Question: Can you help us determine what furniture to use as we redesign our living room? We are in our late 40s and our last child is about to leave home. We entertain twice a month, having guests read plays or sing karaoke. We would like to be able to move furniture to create a stage around the fireplace or stereo. Our house is tall and narrow with two entrances. The bedrooms are on the floor below the main level. The house is modern with lots of wood interspersed with white plasterboard, with wood and beams in the 17-foot-tall ceiling. The rest of the house has furniture with Asian and Arts and Crafts influences, and Art Nouveau accessories. The only piece that must be used is an Asian etagere.

John Chi
Oakland

Answer: It's wonderful to read that not everyone is dependent upon television for entertainment. Therefore, using the interior design world's definition of the word, I've designed a layout that adds more "drama" to your home. I'll supply the solution; you'll have to supply the actors.

Your floor plan is ideal for creating a true home entertainment center. Let's think of this design dilemma as "dinner theater." Dinner first, theater after.

An entertaining layout This dining room seats 12 comfortably, above. After dinner, the table leaves are removed and the now-smaller table is positioned against the far wall with curtains as a backdrop. The chairs become theatre seating behind another curtain. When the curtains are opened, it's show time!

The living room furniture consists of a 6-foot sofa, a 4-foot coffee table and club chair. Behind the sofa is a console table that also provides storage space for two ottomans that can be pulled into the main seating area for guests. Your cherished Asian etagere is placed on the wall between the office and bathroom doors.

To accommodate the sound system, and because wiring is already there, I've placed a stereo cabinet in the corner of the living room near the dining area. A cabinet can be either custom built or customized and should fit this space perfectly.

In keeping with the California modern architecture of your home, I recommend using Stickley furniture in their Mission-style collection (www.stickley.com).

To hold this furniture arrangement together, I've placed everything on an area rug that's 7 feet by 13 1/2 feet. As this is a fairly standard size, finding one that has a colorful pattern should not be difficult. Perhaps a Kilim or Tibetian Oriental would do the trick.

Now for the dining area. As shown in the top portion of my floor plan, there's seating for 12. To accommodate this many people for dinner, choose a table that uses two leaves to expand.

You won't have a chandelier over the table, so use lots of candles on the table to illuminate the dining experience. A horizontal mirror placed on the wall at the end of the table reflects the mood perfectly.

After dinner, your guests lend a hand to convert the dining area into the stage. The table's leaves are removed and the table itself gets placed against the wall and can be used to hold your production props. Move the chairs into the living room area and place them facing the "stage" we've just created.

Now is when the decorating drama comes into play (forgive the pun, I couldn't resist!).

The squiggly lines on my floor plan shown on both sides and either end of the dining room represent drapes. On the far end of the dining area, the drapes draw across the back wall, covering the mirror. On the end closer to the living room, the drapes can draw across the entire dining space, closing it off from the audience's view prior to a performance. When your production is ready, draw the drapes back for a true theatrical effect.

In the drapery fabric, I recommend picking up one of the colors in the living room rug, perhaps velvet or heavy linen in a deep burgundy color. Make sure the fabric on the back side of the drapes nearest the living room is also a decorative fabric because this side will be visible as well.

If the vaulted ceiling in your living room does not extend over the dining area, then track lighting would further enhance the theater effect. If the vaulted ceiling is in this part of the house as well, then light cans can be strategically placed in the beams to give the area an overall well-lit effect.

Now your dinner theater stage is set; it's up to you and your guests to provide the entertainment that makes the evening a smashing success. Break a leg!

 

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