Seasonal Furniture Rearrangements

Posted by Kristin Abraham Dec 14, 2008

I have a bi-annual tradition of rearranging my furniture. Generally I do this in the late fall or early winter and then again in the late spring or early summer. There are practical reasons for rearranging furniture as well as psychological ones.

For practical purposes, I move my bed under my window in the summer, this way I can take advantage of the breeze and limit my air conditioning. But in the winter this same window has a bit of a draft, so I move the bed to the other side of the room and hang heavy drapes to block the chill. The other furnishings in the room also move to make the flow of the room more convenient and pleasing.

In the living room I like to rearrange the furniture in the winter and remove a lot of odds and ends. I live in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and during the winter it can begin to feel as though you're trapped inside, especially when the day light hours are so short. To counter this feeling, I open up the room and create as much floor space as possible. I also use brighter watt light bulbs to make it feel bright and sunny inside. In the summer I draw the room in closer to make it cozier as I tend to keep doors and windows open and fill empty space with plants to create the illusion of bringing the outdoors in.

If you're lucky enough to have a floor plan that is conducive to seasonal furniture rearrangements, give it a try. You may find that it's not only practical but that your spirit is lifted by the new arrangement.