Happy Wednesday - let's play a game!
Picture walking into someone's living room and thinking "Hmm, something feels weird here, but I can't put my finger on it..."
The furniture is nice. The colours are pretty. But somehow you feel like you're sitting in a doctor's waiting room instead of a cozy home.
I'm willing to bet I know exactly what's wrong!
All the furniture is smushed against the walls, isn't it?
I used to do this ALL the time! Especially in our tiny 880-square-foot garage situation.
I thought pushing everything against the walls would give us more floor space to move around. Instead? Sean and I ended up sitting on opposite sides of the room literally SHOUTING conversations at each other like we were in some kind of gymnasium! 😅
It was so awkward and felt anything but cozy.
Then I discovered the Triangle Furniture Formula, and everything changed!
Here's the super simple trick:
Instead of lining your furniture up like little soldiers against the walls, arrange your seating in triangle shapes with each seat no more than 8 feet from the others. I drew a diagram to show you what I mean (and how you can have a couple triangles working together if you have a larger space):
What I did in our garage (and it was like magic!):
- Pulled our couch about 18 inches away from the wall
- Angled our two small chairs to make a triangle with the loveseat
- Plopped a little coffee table right in the center
- Used our favorite area rug to "anchor" the whole grouping together
The transformation happened instantly: ✓ Our tiny space suddenly felt super intimate instead of awkward ✓ Conversations became natural and cozy (no more shouting!) ✓ The room actually looked BIGGER because everything felt intentional ✓ People could walk around our seating area instead of through it
Your fun experiment this week: Pick one room and give the Triangle Formula a try!
Pull your furniture away from those walls and angle pieces toward each other. Even if you can only scoot things 18 inches, I promise you'll feel the difference right away.
Want to learn how to make your living room feel even cozier? Today's blog post is all about making small spaces feel amazing, and I'm sharing even more sneaky little tips that I use to make living rooms feel welcoming and beautiful:
This Triangle Formula totally transformed our 880 square feet, and now it's one of my go-to systems for every single room I design.
More garage-tested decorating secrets coming your way soon!
Christina
@cozydiyhome