Home owners often make the mistake of creating a ROOM when what they really want is a collection of cozy corners. Rearranging a room full of furniture and creating a few simple corners to welcome activities and events into the lives of those who live there is often all that's needed to transform a house into a home.

Once the overall theme is determined for a room, look around for any nooks or crannies that need to become cherished corners. A room with a huge piano along one wall and a sofa along the facing wall might benefit from being split into two triangular corners. By focusing the sofa on a different element, you open up the option of positioning the piano in a corner with better lighting and a single chair for a more cozy arrangement. Perhaps another corner could be a reading corner with a chair, book shelves and a lamp table for a cup of tea?

Consider how the room will be used the most. Decorate for the predominant use of the room. If you rarely host gatherings of large numbers of people, you probably don't need a seating grouping with a border of chairs. Perhaps your room would be much better suited to smaller arrangements with cozy proportions.

When you determine the methods you will use the room, it becomes much easier to arrange a room. A room used predominantly by one or two people doesn't require the same seating arrangements and open spaces as a room used predominantly by a whole family. Other uses determine arrangement as well. Determining factors may include the purpose of the room, specific required furniture, or the amount of traffic a room receives.