Finding another way

I think I say this a lot:

There is ALWAYS more than one option.

I will admit that every once in a while when walking into a project, I fear that I won't know what to do.  A master suite that I just started working on (for these guys) falls in to this category.   It is HUGE and sort of awkward, long and narrow with various appendages, including a big closet, a bathroom, and a little niche with a fireplace.  More than anything, it was clear that this space--an addition to the house--had been designed with a pretty clear layout in mind.

The window placement on the long wall felt like it dictated the bed placement.  (And yes, both the client and the previous owners had the bed there.)  There were various options about what to do in the zones created by dividing the room this way, but the bed felt like a given.

Except!  There is ALWAYS more than one option.  (Okay, for you sticklers out there, with very few exceptions.)

By placing the (king sized) bed on the wall in front of the bank of windows, the layout actually completely opens up and allows us to float a seating area in the middle of the room.  The dresser on the wall is close to the closet (logical), but can also serve as a media console as needed, with a TV mounted above.  We then designated the little niche for family game night, with a small table, 4 chairs, and some built in storage on the wall.

Before, the large space felt pretty purposeless.  Now, the room will have three distinct zones and functions.  My client kept coming back to this one, saying "ooh, it feels like an upscale hotel suite,"

Exactly.

And for the record, that fear that I won't know what to do has not yet been fulfilled.  In fact, solving these problems is a huge part of the fun of my job.

But still: Knock wood.

Oh, and I will show you three initial design directions for this space tomorrow.

Reader Design dilemma: Living room with no solid walls

Many older homes were built for a different kind of lifestyle--and different scale furniture--than we have today. One of the biggest challenge I encounter is how to make these spaces work for life as we know it.

Steph wrote to me with a major space plan dilemma:

What do you do with a room only 10 feet wide, with an entry door, a staircase, a big fireplace, and two large arched entryways defining its walls?  Both the dining room (above) and the den (below) open off this space, but right now this is a lot of wasted square footage, and a very awkward set up with the TV across the room and at an odd angle to the couch.

From the living room and family room, Steph and her family need:

- a conversation area
- toy storage and playspace for two kids
- a place to watch TV

Let's tackle the conversation area first.

With no solid walls, the only choice in the living room is to float an arrangement in the middle of the room, and the 10 foot width of the room limits choices to chairs or loveseats.  An arrangement of four chairs around a coffee table is one possibility, though I think I would go for a facing arrangement.

Options 1: A pair of 60" loveseats, like we did in this home of a similar vintage, in New Jersey.  Armless loveseats, like the one below, are particularly useful for keeping things open.


Design by Lonny, in Lonny

Option 2: A loveseat and a pair of small scale chairs.  I like the use of these shell chairs here: they don't take up a lot of visual weight, and they are literally light, making them easy to move around the room.


Paul Caddell, Lonny Mag

Options 3: A loveseat and a daybed.  Daybeds are great for a conversation area (less so for watching TV), and make a wonderful play surface for the kiddos.  And again, the armless/backless scenario means that it won't stop the eye, making the space look bigger.


Jarlath Mellett in Lonny

Or, surprise option number 4, a loveseat and a pair of upholstered ottomans or benches.


Celerie Kemble, Lonny

In any of these scenarios, go for an 8 x 10 rug to define the seating area, and a couple of small and lightweight occasional tables that can be moved wherever they are needed most.

Now let's kill two birds with one stone.
Moving the TV from the corner by the fireplace into the family room both opens up ample space for kid storage (shelves or closed baskets), and takes the TV watching out of the mail living space, tucking it into a cozier corner.

In the family room, I would swap out that couch for one just a few inches shorter, to keep it contained in one room, and mount the TV on the wall where the tall bookcase is.

In the fireplace corner, I would move those tall shelves from the family room, and tuck a small round table in front of it for drawing.

Bonus space
Believe it or not, there is still space for a little sumpin sumpin in front of the radiator at the far end of the living room.  Depending on need, this could be a slim desk with tuck-under stools, a chair in the corner for a reading nook, or a buffet for the adjoining dining room.  Whatever the case, I would hang floor length curtains to soften the window and bring height to that end of the room.

So, what do you think?  Can you see it?  How would you tackle a space like this?

pssst.  Have a design dilemma?  Email me at heather@heatherpetersondesign.com.  Let's talk.

Seating in the Round

So often we think of a living room layout as grounded by a sofa, paired with assorted chairs.

I've been seeing a lot of this seating arrangement lately with four chairs in the round.  This makes for such a cozy little conversation area, and can work in all design styles.

What do you think--do you like the look?  Would it work for your lifestyle?

Peter Dunham for Steve Tisch

Country Living

via Color Outside the Lines

Source: architecturaldigest.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: housebeautiful.com via Heather on Pinterest

A couple more variations rounded up over on my pinterest!

Space Planning

I'm just wrapping up a long-distance project with a client in New Jersey, and I thought I would share a few of the challenges of the project with you.  (Or as we used to say in my life as an Arts Administrator, "opportunities").

The big issue: this living room is twice as long as it is wide, literally 12 x 25.  To add to the intrigue, there is a 5-foot-wide entrance on one side (where those circles are indicating the columns), which is OFF CENTER from everything.  The opposiet wall has a centered fireplace, flanked by exposed TALL radiators, flanked by a pair of double french doors.  See all the opportunities?  Because the husband is a gamer, the TV was an important component of the layout, and without mounting the TV above the frieplace ( a look I hate anyway), it wasn't possible to center a seating arrangement on the fireplace.

I gave them three options:

Option one offers a little sitting area when you enter the room, with a pair of comfy chairs, a side table fro drinks, a pair of wall sconces for light, and a tall bookcase.  The TV area has a pair of small-scale loveseats with low arms and a pair of X-benches in front of the french doors, to offer seating while leaving the unused doors at least visually open.  A pretty, leggy desk backs the loveseat in the center, and the chair at the desk can be positioned to be a part of either seating area.

Option 2 puts a long built in bench along the wall where the pair of chairs was, with storage underneath and upholstered cushions on top.  A round library table and two upholstered dining chairs complete the area.  The room is divided by a wide low daybed to keep the feeling open, and a full size couch  ground the far end of the room.  Fewer, bigger pieces fill the space.

Option 3 expands the TV area to take up 2/3 of the room, using a full size couch and a pair of armchairs, with a coffee table and ottoman breaking up the large rug.  An additional occasional chair could sit in front of the french doors.  The second area is a pretty office space, with a big desk, upholstered chair, and tall bookcase, with a tree in the corner to bring the outside in.

I know floor plans aren't super sexy, but nailing the space planning was such a huge part of this job, I thought I'd throw it out there to the world.

I'm curious:  what would you have done?  Would one of these layouts work for you?  I'll tell you what they picked, and share design boards, tomorrow.