WHO TO CALL: Community Editor Home and Garden Editor Andrew McCredie Layne Christensen 985-2131 (147) 985-2131 {178) When planning, consider wha will “live” Edith ‘Saatkamp | design of the times - : ‘THE. LIVING room, also known as front -parlor, salon, drawing room, lounge, or ‘good room” has a relatively short history. i People have gathered to eat, drink, talk, celebrate, ‘dance, sing or mourn since time immemorial, but only in the past two or three hundred years have they done so’in living rooms with comfortable, upholstered furni- “ture “And only in this'century has the function of the iving Toom broadened to include the entire family, as. vell-as guests.-!." © Today's living room is ‘the o one tly multi-function- al area of a home..In many cases it has to be planned -t0 include a dining area, an entertainment centre, book storage, sufficient seating for six or more guests, a ‘quiet comer for curling up with a favorite book, and often. an area where children can play or watch televi- Many decisions! have to be made i in the planning Stage: should seating be grouped around the fireplace, r should it focus ona view? How much storage space s needed? What type of furniture would suit the room best? What is the most pleasing color scheme?. And- how, should the windows be treated?. But there is one point which must be considered _ before any of the furniture and color questions are addressed; and that is, who will use the room, and how .” - will it be used’? The major functions of any room,” ore than any other.consideration, will determine its’ ambience and layout. Once this has been resolved, ther'decisions are mich easier to make. a If, for example, th ne living room is in a relatively mall home ‘ or apartment, occupied by a young couple. with children, ‘entertaining Buesis. becomies a ‘secondary in room function. to be considered after the needs of the family have been met. The challenge in this case is to create a room where children can romp and play without hurt- ing themselves and without creating havoc among carefully pluced accessories. This arrangement leaves sufficient space for children to play, and can be changed easily for conversation. To prevent accidents, floor and table lamps could be replaced with track lighting and wall sconces; chairs and tables should have smoothly rounded edges. Spills and stains don’t show as much on a sofa or armchair ~ covered in a multi-colored, small-patterned fabric as they would on pale velvet. Glass coffee tables are par- ticularly vulnerable to breakage as well as smudgy lit- _ fle finger prints. If family meals are usually served in the kitchen, living-room space can be stretched by moving the sofa to the centre of the room and placing a drop-leaf din- ing table behind it. The table can then be used as a - buffet or extended for a formal dinner. If, on the other hand, children are old enough not to need supervision, or fortunate enough to have their own “wreck” room, you might want to go all out and create the perfect haven for relaxing get-togethers, or for sumptuous meats by candle-light. You might even give in to temptation and choose the white-on-white color scheme that usually only shows up on magazine pages. Creamy white, a few colorful silk cushions, a stunning flower arrangernent, and masses of floor- length muslin sheers. The sccret in planning a successful living room is to keep in mind how you and your family will be using. - it ’ Hf you love to sit in a comfortable armchair by the window with your early morning coffee, as I do, then . this space should be assigned first; and other furniture planned around it... Another major point in planning living rooms is | traffic flow.— the way people move through a room. Traffic through a room can be planned and directed as in a garden, only in this case you direct circulation around, rather than through a seating group. ~ . Clearances around furniture are important to keep in mind; they prevent annoying bottle necks und keep fur- - ‘sniture free from scratches and damage: The standard clearance for a frequently used traffic path is three feet. You will need at least that much between the edge _ of a dining table and a buffet or wall. . ’ Finally, unless a three-seater sofa is ‘a must for the - afternoon’ snooze, love seats and armchairs provide “more flexibility and are easier to. move. Friday, June 9, 1995 - North Shore News ~ 13 "Graphics by Wm. C. Brown Publishers. ONE OF the mejor considerations when planning a Jiving-reom is traffic flow. The upper pian shows how a natural traffic pattern in an empty room uses almast half.the available space. The lower plan demonstraiss how to furnish a room and maintain an efficient traffic flow. Loe TO STRETCH the usage of a living-room, move the sofa to the middle of the room and make space fer a dining table. . : &éLet our professional design team make your « decorating dreams a reality. From conceptual - renderings to project completion, we can assist you in coordinating your furnishings, window coverings, fleoring and accessories. Cur promise is quality at competitive prices.93 SPRING CLEARANCE % 65h. DISPLAY FURNITURE | & ACCESSORIES © ABS VENETIANS; VERTICALS OFF & PLEATED BLINDS 8 30% “DRAPERY, BEDDING & OFF UPHOLSTERY FABRICS “Your Home, Mathew Jouvenel,. r a member. of our design team Your Way.