Arranging furniture in a small space

THE CHALLENGE

The front door of Andrew and Lisa Nolan Wright’s 1930s Sears kit house in Silver Spring opens into the middle of the living room. This makes it tough to arrange furniture. She wants pieces that are scaled for the small space and a comfortable layout for watching TV.

(Leah L. Jones/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) - Lisa Nola Wright and her husband Andrew Wright.

Gallery

House Calls: Local rooms get virtual design makeovers: The Washington Post pairs local readers’ design challenges with an interior designer. The result is a before and after makeover with tips and tricks for making the most out of the space.

THE SOLUTION

Designer Charlotte Bravo suggests placing a low daybed perpendicular to the door to open up the room and allow a direct line of sight from the sofa to the TV.

Paint the wall of bookshelves white. The color is Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams.

Place a small sofa next to the entrance for watching TV. Its scale is in line with the rest of the space.

Warm up the room with yellows and golds. Repeat the colors in lamp shades, mirrors and an accent chair.

Replace white shutters with woven waterfall shades to allow more control over the room’s lighting.

Line the shelves with black and white wallpaper. Round Federalist-style mirrors make for great conversation pieces.

Organic shapes break up the rigid architecture. A cowhide rug and bulb chandelier add a bit of surprise.

Bravo, of the Vintage Vogue (410-804-2816, www.thevintage
vogue.com), is based in Baltimore.

SHOPPING GUIDE

Furniture: Rustic storage console ($500, www.westelm.com); Stockholm sofa table in golden brown ($200, www.ikea.com); Dalloway armchair ($400) and Illusorio console ($1,700), both from anthropologie.com; Jasper 71-inch studio sofa in linen ($1,000, www.roomandboard.com).

Lighting: Tavia lamp ($235, www.claytongrayhome.com).

Accessories: Arteriors Swain hammered polished brass bowl ($190, www.zincdoor.
com); natural woven waterfall shades ($170 each, www.smithandnoble.com); Larch square pillow ($48, www.2modern.com); cowhide rug in white and black ($463, dwell.co.uk); Federalist-style gold convex mirrors ($135 each, www.highstreetmarket.
com); Plinko pillow in cornflower ($62 for 13-by-24 inches, www.inhabitliving.com).

SPLURGE . . .

English chesterfield sofa ($5,470, www.neimanmarcus.com).

Modo chandelier ($5,800, shop.thefutureperfect.com).

. . . OR SAVE

Chester tufted upholstered sofa ($1,200, www.westelm.com).

Asaki chandelier ($295, www.hautebox.co).

See past room makeovers by local designers at washingtonpost.com/housecalls.

Tell us about your design challenge.

Send photos, room dimensions and contact information to makeover@washpost.com.