This room is relatively simple to plan
February 10, 2011
David Ferguson
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: My family and I have moved into a 1960s era split level. The living room, the main family space in the house, is causing us a little concern because we would like to be able to watch television and enjoy our fireplace at the same time, but several problems lie in the way of any layout we can come up with.
The problems include a heating and cooling vent on the floor in the centre of the alcove that restricts us from placing any furniture there.
Our furniture consist of a large sofa and chair, plus an additional chair and ottoman. We also have an older recliner that doesn’t necessarily have to be here.
The room also has two shelving units which are important for my large collection of books.
We plan to eventually replace all the furniture over the next year or so.
My children like to play in this room and I can keep an eye on them when I am working in the kitchen.
A : When embarking on any redecoration project, it is important to take a good, hard look at the space before you commit yourself to any expense of time or money.
The existing layout of your living room is not as complicated as you might think, regardless of the few obstacles that seem to present challenges.
The room has both good proportions and well-controlled traffic patterns and features many attractive design features, including a fireplace and a wall of large windows.
Most of the traffic flow in this room is restricted to one end and one long, clear wall provides a good location for ample, comfortable seating that gives a direct view to the fireplace and alcove.
My plan shows all of your existing upholstered pieces accommodated and still provides room for any extra pieces you may want to use here.
It’s never a great idea to place the television facing a window, but your small alcove seems almost ideally suited to creating a built-in cabinet for the television and other electronics, as well as the plenty of storage space that is usually required in family rooms.
Most of us are accustomed to placing seating pieces against walls, and without walls, we are often at a loss as to how to properly place furniture.
But as you can see from the plan that I have drawn, your living room can accommodate the pieces that you already own plus a few others that are on your wish list.
It’s important to keep in mind that air registers are relatively simple to re-route and can often be done by the average handy-person. Your local home supply store should be able to provide you with all the necessary pieces and the information to do the job yourself.
A built-in cabinet doesn’t have to be expensive and its design could be as simple as a base cabinet with several strong shelves above. It may be finished in a wood tone to match others on the room, or could be a more inexpensive laminate material.
Regardless of where the television is located, it is always a good idea to choose window treatments that will help to cut down glare. Lined curtains or horizontal blinds will virtually black-out an area, if necessary.
With the main seating in place, there remains abundant space for your children to play.
Where children are primary users of the space you really have two options in the quality of furniture you purchase.
First, you can choose to buy less expensive, expendable furniture that will last for only a few years, while the children are growing up. The upholstered pieces should be covered in patterned fabrics that easily hide stains and small tears. These pieces should be cheap enough that you really don’t mind when they are marred by finger paints and food stains.
But the notion of throw-away furniture seems impractical and it’s usually a much better idea to buy the best quality you can afford and pieces that will last for years.
Arguably, the most durable furniture is upholstered in leather, which will cost a bit more up front but will still be around when the last child is in college.
Machine-washable slip covers are a good and practical way to keep upholstery looking new for years, too. Many furniture dealers will offer slip covers as an option when you’re buying new furniture.
Depending on your budget, for wood pieces you could consider higher quality end and coffee tables that can be refinished when their surfaces eventually become marred and scratched.
Furniture pieces that are finished in plastic laminates, however ,will stand up to all sorts of scrapes and staining.
David Ferguson is a regular contributor to CBC Radio’s Ontario Today. Write to David at: ferguson@creativespaceonline.com