How To Create A Comfortable Room

When do-it-yourself home decorators start their projects they think of fabrics and paint colors, furniture and flooring, texture and lighting. They head to a home decorating store and look at carpet samples, compare flooring prices, study the specs on faucets, and borrow wallpaper sample books.

Very rarely do do-it-yourself decorators take the time to sit down with graph paper and map out a room for comfort. Chair placement is often decided by the aesthetic quality or balance. Almost never do home decorators determine how to place furniture before they take the time to lay out a room.

That is why there are bedrooms that contain chairs, which will never be used. Poor furniture placement in the living room forces people to turn their heads to talk, lean uncomfortably when placing coffee cups on tables, raise their voices when speaking, and twist uncomfortably in furniture.

It is not that difficult to create a comfortable room. The first step is to create a focal point. This point should be some place that draws the eyes. It can be a bookshelf, piano, mantle, or a table with a vase of flowers. However, do not become too enamored with the focal points in...