Whenever we start a project, one of the first things we need to determine is how the room will be used, how many people will be using it at a time, and what are the possible needs we should consider when selecting and arranging the pieces for the room. And with the multipurpose spaces like the “great rooms” that are breeding in new construction and rehabs like rabbits, many rooms need to have the flexibility to serve a lot of functions. After all, if a room doesn’t function comfortably and well, what good is it? We WANT you to love your room and that means it needs to work perfectly as well as look good doing it!

One of the most frequent priorities we hear is “comfortable TV watching”, but for how many people at a time? And what else might that room be used for? Americans are attached to their TV’s. We get it.  I’ve had clients who had more TV’s than people in their house, and I have yet to meet a man who didn’t want the biggest TV screen he could possibly fit in a room. And the perfect way to watch TV is lounging with your feet up like you were in bed. So, of course, the sofa industry came up with the sectional/chaise. And that is a nice option for the one person lounging on the chaise watching TV. If you have a room dedicated to this activity, and can fit a chaise/sofa in it, by all means, go for it! But if it is a multipurpose space like the aforementioned “great rooms”, that type of furniture doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility…either for using the room for other purposes, like *gasp* conversations, or entertaining, or any other activity that involves more than one or two people. No one wants to perch on the backless end of the chaise for any length of time, and it’s just weird to expect a guest or even the host to lounge with their feet up while everyone else is sitting up, thus rendering the seat in the corner useless for a gathering. And it limits flexibility for rearranging the furniture, or moving it to another house, especially if you expect to follow the luxury downsizing trend in the future.

But all is not lost!

A classic combination of sofa(s), chairs, and/or loveseats can be just the solution with the addition of the magic ingredient; an ottoman. A larger upholstered ottoman is a great, flexible addition to a room – it can be pushed up to a chair or sofa or loveseat to create a chaise when needed, serve as a footrest for multiple pieces of furniture at once, and, with the addition of a tray, function as a coffee table when the occasion demands, or even provide extra perching space to facilitate conversations if you are having a large gathering that exceeds your seating capacity. If your room needs to be all things to all people, then practicality demands a more creative solution than the ubiquitous chaise sofa...and an ottoman may be just the thing!

We would love help you make your home work perfectly for you! Start the conversation by contacting us at JRL Interiors.