Sitting rooms comes in all shapes and sizes: a chair by a window for one person’s escape, or an entire formal living room set up for cozy conversation. Typically, there is no TV in this space. Too often, however, it’s a space that is never used because it hasn’t been properly set up.
For instance, the chair is in a living room off the noisy family room. The chair faces a wall, or the foyer. Sometimes the piano is also in this space. Or a desk and clutter. It ends up being a half-baked vision, an incomplete project, an unrealized dream.
A formal living room starts off as a sitting room, and then it’s never used. We might use it during Christmas, when the tree is up and we gather with hot cocoa or a cocktail to enjoy it. Eventually, the furniture becomes dated, but we can’t justify redecorating the room with new furniture that will also never be used. It becomes a first-impression room for those entering our home: tidy, undisturbed, calm.
I love to walk into a ranch with the formal living and dining rooms in the front, the kitchen and hearth room in the back. The front room is usually large, with a sofa on the only wall facing the window. There might be two chairs or love seat at the window, and the room is walked by dozens of times a week, not stepped into. I love this layout, because I know I’m about to surprise the homeowners with a cool new furniture arrangement that will totally transform this space.
Because the purpose of a sitting room is to sit and converse, the seating arrangement is important. If the seating is too far apart, people will either be sitting on the floor, or not gravitating to the room at all. It’s essential that the seating be positioned close together, facing each other when possible.
Because I love to take advantage of a window, my favorite thing is to flank a window with the sofa and love seat or a pair of chairs. People are then facing each other, close together for easy conversation, enjoying the view. All can share a coffee table, eliminating the need for many side tables. A sofa table can hold a lamp and a plant.
The single large wall opposite the window is now free to hold many interesting pieces: bookcase filled with books, liquor, glasses, small stereo speakers and family photos; piano; a buffet with a liquor set-up or grouping of family photos in matching frames. I flank the piece of furniture with dining room chairs that can be pulled up when needed for more guest seating, or for when the dining room table is expanded.
Sometimes a formal living room is smaller. Instead of facing the foyer or a wall, turn the chair to face the window. If you want to facilitate conversation, turn two chairs to face each other, with a shared ottoman. To see a photo of this, take a look at my post for Favorite Master Sitting Area Makeover.*
Would you enjoy your very own mini-episode of HGTV’s Love It or List It? We tour your current home to see how to define and execute the vision you want for your home. Don’t wait, call now to set up your appointment. Your dream home could be just two hours away!
*You might also like: Favorite Master Sitting Area Makeover
Copyright © 2022 by Cynthia Gentry Black, Home Staging by Cynthia, LLC in Kansas City.
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