On TV they always fill a room with sectionals. How do you decide what is too big? I have a decent sized family room (14x14) and I'm considering a sectional in the middle of the room instead of against walls (which is more traditional). They do it on the design shows all the time but I'm curious if there are particular guidelines or rules...
Just so you know, most exterior doors today are 36 wide, meaning actually about a 34 opening, if it is going through that door only. Most interior doors are only 32, leaving only about 30 opening. So it depends on your doors and which room you plan on putting it in. Older homes have much skinnier openings, and were not set up for a straight shot, often having foyers or turns, limiting access. These are just the average norm, as I've seen a 42 inch wide door in a 120 yr old home as well. I personally like sectionals rather than separate couch/love-seat combos, but preference varies from person to person.
The size of your room determines the size of your furniture pieces and not just the footprint they take up but the physical size. Big bulky pieces will take up more visual space. 14x14 is not large enough for a sectional unless it was a smaller one and even then it may not be able to float in that size room. Lining the walls with furniture is not traditional but usually about lack of design knowledge. If you want to float the furniture in that room you might do better to get either two small sofas facing each other in the center or one small sofa and a couple of chairs on the other side with an ottoman in the center to act as a coffee table or extra seating. Measure the furniture pieces you are interested in, make a template of your room and the pieces and see if it works. But again, no big overstuffed pieces, just simple clean lines.
I guess I watch the same shows. It seems as long as you can move through the room easily you are ok. Lighting may be an issue. You will not want cords running across the floor.
Dude it depends on where your ganna and how big the room is.
