Size matters
While we all want generous living
spaces with room to move, the decision
about a living room’s dimensions will
depend on the home’s overall size.
‘he size of the room should have a
proportional relationship to the existing
house,’ says Greg. ‘You want to have that
underlying logic within the building’s
proportions so it feels familiar.’
Pitched ceilings ofer a sense of space
and low, but ceiling height should be in
proportion to the room size.
‘Having a 3.5m high ceiling in a room
that is 12sqm will make you feel like
you’re sitting inside a silo,’ says Greg.
Equally important is creating a sense
of low. Greg often designs renovations
for existing homes and inds that
living rooms in older-style terraces
and semis sometimes have doors
positioned diagonally opposite
each other.
hese can present a real challenge,
as the natural pathway through the
house then appears to be across the
middle of the room.
‘here’s a real risk that the middle
living room gets turned into a hallway,
which you want to avoid. It makes the
choice and placement of furniture very
important,’ he says.
‘You need a clear path, but you don’t
want to turn the middle of your living
room into a passageway that simply
bisects the space.’Make a plan
Designer Natalee Bowen, of Indah
Island, believes that establishing the
furniture layout early is essential.
‘hink how you want the furniture
placed and then design the room
around it,’ says Natalee. ‘Otherwise
people get this space with no walls, or
windows where they shouldn’t be, and
they put in their dream furniture and
it doesn’t work.’
Interior decorator Kim Gleason,
who runs Villa Deluxe Boutique, advises
having one main focus in the room –
usually the ireplace or television.
‘Living areas always beneit from
having a focal point because it anchors
the space and creates a low,’ she says. ▶3ODFHPHQWRIIXUQLWXUHLVWKHðUVW
priority when renovating.Handyman.net.au JULY 2018 27RENOVATE