Placement Ideas for Diagonal Furniture

Living Room

• Create a cozy conversation area in a sitting room by placing a large chair at each corner of the room, angling toward the center of the room. Keep the chairs about 8 feet apart for comfortable conversation and away from the walls so there is room to walk behind them. Place a coffee table or area rug in the middle of the room or small end tables between chairs. In a room with a corner fireplace or television, the most logical way to arrange your furniture on a diagonal is to place a couch opposite that object, then fill in the remaining two sides with a love seat and chairs, forming a box shape offset from the walls. This type of arrangement tends to create dead space in the corners of the room, which you can fill with floor lamps, houseplants, sculptures and art or pedestal tables.

Bedroom

• Placing your bed on an angle gives a romantic, surprising touch to a bedroom. You must have a room large enough to accommodate this arrangement -- professional home stager Neil Bindelglass recommends at least 8 by 10 feet -- because it does take up extra space. That said, it can be helpful in making a large master bedroom more intimate and cozy. Place the bed in one corner of the room and arrange dressers, wardrobes and other furniture along the walls but keep the sides of the bed clear to avoid awkward angles between pieces of furniture. The bed becomes the obvious focal point of the room.

Dining Room

• A diagonal dining set works well for a dining room within an open floor plan. Changing the orientation of the furniture sets the area off from the adjoining rooms, defining the space as a separate functional area. Place an area rug diagonally in the dining area to reinforce the effect. Make sure there is enough room at the corners of the table to easily navigate all the way around it. Fill the corners behind the table with a vase or sculpture on a pedestal, a corner hutch or a wine rack.

Tips

• Consider the entrances to the room as you arrange the furniture. Avoid placing the side of the bed or the back of the couch or large piece of furniture in a way that faces the door. You don't want furniture obstructing a clear path into the room.

  Resist the temptation to overcrowd the room with too much furniture or furniture that is too large in an effort to fill every bit of empty space, Bindelglass cautions. One of the benefits of placing furniture on a diagonal is that it can make the room appear larger, but only if you keep it simple.