HELP!!! I have a long living room that isn't very wide and I don't know what to do? Where do I put my sofa? Where do I put the TV? I don't have enough furniture for three conversation settings so I was wondering if there was another way to make a long room look cozy without having to use a lot of furniture (that I don't have). I'd like to be able to use it for our family room but still make it nice enough that it will work for company. Is that possible? Just let me know. Sincerely yours, Perpetually Perplexed
Dear Perpetually Perplexed,
Perpetually: "lasting for a long time, constant"
Perplexed: "uncertain, doubtful, confused"
Dilemma: "any situation requiring a choice between unpleasant alternatives"
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, you have a DESIGN DILEMMA!!! But, take heart. There really is a solution to your dilemma and it is not at all unpleasant!
First of all, any room can be made into a cozy space by simply paying attention to the details in every aspect of good design. Color, fabric, furniture, balance, proportion and accessories, if properly applied, can turn your long, narrow room into a cozy and inviting enviornment for both your family and guests.
As I always suggest to my clients, you should select a color palette consisting of three colors that make you feel good. For the ambiance you are seeking, the shades of red, green & yellow are colors that will envelop you in warmth. Perhaps, coral, moss green and golden yellow is your color palette. These colors would be used for the wall paint, furniture, upholstery, window treatments, pillows and accessories.
Fabric selection is an enjoyable task. When beginning to choose fabric for upholstery, window treatments and pillows it is best to select a main fabric first and then build your other fabrics around it. The main fabric should usually have all three of your colors in the pattern, which then allows you to select complementary fabrics. A floral fabric,comprised of your color palette as the main fabric, would look especially nice on a sofa. Chairs, pillows and window treatments could then be done in plaids, stripes, solids, foulards, mini prints, etc. in various textures. Your favorite pattern styles, of course, would be those with which you are most comfortable.
A room does not have to be filled with furniture to make it cozy. It is the design, proportion, function and comfort of the furniture that is most important. Always select seating that is extremely comfortable and well made. These are the pieces that may cost more, but the ones that will be in constant use. Your favorite chair or sofa should be one in which you can snuggle up to watch T.V. or read a favorite book or magazine.
If you have a T.V. in your room, the main seating arrangement will obviously have to face the T.V. In a long and narrow room like yours, this can be accomplished by placing the sofa against the opposite wall from the T.V. with a comfortable club chair placed, at an angle, on both sides of the sofa. A small tray coffee table could be placed in front of the sofa, with end tables and lamps next to the sofa.
A long room allows you to have a second seating arrangement at the other end of the room. Here it may be nice to place a small loveseat in the center of the room facing a window. This instantly breaks up the "bowling alley" view of a long room. Centered in front of the window you could use a small chest flanked by two pull up chairs with upholstered seats. A nice lamp on the chest will give you light for reading. This area also gives you another conversation space when entertaining.
Just as fabric patterns need to be in good proportion with one another, so does furniture. Pieces that are too large or too small for a room stand out like a sore thumb. Always keep the furniture pieces in good proportion to one another. Mixing wood species and stain colors on casegoods is the best way to accomplish a cozy feeling. Just remember that extremes in light and dark tones can be a fiasco. The colors must look good together and add balance to the room. The same goes for a mixture of antique, traditional and contemporary pieces. Contemporary art in a traditional room can add excitement as long as it makes sense.
I hope you have now realized that your DESIGN DILEMMA is really not a dilemma at all! It is simply a challenge to be overcome. If you are still not comfortable, you might consider consulting a professional interior designer to help you with your decisions. He or she has the experience to turn your dilemma into a joyful undertaking.
Good luck Perpetually Perplexed!
Tom Manche - A.S.I.D.- Allied Member
Tom Manche Interiors
