

There should be a couple of feet between chairs, tables and couches when you’re arranging your furniture.

Need to clean up befoore you even consider traffic flow? Here’s how to declutter your home.

If you enjoy putting your feet up or eating while watching television, make sure you place your furniture in a way that allows you to do so.

If you host game-watching parties, make sure people have a spot to put their drinks and plates.

If not, you can upcycle an old timber tabletop into a handy accessory for serving cocktails and canapes.

Natural light is important so be sure not to block windows with large pieces of furniture when arranging your furniture.

“Blocking the windows in a room with furniture severely limits the amount of light, which makes a room look small and cramped,” according to The Budget Decorator.

When it comes to coffee tables, go big! Coffee tables not only serve as part of the design, but they are functional.

“Go as big as you can,” Angelo Surmelis, a celebrity designer told Women’s Day.

“If you can’t go too big because you have a narrow living room, then go skinny but long.”

This article first appeared on The Family Handyman.