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Create Functional Living Spaces Not Just Rooms

Creating a space that is multi-functional as well as interesting can be easily achieved by dividing the space into several smaller vignettes. The living or family rooms are usually the rooms where maximum usage is most desirable.

With an abundance of larger homes on the market, creating a space that feels warm and inviting can pose a challenge. As in the case of many urban dwellers space can be a costly luxury. Both of these dilemmas can be easily resolved by utilizing the space to create smaller rooms within a room.

If you have more furniture than you know what to do with, the good news is that your furnishings become more purposeful when used in a specific location. This can also elevate visual clutter which is often the result when pieces are loosely placed in a room.

Create a place for conversation or entertaining. A place where you would entertain or family gatherings would take place. By arranging the seating in a way that induce conversation you are also eliminating the need to shout. When your guest are at the edge of their seat and it's not because someone's telling a great story, its time to tighten up the seating arrangement.

How do you do that? Here are a few examples:

1.  A nice comfy chair next to an occasional table with a reading lamp makes a nice place to read a book or have a cup of tea.

2.  A writing desk and chair for letter writing or paying bills.

3.  An accent table flanked by two chairs for more intimate conversations.

4.  Chaise lounges are ideal for an afternoon napping.

5.  For entertainment game tables are always a great addition.

Another way to define specific areas of the room is to use the furnishings themselves:  Such as the backs of sofas or sofa tables define spaces.

• Arrange groups of seating away from each other to create separate spaces.

• The use of rugs is one of the best ways to create a wall less room.

• Screens or draperies act as a more dramatic partition.

• Free standing open shelving can give the space a very contemporary stylized look.

• And of course space itself can help to define two separate areas.

• Creating a path or flow of traffic will create an invisible barrier.

Empty out a room and think of it as a blank canvas. See what interesting rooms within a room you can come up with. Just keep in mind it may take several tries before you achieve what you want. Have fun with it - it's only decorating!