Mar 10

Mar 10 Arranging with style

Known for its modern aesthetic and drawing inspiration from mid-century style, West Elm offers affordable furniture and accessories that blend classic silhouettes with modern materials and rich textures.

The West Elm range of furniture and homewares is now available for the first time in New Zealand, exclusively at Ballantynes Christchurch and Timaru. With a comprehensive range of both home furnishings and furniture, Ballantynes is your destination for design and home styling. Here we share a few top tips from the experienced Ballantynes team for making the most of your spaces.

Arranging furniture is one of the essential elements in decorating, but it can also be one of the most perplexing, especially if you are dealing with a challenging room. The two main goals are to set up the room so that it works well for everything you want to do there and enhance the desirable elements of the room (while minimising the shortcomings).

Key questions
To ask yourself when arranging a room:

Who uses this room? Consider everyone who lives in the home. Create a comfy seating group that’s big enough for all of you, whether that’s a sectional sofa, two loveseats or just four comfy chairs gathered around a coffee table.
What do you like best about the room? Is it a leafy view through the windows, the cosy fireplace in winter, or a handsome set of bookshelves? You will want to arrange your seating around this focal point—if not facing it directly, then at least keeping it in view.
How do you walk through the room? Is there a clear path to get from one door to the other? Is it easy to enter and leave the seating group?
What do you use this room for? If it’s watching TV, you’ll want everyone to have a comfortable viewing spot. If you entertain here, you’ll want a seating group for conversation, and tables within reach to put down a drink. If you like to play games, or you work in this space, see if you can fit a desk or small table and chairs at one end.