Here at Early Settler, we love hearing from you. You’ve asked a number of interior design questions and Donna Gilligan, our National Visual Merchandising Manager, has shared her expertise on these tricky dilemmas below. From weirdly shaped rooms to pairing sofas and chairs, Donna’s got some savvy styling solutions for getting your home looking its best.
“How do you decide what size furniture will best fit awkwardly-shaped rooms, such as a lounge room?” — @kellyg92
Begin by working out the following elements in your room: function, needs, space and style. Consider what function the room needs to serve. If it is the television room, then the sofa must be configured so that it is facing the television. Take into account where the electrical points are and how many people you’ll need to comfortably seat at one time.
Next, start taking careful measurements of the dimensions of the room, taking into account where you intend to position the sofa and television unit, as well as other elements like coffee tables, side tables and armchairs. If you have no idea how you would like to set out your furniture — which is often the case in awkward spaces — you could use a furniture layout app like MagicPlan or the old-school trick of cutting out paper ‘patterns’ to relative scale to set out on your dining table and move around easily until you find the configuration you like.
You may even find the perfect configuration that you hadn’t even considered, or discover surprising elements you hadn’t thought of — such as using a round coffee table to make it easier to walk around with no sharp corners.
Once you’ve decided on your sizes, layout and furniture requirements, the fun begins. You have a much better idea of what you’re looking for when you scroll online or browse in-store. When you find the pieces that tick the right boxes, get ready to start decorating!
Hopefully Donna was able to help you work out to furnish your awkward shaped room. We’ve got more great solutions for styling your home and outdoor entertaining area in-store and online. And don’t miss our guide to creating the sleek modern minimalist look — it’s the height of sophistication.
Do you have any style queries? Comment below and we’ll get our experts onto it!