Zoning
& Traffic
First draw a scaled plan of your
living room and define various areas and draw the main traffic
routes. Try this method several times until you arrive at the
best solution.
Now draw the secondary traffic routes, such as from door to TV
door to seating area, door to serving place etc. Now check whether
your arrangement looks ok. If your telephone is placed next to
the TV, change it. Try again.
Main Sitting Area
The main sitting area is the core of the living room, which is
generally used to entertain your guests. First think about this
area. This area should dominate the room and it should have access
direct from the entrance. Through-traffic should not interrupt
it. Be aware about the form of chairs you are using, as they would
affect the space.
If the room is to be shared at various times by grown-ups and
children, try to arrange the grown ups in one part and the children's
in another. Try to keep the floors clear as possible, as children
need a lot of room to play.
Study Area
If you need a quieter area for studying, place it in such a manner
so that it would cut out distractions. Maybe you can place the
core activity at an end of the room while the study area at the
other. A study area needs a good amount of light, both natural
and artificial, preferably from the left of a right handed person.
Your bookshelves and reference storage must be closer to hand
and this area could be the best place for the telephone.
Dining
If you have a Dining area opening into the living room you could
use a good part of the dining area for the activities of the living
room during non-meal times. Workout how food could be served from
the kitchen. Is the table in the right relationship to latch or
the door. What about dinner parties? Will you need a serving table
or a side board? In each case both design and positioning will
have to be carefully thought out.
Once you have established the furniture layout, think whether
you need to remove a door or a window, as removing such a fenestration
may drastically contribute to the spaciousness of the room.
After all, if you feel that your living room is tight, you may
have to remove a non-structural wall. For example, if there is
a partition wall between the living room and the study area, you
can expand your living room further by removing the said partition
wall. The removed partition wall may be replaced by a screen,
a sliding or a folding door or by a glass curtain.
