A lot of people complain about their homes, because they don’t feel that comfy, although they have already spent so much money on expensive furniture, pillows, accessories and flowers. And what do people do when they don’t feel at home at their homes: They move out and seek a new apartment, obviously bigger, with a bigger bath tub, with a bigger balcony, with a bigger kitchen for a bigger fridge and so on. Here I come with good news: It’s probably not a question of size – it never is ;) – it’s the way you put your furmiture in the room. Actually it’s quite easy to make a change. It works best in small apartments, actually in one-room studios. You have a couch? Where did you put it? Let me guess: With it’s back to a wall, right? You have a table? Where did you put it? Let me guess: At a wall, right? If you look from a bird’s eye perspective on your floor plan, try to imagine all your furniture is being painted black, and then look where the white (free) spaces in your floor plan is organized. You will probably consider that you created somehow a black frame with furniture at the walls around and an unused white empty space. As long as you are not a circus artist or a dancer who needs empty spaces to practice, you should think about this wasted space in the center. Try it out: Put your couch in the center and locate it in a way so you have a nice view when sitting on it. Probably it’s a view out the of the window, and of course in front of a fireplace, but it can also be placed in front of a nicely designed wall. Okay, boys, you can also put your sofa in front of the flatscreen. But If you manage to live without a stationary TV (Did you ever thought of a mobile TV such as a Notebook?) I promise you your life will change radically. And your home will be cosier. The important thing is: Guide your view to look at something nice. Feng Shui coaches call this the Phoenix effect.
Of course this will affect on the other furnitures in your room. But it’s good to have a leading star at home: your couch. And now have a seat. The next important question is: What is behind you? A door? Another window? You might feel insecure sitting in the center of a room. That’s normal. Our brain warns us and brings us in a permanent danger mode: Take care when a robber hits you from the back while chilling. But there is a solution. Feng Shui coaches call it: Turtleback. Put a sideboard behind your sofa, and put a small table lamp on it. Hotel lobbys always do it. The sideboard and the lamp protects you psychologically from being attacked. You have been backed like a turtle. If your couch is an L-Sofa with a ottoman this might not work very well. In this case I recommend you to build a new one: Look up the “draper couch”
or the “Siwo sofa” on www.hartzivmoebel.com
You probably will say that your room now will appear being smaller and packed because the biggest furniture now is in the middle. It blocks your diagonal ways in the room. But this is exactly the quality that lacks in your room: A reason to stop and turn around. Efficient diagonal ways make sense in the warehouse of amazon, but a home should be a retreat. It will change also your position in your everyday life, in school, at work. Putting your couch off the wall to place it in the center of your room can lead to new attitude in your life. Put yourself off the wall and place yourself in the center of your life. And don’t forget to prepare a turtleback in case people want to harm you.