IS YOUR HOME MADE TO BE LIVED IN?

The Importance Of Conversation Areas In The Home

My signature brand of interior design is “sophisticated living”. One of the reasons I am known for this is because I design with conversational areas at the forefront of my mind. To have a truly comfortable home, it is important to have spaces where you can pull your family together to chat, watch tv, or sit and pour a drink for a friend who dropped by.

The first question you may ask yourself is: are there comfortable places in your home to sit? For inviting rooms, seating arrangements and traffic flow must be carefully thought out. This is why I start off every project with a detailed floor plan and furniture layout.

Another question to ask is: are there easy transitions from one room to another? To achieve that result, a good interior designer has a focal point in each room. This could be a piece of art, a mirror, a fireplace, or even a sculpture - anything that draws the eye. Then, when you go from one room to the next there is a focal point that draws your eye into the comfort of that room. Focal points are also great conversational pieces in a well-designed home.

Having proper scale is essential to make a room feel welcoming. For example, many people choose pieces of art that are too small to go above their sofa. Simply bringing this into balance makes a world of a difference. Scale is the most important - and often overlooked - element of interior design. You’d be amazed by the results in the way your home feels.

Coffee table placement is also important in achieving sophisticated livability. I make my coffee tables 15 to 18 inches away from the sofa, as I’ve found this to be the perfect distance to set down a glass.

Many people think that they have to sacrifice elements of comfort in order to have the aesthetic result that they want, but nothing could be more untrue. The best homes are both beautiful AND comfortable, because they were designed with the person in mind.