Part 4: STAY FOCUSED!

Woohoo you made it to Part 4. That means that you have turned your dreams into a plan, measured and decided on zones, and completed your shopping. Huge congrats to you!!!

This lesson is all about furniture placement and your lifestyle. Let's get started!

Focus on your goal

We are getting so close to your dream outdoor living room - can you feel it? The furniture is outside in boxes awaiting your next move...

The first rule to follow is to pick a focal point for the area. This comes down to a few things:

where do your eyes instantly fall, when stepping into your space
where do you want your eyes drawn to

You might want your main lounge or the dining table or even the outdoor kitchen to be the final spot your eyes land on, and this will be your focal point.

Start there - put the focal point piece in place and work outwards. This will help to keep the flow of the space calm and uncluttered.

Get ready - it's time for your next move

Move onto the next pieces of furniture that complement the focal point: dining chairs or the other pieces of sofa.

Dining chairs are easy and sit around the table, but lounges can be positioned in a number of ways. What suits your space and lifestyle is where you need to start. Don't try and be like everyone else here - the positioning of your furniture should be personal and useful for you and your family!!

If you have a sofa lounge that can have multiple layouts, try imagining how you will use the space, and where your eyes are drawn to. Take a look at these layouts and see if one of these may work for you.

There are no hard and fast rules about furniture being placed against a wall. Some people say don't do it, while others say to do it. I believe it is, sometimes, the best use of space and can be visually appealing to an area. It also leaves no void of space (like the 30cm between the sofa and wall) that is unusable.

Couches can also be used as the divider between zones. If the back is placed at the edge of a zone, it helps to define the walkway.

Your family, not mine!

I can't tell you what is going to work for your family though. This is why you had to do the homework. There are no set rules and even the property stylists and interior designers will agree, that what works in the textbook wont always work for your family!

Thinking ahead to how your family plans to use the space, will really help you to choose your lounge layout, your dining layout, your zones and any accessories you will have.

Homework for this lesson:

Have a play around with the layout of all the furniture and when you are happy with your outdoor living room, go forth to Part 5: Finish Strong!

Furniture is not like walls - they can be moved! So don't stress, try it out a different way if it isn't working and find peace in your room.

Tags: Mini series, Tips + tricks