Furniture Arranging Tips: Learning to Decorate Your Home Using a Focal Point

Arranging your furniture so that your rooms are comfortable, functional and beautiful is often a trade-off where function and beauty are sacrificed for comfort, or the other way around.

Achieving all three is an art and, like all arts, requires a little professional instruction and a little practice. Luckily, many shops specializing in home décor and accents offer free workshops and seminars in furniture arranging. These evening and weekend "classes" are well worth the investment of 1 to 2 hours of your time if you are serious about improving the look of your home without hiring a professional decorator.

Workshops frequently teach techniques for arranging furniture so that rooms fulfill their functions while presenting an attractive focal point that shows off the space to its best advantage and captures the attention of guests while still being both useful and comfortable.

Experts in the art of furniture arranging and home décor tell us that there are three considerations in furniture arranging: scale, traffic patterns, and use.

The scale of furniture is simply its size and appearance. Is it delicate or heavy? Tall or broad? Are the legs on pieces "heavy" or "delicate"? Does the piece block the light like some bookcases or leave open spaces like modern étagères? Does the scale of the furniture fit within the scale of the room? Does it make the room and the surrounding furnishings seem small and out of place or just right? Room arrangements can make even dissimilar styles and scales of furniture complement each other if done correctly.

Considering traffic patterns is essential if homeowners and their guests are to be comfortable in rooms. No one wants to have to walk around furniture or through narrow spaces between furniture to get from one room to another. The placement of coffee tables, large potted plants and couches can make all the difference in whether a room allows traffic to flow easily or whether it sets up an obstacle course.

A room's function is what it was meant for. If it's a TV room or family recreation room, are there enough comfortable seats and places to stretch out? Can the TV be seen from them? Are there conversation areas or tables for activities?

Another important concept taught in home decorating seminars is that of creating a focal point in every room. Focal points are the place or item in a room that draws the eye, capturing the immediate attention of anyone entering.

Focal points are also a welcoming device, something soothing or dramatic that sets the tone for a room. A focal point can be a fireplace, a china cabinet or a large work of art as well as the old standard, the TV.

Rooms need to be pleasingto the eye and inviting. They also need to announce their function. Focal points often do this as well as create a general feeling of comfort or excitement or grandeur. Other décor in a room, as well as the placement of the furniture, can "play off" the focal point by repeating its colors, style, or texture. Still other elements in the room can be selected to contrast with the focal point. Most experts agree that the decision to be creative with your home decor, coupled with a little advice, can help most homeowners transform their rooms from "plain and boring" to "creative and dynamic." All it takes is a few hours spent in a home décor workshop and the willingness to try out the techniques.