The "Dos" and "Don'ts" of Furniture Arrangement

Brynn Mannino writes in Woman's Day magazine that trial and error is "the surest way to a flawless room." Still, there are some golden rules when it comes to arranging furniture. To start, measure rooms with a tape measurer so you know what space you have to work with.

DO Use large area rugs under furniture, exposing some flooring but covering most of the seating area. small rugs make small rooms look smaller and large rooms look choppy.

DON'T put couches right up against a wall. Leave a little space (a few inches) between walls and couches, side tables, and chairs to create breathing room and make the space look larger. While side tables should be as tall as the couch arm they are next to, remember it's okay to mix furnishings of different sizes. Chairs should be less than eight feet apart, to encourage conversation.

DO evenly light the whole room (cover all the corners!). Taller lamps emphasize, or give the impression of, a high ceiling.

DON'T hang short curtains, which can look like afterthoughts. Floor to ceiling drapes make a room look higher. Hanging curtains a few feet after the casement ends frames windows and makes them look wider.

DO orient your bed toward the focus point of your bedroom: perhaps opposite of french doors or big windows. Corner nooks are good for beds. When in doubt, place a side of the bed against a wall.

DON'T use small coffee tables. Larger coffee tables, like rugs, connect and expand a room. Ideally, coffee tables should be 12-24 inches from your couch, and will fit the shape of your room. A square room warrants a square table, while a long and narrow room would look best with a long, narrow table. Because humans feel more comfortable in square arrangements, you might consider breaking up a long room into two seating areas based on function (i.e., conversing and dining).

DO place dining room tables under overhead lights, preferably in the center of the room. If this classic arrangement is not an option, Angelo Surmelis (former HGTV host and celebrity designer) suggests doing "something fun, like placing [a dining room table] against a wall and creating bench seating."

DON'T put a dresser in a corner. This wastes space and looks bad. Place a dresser against the wall, balancing it with another piece of furniture (if off center) to create a balanced look.

DO hang wall decor in keeping with the rest of your furniture. As a rule of thumb, place wall art 24-36 inches above a piece of furniture. Hang mirrors opposite of what you want to see more of. For example, mirrors hung opposite of windows help bring in more light. Play around with wall decor placement before you hammer a nail into a wall, and avoid out of scale pieces. Similarly scaled pieces create a serene look.

DON'T make your TV the focal point of your home. Fireplaces and other architectural features are better to highlight. Grouping main items together is smart (you can hang your TV above your fireplace). If wall-hanging is not an option, choose where the TV goes based on the room's main attraction.

When all is said and done, your furniture placement should have an identified relationship: symmetric, which is restful, or asymmetric, which conveys motion and excitement.