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Rearranging Rooms

by | Feb 11, 2011 | Decorating Inspiration

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Rearranging Rooms

Family Room {all my paint colors can be found here in my paint post!}

If you are one who can paint rooms, rearrange furniture, keep up with your furniture being taken out and being put back in your living room every week for music rehearsals and keep your house looking beautiful and organized and other parts of life going smoothly in the process, you might as well just look away because this post is going to be painful to see. But I promise I’m heading somewhere with all of this disarray.

Rearranging furniture is one of the most inexpensive and dramatic ways to get a new look for your home! But it does create a little havoc and requires some experimentation. You don’t have to have a degree in furniture arranging to figure it out, you can do this!!

For the past week I’ve been working on a new arrangement for my furniture. It is nice to have lived here long enough to be able to really get our home settled in a way that really functions for how we live.

Ever since painting the dining room, I’ve been wanting to make some changes to how the room was set up. It has always felt crowded to me and as a result, we didn’t really spend much time in there. It worked fine for photos but in real life, it was tight. I don’t want any room that is just a “pass through.” I’d like to be able to use our dining room not only for special dinners, but also for working during the day.

So remember my 2011 Home Goals? I wasn’t kidding about my goals. I’m on a roll and moving right along!

As I thought about the possible solutions to make my dining room work better for me, I looked around the house to see what other furniture options I might have. And that is when chaos erupted. Pretty soon I was switching furniture around in every room. Wheee!! That is a fun day!

I can’t just rearrange ONE room. One thing leads to another, right? And when you are painting walls, you already have a bit of chaos with furniture shoved this way and that so it is as good of time as any to create a little more mess, right? RIGHT.

Since I have my white armoire on the right side of the dining room and I really do love seeing the white against the gray walls, I wanted that piece to stay at least for now. So that left replacing the dresser from the left side.Rearranging Rooms

Right side of dining room at Christmas

Rearranging Rooms

Left side of dining room, winter

I didn’t need two bulky pieces in that one small room, we needed more breathing space. The dresser had to be moved out.

In another room, my family room, I had been noticing for a long time that I wasn’t happy with the entire right side of the room where our TV was. When we bought our flat screen last year, we just shoved our baker’s rack over to the left about six feet towards the cover and plunked the TV down on a wicker coffee table in the middle of the wall thinking we’d get it set up better at some point. And that was the end of that. I’ve never been happy with the baker’s rack in the corner, but where else was I going to put it?  I couldn’t think of what to do at the time, so I just lived with it for a year.

Rearranging Rooms

Family room right side of room, 2009

Oh my. Here is the family room in its “early swine” days, last year. Gah. I had to show you this old photo so you could see the way the baker’s rack was smashed in the corner and what the TV has been sitting on. This photo is really old, as evidently I hated this so much I haven’t taken a photo of this side of the room for over a year. Can I get a big AMEN that the swine is almost gone? Just look at the difference in the wall colors in the above and below photos.

Rearranging Rooms

Family room right side of fireplace, summer 2010

Finally, I realized the baker’s rack from the family room would be MUCH better in the dining room. And that meant the dresser from the dining room would get a new home in the family room. A big switcheroo!

Rearranging Rooms

Family room with dresser on right side of room instead of baker’s rack and wicker coffee table!

At first I didn’t like the dresser in the family room because it seemed to dwarf my other furniture. I nearly fainted thinking I might need all new furniture, but I think with a little more rearranging I can live with the scale.

I’ll work on some better “afters” for you soon so yo can see it without the disarray to distract you.

The baker’s rack will work better in the dining room, even though it is still a substantial piece of furniture. I like the height of the piece on that wall, and I like that it is more open and lets the room breathe better than the dresser. It is also less deep, so it allows more room around the table.

Rearranging Rooms

Here was the left side of the dining room (mid-way through painting that wall) a few weeks ago.

Rearranging Rooms

And now, here is the left side of the dining room now with the baker’s rack. And all of the junk we piled in the room when we were painting the living room.

Obviously I’ll have to find out another place for that round mirror, and figure out what I should put on the baker’s rack.

And yes, my old dining room light is still hanging there. I’ll have an update to my ongoing lighting drama soon (can’t wait to show you what I ended up with, I loved all of your advice!  But my new light hasn’t even arrived yet!). I also will give you a bathroom re-do update, so much going on ya’ll (said as if I have a southern accent)! Yep, I’m all over the place these days. And I’m loving it!

The heart canvas on my mantel in the top photo is from DaySpring, one of my premier sponsors. That heart canvas is 30% off this month! I’ll be having an awesome Valentine’s Giveaway you won’t want to miss on Monday!

Do you enjoy the process of rearranging furniture? I dislike the chaos, but it is so fun to find a better way to arrange things! I love seeing things in a new way. It makes life fun.

62 Comments

  1. Stacy

    I am not sure a day goes by when I am not rearranging sommething. My husband and kids never really know what they will fin when they come home!

    Reply
  2. laxsupermom

    I like to move stuff around, but I don’t have as many nice pieces to move, so it’s usually little changes. Your rooms are looking terrific. Byebye swine. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth

    I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who starts in one room and suddenly the entire first floor is switched around!

    Reply
  4. Tara

    you have been BUSY!!!

    the walls are looking great…I’ll give you an AMEN that the swine is almost gone at your house.

    Reply
  5. Christina

    I JUST rearranged my living room yesterday. The room itself is link and not very wide. The placing of the windows and heating vent really made it tough to rearrange. But I love the way it came out. It’s crazy how it makes the room SO different and new!

    Reply
  6. Christina

    *long not link oops! :)

    Reply
  7. Jess

    Looks great!! Sometimes switching it up a little helps breathe a whole new life into a room! :)

    Reply
  8. Arlene

    Rearranging is cheaper than buying new items. And it is fun to try new things. I have been thinking of changing a few things in my home as well. Love that new color!! Much better than swine.

    Reply
  9. Estela

    I loved this! I’m addicted to rearranging my furniture :)

    Reply
  10. Kathy

    I like to use what I’ve got first, before I start looking to buy, too, Melissa! I think you came up with a great solution. I also think you can get a totally different look just by moving furniture around, whether in the same room or from one room to another.

    Reply
  11. Dianne

    I LOVE rearranging things…my husband says I am Stevie Wonders worst nightmare. Enjoy.

    Reply
  12. AlexisAnne

    I love rearranging rooms, it’s the easiest way to get the feel of a re-design without spending any money. I probably do ours every 6 months…until I run out of ideas!

    Reply
  13. Susie Davis

    Love those before and after photos. You can really see a difference!

    Reply
  14. Deanna

    I am a furniture rearranger from childhood! I was always rearranging my bed room and sometimes the living room too!

    I love it – an inexpensive way to change up the look in your home!

    Fun stuff!

    Reply
  15. Carol in Md

    When I was younger and still living at home, I frequently moved my bedroom furniture around, always wanting a fresh perspective. I feel a little too restricted in our options at home – am not finding too many possibilities for moving/rearranging our pieces, but maybe I’m not thinking broad enough. One problem I have is that my husband and at least one daughter don’t like change, so anything I may do will meet with some resistance. Maybe I’ll just need to move slowly, or as you, move things while painting, and just not put them back in the same place … We’ll see how that goes. ;)

    Reply
  16. Karen

    We just went through a major transformation in our home. My family of 7 just felt crammed into our home and we had to take a step back and realize there were two full rooms that we barely used – the formal dining room and living room. I talked my husband into converting our family room off the kitchen into a large dining room, our eating space in the kitchen into a seating nook, our formal dining room into a kids homework/craft room and our formal living room into our new and improved family room. We lucked out and were able to find barn boards that we’re currently having made into a 10’x5′ dining table. We are much happier and can now spread out…and I get new spaces to decorate :-)

    Reply
  17. Erin - The Smallest Sparrow

    Rearranging furniture and accessories is a daily activity in our house. It drives my husband CRAZY! I’m just so determined to get it right one of these days! Offices have become sewing rooms that eventually were transformed into kids rooms. It’s kind of exhausting, really. We’re on the verge of a big move… moving our kids from the basement (yuck) to our top floor where we’re having one big room converted into two for them. I’m excited about the end result but NOT looking forward to all of the work!

    Looks like you’re making some great changes in your home! Have fun and don’t work too hard. :-)

    Reply
  18. Kerri

    This post (and the comments) are like therapy for me, lol: I’m glad to see that I am not the only chronic furniture /accessories re-arranger! Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with me ;-). As soon as I discover an arrangement I love, another idea comes along, and the cycle starts again! Gotta love using your home for creative stimulation!

    All the best
    Kerri
    mydecoratingaddiction.blogspot.com

    Reply
  19. Carmen

    Ahhh! It looks much better with the dresser in the family room. I am so glad you got rid of the swine. I love the new color!

    I have a weird shaped living room. We recently got a flat screen t.v. and I do NOT want to put it on the mantel (I need that space for decorating!). I’d really like to rearrange our living room. It’s always felt pieced together since we moved in two years ago. I’ve been telling my 17 year old daughter that she needs to help me rearrange it again. Maybe we’ll do that this weekend. :)

    Reply
  20. Shauntelle

    Gosh, rearranging is on my project list right now too. I’m still looking for an accent chair and a coffee table for my living room and then I’ll be ready to “make it pretty” which means rearranging everything. My big worry right now is that we have this big “old school” flat screen TV (the kind that actually is really big in the back, not thin) and I’m not sure where to put it so that it isn’t competing with our faux fireplace and isn’t ALSO sticking out like a sore thumb.

    It weighs a ton too, so I have to make a plan ONCE because it takes a lot of work and help to move it. Not complaining too much though cause it was a freebie from someone else who didn’t want to move it and my men love it for gaming and watching movies. Once less thing to come out of my $2000 budget, ya know?

    I love rearranging though, I like feeling like I have a new place without investing in new furniture. It’s one way to keep a room from feeling stale without completely redecorating. Can’t wait to see your finished “after” shots!

    Reply
  21. Tiffany

    We rearranged the furniture in our living room and it was the best decision we ever made! Took out one chair that was useless and worn out, moved our sofas around, put in a new TV stand…and the room feels twice as big now with way more open floor space for our daughter to place and us to Wii. I can’t wait to figure out other rooms we can do good rearranging in…going to be some serious furniture shuffling in that process!

    Reply
  22. Jo

    Oh, I love to rearrange! I once moved the kitchen table into the living room and a sofa into the kitchen. It didn’t last long, but it was fun anyway. Your dining room looks great with the furniture switched around. I bet it feels so much bigger too.
    And congratulations on almost being rid of your swine! I’m still living with banana in all but one room. Oh, it will be so nice to cover up the yellow walls!

    Reply
  23. Jennifer

    I love moving the furniture around – although I’m not nearly as creative! Your rooms look great:) and I was wondering what the color is in the dining room? I love it. I am looking for “just the right” shade of gray just now….

    Thanks

    Reply
  24. Angela

    I like to rearrange stuff, but my husband doesn’t! So I mostly stick to rearranging accessories and don’t touch the furniture unless I’ve asked him first! And he usually says, yes let’s try, but he does not like to come home and find things different all of a sudden :)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Ha, my husband is the same way. ;-)

      Reply
  25. Gloria

    I love the new wall color. I am interested in knowing what method you use for hanging pictures on the walls?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Do you mean hook-wise or how I decide where to hang? I’m happy to answer either way!

      Reply
  26. ColleenwithMurals&More

    I am terrible at space planning – that’s why I do a floorplan grid and play with cut-outs for a while. It doesn’t always work, but it saves some wear & tear on my back (and Hubs’)!

    The baker’s rack switch looks wonderful. You have such a great eye, I’m sure you’ll pull everything together and I look forward to all the pics!

    Reply
  27. Becky

    can’t wait to see the finished product of both rooms!

    Reply
  28. Amber of Hawthorn and Holly

    The baker’s rack looks SO much better in the dining room than the dresser did. Good choice!

    Reply
  29. Karen

    Hi Melissa,

    LOL! I’ve been there, done that. In fact I completely swapped my dining room with my living room one year and its been soooo much more functional we wondered why we didn’t think of the swap earlier. Keep going, I think you’re onto something and the changes look great.
    Karen

    Reply
  30. gboll

    I had a large hutch and side board in my dining room a couple of years ago but when we did a little home remodel we moved the side board to our new entry and have yet to put anything back in it’s place in the dining room. I love the “less is more” look in my dining room now!! I do miss the serving space if we have company but I’ve been setting it up in my kitchen and that’s fine with me. :)

    Reply
  31. Lisa

    Melissa, I can soooo relate to this post. After 6 months of living in this house I’m still moving stuff around!! It’ll probably never end…..I love to “tweak”!

    So you don’t miss your swine walls yet? Next thing you know, that’ll be the hot color everyone is using! :)

    Reply
  32. Pinky

    First of all I LOOOOOVE that bakers rack so if you ever want to part with it CALL ME, I ma SERIOUS!!!! It is gorgeous! I, too, love to rearrange rooms. Hubby and I just rearranged our bedroom and as I type he is painting his office and bought new furniture for in there. I am SO excited that we are FINALLY doing that office! Can’t wait to see your rooms finished! XO, Pinky

    Reply
  33. Fiona's Mosaic

    Sometimes a girl just has to mix things up! That’s what I told me mom the other day when I told her how I was going to rearrange things. Kudos to my mom, she was good with it, and let’s me go for it in the decorating field. Since this is a two woman household…..that makes it easy. :o)

    Reply
  34. Cori

    Rearranging! My favorite past time! I agree with all of your moves. The dresser looks great in your family room, and the baker’s rack makes sense in the dining room. Also, the color is a wonderful change! I can’t wait to see the finished photos!

    Reply
  35. Christie

    I just wanted to let you know that my bedroom is swine. I have lived here 2 years and just noticed. How sad is that?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Ha, well, if it makes you feel any better, my husband never really noticed the swine and when he finally understood, it didn’t bother him. And, I should point out, a bedroom in my old house had a hint of swine to it but it actually looked pretty because we had flowery cottage curtains that complimented that color. So, while swine wasn’t my favorite in this house, it might very well be pretty in your room!

      Reply
  36. Christie

    I just wanted to let you know that my bedroom is swine. I have lived here 2 years and just noticed. How sad is that?

    Reply
  37. Brenda

    Luv Luv Luv the new looks. Luv Luv Luv the new paint. It all seems so warm and classy now.

    Reply
  38. Carla

    I rearranged the furniture in our tiny living room a few months ago and finally found the right fit. It made a HUGE difference. We hang out there all the time now.

    Can’t wait to see your “finished” photos! Goodbye Swine!!

    Reply
  39. SillyJaime

    I love rearranging a space that I spend a lot of time in. It always helps me to feel refreshed and creative.

    I also LOVE wicker. Wicker chairs, tables, side tables, wall decor, ANYTHING wicker.

    Reply
  40. Damir

    moving, moving, moving…never stop! :-))) who doesn`t like it?
    i like your photos very much….

    Reply
  41. Heidi Milton

    Good stuff! I love making do with what you have by rearranging furniture. Plus it’s always nice to have a new view, I think :).

    Reply
  42. Cheryl

    Melissa–
    I haven’t commented for awhile but I am a regular reader. The Bakers Rack looks way better in the dining room — love the height and the open shelves, lets the room breathe better. I’ve been toying with finding a Baker’s Rack for our small dining space or a buffet table. What do you see as the pro’s and con’s to a Baker’s Rack? I noticed in the comments above that a reader switched out her buffet table to an entry. considering how often a buffet table is used, I wonder if they end up being mostly decorative? so far, I’ve not committed, left the space blank but I clearly need something there!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Hi Cheryl, The baker’s rack isn’t quite as good for serving food, and of course, it has no hidden storage! But neither of these mattered to me, we only serve food in the kitchen and closed storage was too heavy! So, a table more like a sofa table was one option, or our baker’s rack. We had the baker’s rack and it was taller so that was our choice!!

      Reply
  43. Luciane at HomeBunch.com

    Melissa,

    Thank you so much for your comment the other day! I really appreciate your visit!

    I love rearranging the furniture around my house. My mom was always doing it too. I guess it’s a “free” way to change the look of your house. Isn’t it? :-)

    Have a great weekend!

    xo

    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

    Post of the day: DEXTER INSPIRED DECOR. (warning: it’s creepy!!!) :-)

    Reply
  44. Peg

    Oh, once again, I loved your post! :)
    I like rearranging if it makes a definite improvement in the end…but in the midst of it, I almost, well maybe really– feel like I am hyperventilating…I think the disarray and lack of feeling in control at the moment or something…well, I guess I’m just saying that this rearranging is not something to be taken lightly! :) I appreciate how you keep it real.
    I am in the middle of 2 coats of primer over a dark red in my entry way…yikes! I remember 6 years ago when I worked so hard to get that look. UNdoing it is proving to be harder, but I keep telling myself it has to look worse before it looks better! Wish me luck on choosing the new color!
    Thanks for all your blog inspiration!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Yes, definitely things look worse before they get better! It will be worth it in the end! I tell myself that too!

      Reply
  45. My Design Guide.com

    We love re-arranging! If you are able to move furniture from room to room it is a sign of a well designed home because you have created that sense of design flow from one room to the next. Cudos to you. The dresser looks fabo with the TV on it.

    Reply
  46. Jessica Singletary

    I can totally relate to this post! I love rearranging furniture to the point that my husband just doesn’t even ask anymore when he comes home. I’ve been wanting to rearrange our living room for weeks now but am just stumped on what to do. Most of our rooms are so small that it leaves me with little option to move pieces around. You’ve definitely got me thinking though! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  47. Cassity

    I had to read half of this post to my husband because it made me laugh as it is exactly what we have been up t. The poor man has been moving furniture around for me for the last 4-5 days, effecting every single room in our house!

    We have a new baby coming this week and I am on a major purge/nesting kick, so things have been sold, donated and left on the sidewalk for the next lucky family to love. And we are finally to the point where I think our spaces are happily situated. But I must admit I love the process, and I love the effects of a little extra space and falling back in love with some old pieces of furniture!

    Reply
  48. Glenda Childers

    I love rearranging furniture . . . my husband shutters at the thought. I try to do it when he is out of town. :)

    Fondly,
    Glenda

    Reply
  49. Pat

    Well, I USED to like rearranging. But it seems like the chaos has moved in and won’t leave. I’ve got so many irons in the fire right now. It seems like I’m not happy with anything! I think it is starting to get to me. I’ve got the wheels turning but not going anywhere.
    I’m watching your blog for inspiration!!!
    To be honest, that last picture has me skeer’d… LOL!

    My whole house looks like that right now!!!!!

    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Pat
    corninmycoffee-pot.blogspot.com

    Reply
  50. Spring

    Ok, this post was so timely for me… feeling the same way about my dining room- which was set up as a combination school room/dining room (I homeschool 3 kids). Turns out, we NEVER do our school in there, preferring the couch, the computer desk in the LR, or the rug by the fire. So, INSPIRED by this post, I spent till 1 a.m. last night rearranging my DR, and turning it back into a “real room” as my daughter squealed when she woke up this morning. I couldn’t believe how much bigger this tiny room feels, with the table on an angle, and I even added a chair and lamp in a corner for me to read by the sunny window (which was blocked by the table before!) and then I hung three gorgeous prints (knights and ladies type prints) in the room that we were no longer using in the rest of the house, because I got sick of them after 12 years.
    We still have two bookcases in there, but the tops are now showcasing some of my pretty china, and framed photos, and I hung some lace in the glass door on the built in cabinet, so you can’t see all the school supplies. I would never have believed I could make such a difference without spending a dime!

    Thanks once again, for the inspiration!!

    Reply
  51. Marilyn Holeman

    It’s so nice to see YOUR home, and not inspiration pictures! I really like the green chairs in your dining room. It sounds like you’re having a lot of fun in your house right now. Isn’t it fun when inspiration strikes and you know just what to do? I love the “Ah ha!” moment. I enjoy reading your blog, Melissa. Thank you!

    Blessings,
    Marilyn

    Reply
  52. Bethe

    I LOVE rearranging furniture!! I don’t mind the chaos at all. . .my husband however can’t stand it.

    Reply
  53. Linda

    I also liked seeing the process and inside your home. I am constantly moving things about to get each and every piece in exactly the right spot for the best use, comfort and beauty. Glad to see someone else does it and actually tell about it! Thanks!

    Reply
  54. Carmen

    My husband just bought a new big screen t.v.(actually a HUGE screen-at least it seems to me -47 in.)and you inspired me to move an old dresser into the family room to set it on. The t.v is actually a little wider than the dresser so it sticks off about and inch on each side, but I like the way it looks. However I was wondering where you keep your dvd player and game system. Sorry if I overlooked that info. Thanks for your inspiration!

    Reply
  55. Cindy Vaughn

    My favorite thing of all is to get an epiphany all of a sudden – clarity comes to you in the sense that one piece of furniture in one room would actually look better in another. Before you know it you are dragging things all over the place! Since I do not have a husband and my sons are grown – I no longer have anyone to get upset with me for changing things. Except for my dog and cat who think I am crazy! Once again – loved your blog and what you did with your rooms! It is nice to know that I am not alone when it comes to loving the progress of chaos! :-)

    Reply
  56. Gina

    I love how you work with what you have to find solutions. It makes the process realistic and fun for real people.

    Reply
  57. Denise

    Melissa, I love the Taupe paint color, it is amazing! It may be just the cheery (not so drab) grey with a slight hint of tan I am looking for.

    Reply

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