In order to make a large room feel intimate, it helps to create zones. The living room in our new condo is quite large, so we decided to create several seating areas that, while independent, could all come together for a large gathering.
As you can see by my photos, the main living zone houses two loveseats (one his and one hers). We went with loveseats rather than a sofa and love to create visual balance in the room. Also, we are of short stature so a long sofa wasn't really necessary. We vertically challenged can stretch out just fine in our independent loveseats.
Dave went with a contemporary loveseat with clean lines and masculine design, while I opted to keep the shabby-chic French-provincial-styled loveseat I bought at Wicker World a few years ago. I absolutely love it and the juxtaposition of the two styles works well. The artwork was chosen to co-ordinate with each loveseat.
We currently have a small wicker coffee table in this area, but I am going to order a large, round leather-look ottoman to use as a coffee table (and additional seating) in the near future. That's the thing about decorating; sometimes you have to be patient until it all comes together. I just haven't had the time to buy the ottoman as we've been busy with our new condo and selling our former home. Patience is a virtue, but sometimes it's a hard one. Who knows, maybe something unique will find its way to me for use as a coffee table. I'll keep you posted.
Zone 2
We've had the two captain's chairs in the second photo for decades. We bought them years ago at a garage sale for $5 each and had them reupholstered in a navy faux leather. They've hardly been used over the years, so they are well worth keeping for our new space. I found an awesome accent table in the same design as the chairs on Kijiji for $40, which works perfectly in this secondary seating area. This zone is a great place to sit in the sun and read a book or have tea for two.
Zone 3
The third zone boasts our accent chair in lovely turquoise brocade, which I've always loved. It complements the turquoise dining chairs I wrote about previously, that I painted with chalk-based paint. I found another great accent table on Kijiji that is in keeping with the style of the chair and topped off the vignette with the globe lamp I made. This zone is our telephone station and is a cozy spot to sit and chat for hours.
Zone 4
In the last zone, we placed an antique secretary's desk made of quarter-cut oak where one could write a letter or pay bills. The lovely print hanging above it was a house-warming gift from a family member and is a great size for this particular scenario. As an aside, we found the wicker chair sitting to the left at a thrift store for $5.00. It was all ready painted in the turquoise paint that matches the dining chairs. What a great find. It's of a different style but co-ordinates perfectly and offers additional seating for larger dinners when needed.
Each zone in this large room has an independent flavour, but they all work together in harmony with each other. In a large gathering, the zones are close enough together that great conversation can be had ,but are also intimate enough for several conversations at the same time. It's a great way to make the most out of a large room and it makes the space feel larger than it is because you have various functions available to you in each zone.
If you think zoning your space is the right choice for you, then consider what functions you want to include in your space. Perhaps a zone for reading, one for listening to music, one for enjoying a stamp collection or other hobby and another for just kicking back. Keep the furniture small to enable ease of reconfiguration for gatherings. A couple of storage ottomans, for instance, instead of one large coffee table can provide a table or seating depending upon your needs. At the same time they can store away clutter.
Creating useful zones can work in any room, so make this a consideration the next time you are making changes to your décor.
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