Rearrangement Of Furniture

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 2

Rearrangement Of Furniture

Furniture arrangements eac mean the difference between a room that is welcoming and a room that is either stiff and uninviting or simply cluttered and uncomfortable. In every family home, space should always be preserved and used to advantage. This is the first and most important aspect to consider when placing or rearranging your furniture. “Have your couch moved across the room away from rantrance trafflc.” says an American home-planning expert. "This provides a more cosy seating arrangement.” If the couch is near a window—even better. It] should also have a low table near it, to hold * tea-tray, glasses, ashtray and magazines when needed. A wise housekeeper will keep this table clear. It is a dangerous place for ornaments as today’s skirts are just short enough to catch any breakables set on it. MatcUnf Pieces Furniture in many homes consists of pieces collected over the years. But there may be one or two pieces serving a useful purpose although they do not quite fit the scheme. The answer here is to paint them either to match the woodwork or to contrast with it and blend with the fabric colourings. Old-fashioned bedrooms often had very small windows. These can be made to look larger with imitation shutters of painted wood on the inside or with drawcurtains which, when open, pull right back from the panes and hang down the wall on either side. In the United States the current fashion colour for interior decorating is white and in a dark room, is most effective. To separate a pleasant dining alcove from the working area of the kitchen, folding screens can be used to great advantage. Their old chintz curtains can be easily removed and replaced with painted or wallpapered plywood and they will make an interesting and colourful division. These screens occupy hardly any apace when folded away against the wall. Divisions ear. be made also by the furniture itself, but this must be deme very carefully. It is true that a couch drawn across to the middle

of the room to face the window and a group of chairs, will make an effective division. But the back of a couch facing an entrance has an unsociable appearance. Try moving it away from the wall at one end so that it only suggests a division. Then you can still sit with your back to the uncleared table after dinner if you want to. In every room in the house it should be possible to move from the entrance to all main points without having to make detours round unnecessary pieces of furniture. In small rooms, all the furniture should be kept back firmly against the wall. Pictured aba help to “make or break” a pleasant room plan. A pale print can be altogether lost on a light wall and one too small set in a large area of empty wail-apace looks ridiculous. Keep the paler pictures for the protruding parts of the wall such as chimney pieces, and dramatise a light wall with a bolder print. Only by experimenting can you make a room or house suit you, your family and your taste, but by continually working to achieve the most space and comfort, you will not go wrong.