Interior Design and Furniture Placement
One of the starting points in any room design in Nashville is the furniture placement. It’s so important to reinforce architecture and promote conversation as well as make a visually balanced layout.
The first criteria to use in laying out the seating area is to get at least 6 adults seated comfortably. In my experience, most people entertain in couples of 3, so 6 adults is a good goal to strive for. It’s good to have enough seating already in the room eliminating the need to run for folding chairs or that odd desk chair from the kitchen. (You know you’ve done it.)
Another criteria in furniture placement: make sure the seating fosters conversation and intimacy. To that end, make sure people are no more than 6 feet away from another person. Studies have shown that people do not feel comfortable talking to someone farther than 6 feet away. One of my design tricks is to place small occasional chairs next to a sofa if you can’t fit a large club chair.
In large rooms, try to create 2 sitting areas. You don’t have to cluster everyone around the large fireplace. I’ve used the fireplace as a centerpiece and placed 2 separate sitting areas on either side. It’s well balanced and more intimate. You’ll find more and more people using that large great room if you create places for conversations to occur.
Don’t be afraid to put more furniture in a room than you think it will hold. In my experience, people don’t put enough furniture in a room to function well. Use the guidelines above to help create a room your friends and family will enjoy.