Trying to furnish a new space? Struggling to inject style into your home with your furniture layout? It\u2019s easy when you know how.<\/p>\n
\n The key to creating a furniture arrangement in your living space is to get all the puzzle pieces working together. For the modern home, where open-plan living
\n is often the norm, it\u2019s about creating considered shared spaces that offer connection \u2013 and separation.\n <\/p>\n
Resist the temptation to buy everything new. A home should tell the story of its inhabitants and include a variety of pieces collected over the years. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to design living zones with functionality and a welcoming sense of style at their core.<\/p>\n
Sculptural brass pendants glow above the table, framed by mountain views. Photo \/ Vaughan Brookfield<\/p>\n
Kitchen<\/p>\n
When building or renovating, consider your furniture plan at the design phase, says interior designer Emma Morris, of Eternodesign.<\/p>\n
\u201cA room that\u2019s too large or small may be difficult to style,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
The kitchen is the heart of your home and acts as an anchor in your living area.<\/p>\n
A kitchen island with comfy bar stools provides a space for people to gather for breakfast, casual meals or for evening entertaining.<\/p>\n
To create a functional, flowing space between the kitchen and dining area, position your dining table within easy access of your food prep zone. <\/p>\n
Define each space in the open-plan layout with a feature, such as a wall of striking cabinetry in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Hand-hammered brass pendants make a statement above the kitchen island bench. Photo \/ Vaughan Brookfield<\/p>\n
Dining<\/p>\n
If you have a view, make the most of it. Mealtimes will be more enjoyable if there is something attractive to look at while sitting at the table. <\/p>\n
Put your individual stamp on your interior with a pair of pendant lights carefully positioned over the table.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll bring drama to the decor and act as a beacon, drawing people to the dining area.<\/p>\n
A pair of brass pendant lights draws the eye over the dining table setting. Photo \/ Vaughan Brookfield<\/p>\n
Living<\/p>\n
This part of your open-plan area has to perform multiple functions \u2013 as a communal space for conversations with family and friends, and as a place for watching television, or alone time with a book. <\/p>\n
Invest in a rug \u2013 this will help define the space and bring warmth and comfort to your home.<\/p>\n
Have a primary seating area \u2013 either a traditional sofa, a gently curving couch, or an L-shaped sectional, a popular type of couch made of two connected sections that meet at a 90-degree angle.<\/p>\n
If you have the space, you could have a separate media room with a seating area dedicated to movie watching.<\/p>\n
A rug and L-shaped sofa anchor the living area, framed by sweeping lake views. Photo \/ Vaughan Brookfield<\/p>\n
Extras<\/p>\n
Introduce a tactile element to your sofa with cushions, and increase the seating options by adding a couple of armchairs in tones similar to the rest of the room. <\/p>\n
Enhance the comfort factor with a soft, luxurious throw, a sheepskin beanbag or pouffe.<\/p>\n
Finish this relaxed seating area with a coffee table at the centre, and a set of tiered tables or side tables for essentials such as TV remotes and a good book.<\/p>\n
Dark cabinetry and a sheepskin throw add texture to the open-plan living zone. Photo \/ Vaughan Brookfield
<\/p>\n
More interiors inspiration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trying to furnish a new space? Struggling to inject style into your home with your furniture layout? It\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":592320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[95,22509,291831,22503,17438,156,129550,6803,1345,221,6044,265494,296,302,11113,6036,152613,4188,111,139,69,146453,392,666,2791,61,28355,1316,102,1959],"class_list":["post-592319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-and","tag-areas","tag-arrange","tag-dining","tag-easy","tag-entertainment","tag-furnish","tag-furniture","tag-home","tag-how","tag-ideas","tag-inject","tag-into","tag-its","tag-kitchen","tag-know","tag-layout","tag-living","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-openplan","tag-space","tag-struggling","tag-style","tag-to","tag-trying","tag-when","tag-with","tag-your"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}