cool mural in NOPA

It’s June and my room arrangement business is really taking off. That’s part of the reason I’ve been absent from this space lately. Having been unemployed since 2011, getting back on my feet has been a challenge. I’ve been seduced by the idea of one day becoming a screenwriter and though I refuse to give up that dream, for the present, it isn’t paying the bills. So I thought I would become a web copywriter and spent many hours reading various books by experts on how to find my niche, create a brand, write an ebook, update a company’s website, write my own website none of which, paid any of my bills either. Only my profile on Thumbtack.com has netted me any paying gigs so now I’m embracing my calling as a room arrangement specialist and relating my experiences, tips and advice to you, my loyal, interested and curious reader.

The beautiful bay

Yesterday I took the ferry to Corte Madera to consult on an office arrangement for a great start-up. I’ll post pics if I get the job and my client agrees to let me share my experience with you.

For now, I’ve been busy updating a living room for a family in NOPA, north of the pan handle.

Their current arrangement consists of a number of quality pieces of furniture that were purchased individually and passed down from parents. So that they are all unique and separate in size, material and style. My client wanted me to create a living room that was inviting for her guests.

Making this room intimate and inviting is the design challenge.

The shape of her common area, kitchen/dining room/living room is a long rectangle punctuated with two large bay windows and a raised block in one corner that accommodates an unseen stairwell underneath. The challenge was to create a living room that enticed people away from the dining room into a more intimate and comfortable living room without focusing everyone’s attention to the television which stand on the block in the corner.

Retro chrome record cabinet.

Chinese wooden bar

Wood and metal shelves

Chinese style wooden stereo cabinet

Creating harmony with these different and uniquely interesting furniture pieces was also a challenge. I took a lot of pictures of my client’s home and the more I studied them, the more I realized their commonality and the more I understood how these seemingly disparate pieces actually fit together.  I drew up three different floor plans for my clients.

Plan A

Plan A shows my clients furniture arranged next to the bay window. Allowing the focus to be on the guests but also easy visual access to the television.

Plan B has the furniture at an angle that invites diners to explore the new perspective while also accommodating visual access to the TV.

Plan B

Plan C

Plan C includes a new chaise into the arrangement. Also at an angle, the chaise is immediately interesting creating an invitation to move away from the dining room and into the living room. Again, the focus is away from the TV yet allows access to it.

My clients decided to go with Plan A with the possibility of rearranging the room again in the future incorporating the angled furniture design.

I will take finished pics next week when I return to review the results.

It’s nice to be back as your design detective,

Karen