baltimore county - Mason Dixon Arrive Magazine

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KITCHENS • BATHROOMS • BACKSPLASHES
DÉCOR TIPS
Symmetry, Creativity
Aid in Room Design
By Rose Bennett Gilbert
30 years experience
Family owned and
operated
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Fallston
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3725 Federal Hill Road (Rt 165)
Jarrettsville, MD
One tenth mile north of the intersection at
Rt 23/Norrisville Rd & Rt 165/Federal Hill Rd
Q: I am at a loss about furniture arranging.
Our living room has a fireplace in the center
of one wall – windows opposite – and open
doorways on both ends leading from the hallway
to the sun porch. We are about to buy a
new sofa, but there’s no wall. Where should
I put it? I love the warmth and formality of
traditional-style decorating. Can you help?
A: Don’t buy just “a sofa,” buy two! Ditto for
other furnishings you’re adding to your new
home. A well-balanced, symmetrical furniture
arrangement is a sure way to anchor a room
where traffic runs through. Face the matching
sofas (or love seats if your space is small) in
front of the fireplace with a low cocktail table
between; the room will look and feel “established.”
Symmetry also conjures a feeling of formality.
It bespeaks order and calm, which is the
overall attitude of the formal – but warm and
inviting – pictured sitting room. Look closely
and you’ll see that the room is a mirror image
with the fireplace at its epicenter: two sofas,
two cocktail tables, two armchairs, two lamps
on the mantel, two side tables under two
large wall hangings.
Or should we be saying it in French,
“deux,” considering that we’ve borrowed this room from a book
called “Bringing Paris Home,” written by designer Penny Drue
Baird (The Monacelli Press).
Q: Our old apartment has a couple of odd nooks and crannies
that frankly have me scratching my head how to furnish them –
like the little butler’s pantry we don’t use because we combined
the dining and living rooms to expand the kitchen. We could use
a little guest room, but it’s somewhat open to the kitchen.
What’s smart to do?
A: Repeat after me: Any space is better than no space, especially
in an apartment. A smart space designer can help you put
every square inch to work and still look good in the process.
New York interior designer Michelle Slovak looked at a little
pass-through leading to an apartment balcony, and saw both a
guest room and a home office in its limited floor space.
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