FLOATERS VS HUGGERS

  Nancy and Beth are co-authors of the Blog, Powell Brower Home

 http://www.powellbrower.com/

It's a great Blog that I have been following for  months.  A few days ago Nancy did a fun Post, Titled,

ARE YOU A FLOATER OR A HUGGER? 

I wasn't quite  sure what was coming when I clicked on, but when I did, I found it extremely eye opening and intriguing!

The difference, she explained was your furniture arrangement!  Of course, this is a Design Blog!

Huggers  place their furniture along the walls... "hugging" it
Floaters  place their furniture in the room...."floating"

She went on to explain that both have their place and can be done successfully.  There really isn't a preference.  Although, a lot of Designers love to FLOAT!  It creates conversation and presents a friendlier image.

I thought.  "I want to be a Floater!".  Not that I don't like to hug, but I want to be a Floater with my furniture!  I studied our Great Room.  It was half and half!!!  Not good.  I figured I had to do something- anything to be among the Floaters of the World!

The entire situation is a result of my being firm  (stubborn) in refusing to  place our sofa facing the fireplace ...leaving three feet behind it.... to create a direct traffic pattern into the Kitchen.
I have to add here that I think I am the only homeowner living in this model that arranges the furniture in this way!!!  EVERYONE has the sofa facing the fireplace with plenty of space to walk behind it!!!!

 I like the sofa on the window wall!  It looks "right" to me!  Every time I have tried facing it across from the fireplace the room is cut in half, seating on one side and a "walk thru" of three feet on the other.

So....  I force the traffic pattern to walk around and through furniture !  I know this is not ideal....

This is the arrangement.  The room is approximately 20' x 18'.  I have the sofa on the window wall, a long narrow table with my wonderful chair angled in front of it and MC's Stressless chair facing the fireplace and TV (the real focal point).  My slipper chairs are on one side of the fireplace and my Frenchy (it's a Louis, but I don't know which Louis it is!) chair is on the other.  In the middle of the entire room is the 4 foot square cocktail table MC made.

BEFORE

THE

HUGGER

As you can see, the sofa is "hugging" the window wall and the long table and my chair and ottoman are "hugging" the wall opposite the fireplace.  It looks fine.  I have liked it, UNTIL, I found out I was a HUGGER AND NOT A FLOATER!!!!  And...I have to admit....it is a challenge to navigate through.

I had to find a solution.  For two days, I have rearranged the furniture in my mind over and over.   Finally this morning, I was ready to give it a try!

I took the long table, which MC made 4 years ago to use as a sofa table, and placed it behind the sofa.  Duh!  This brought the sofa about 18 inches into the room.  It's still technically a hugger because it's a part of the sofa table set up, but it is much closer to the cocktail table.  Now the problem!  What to do with the space where the table was?  There the chair sat, all white and pretty with nothing to "anchor" it.  It did  allow for a wonderful space for walking.   Great traffic pattern.  I could get to the Kitchen and not fall over a chair.

BUT that void space had to be fixed.

I first  lowered  Erica's large art piece.  Then I rearranged the placement of one of the cowhides. But what really made it work was when I placed the three, tall, iron chandle sticks in the corner. 

Erica's Art is remarkable.  Upside down, left or  right...Whatever

Changed the lamp! 

It was on the Sofa Table

Have to use this Lamp!

It's the one "My Bill" said I had to have!!!  

I call it my

Mrs. Tut Lamp

That would be the King's Mom!

 

 AFTER

THE

FLOATER

I'm not even going to go into the fact the pink pillow POP is gone!  I just wasn't in "Love" with that particular POP.  I will add color, I PROMISE!!!

TOMORROW I WILL HAVE A VERY SPECIAL SURPRISE ABOUT MC!!!!  YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

It's tomorrow.....!
This did not pass the MORNING TEST!

I WAS FLOATING IN A RAFT TOO FAR FROM THE SHORE!!!!

I'm working...thinking and tweaking....
MC has contributed a very whimsy idea!

HOPEFULLY WILL HAVE BETTER RESULTS AS THE DAY CONTINUES......................
 

Patty