Ask Jennifer Adams: How do you place furniture in huge living rooms?

Q: My husband and I feel quite lucky to have recently bought a nice home, but the living/great room is so large I'm not sure what to do with all that space. Our previous house had a tiny living room, so our sofa, TV, and the rest of our furniture worked there. Eventually we'll be able to afford a bigger sofa and more furniture, but what should we do for now?

A: Congratulations on your new home. It's very common to feel a little lost when you move into a house that's bigger than the old one. I have friends who spent months with empty rooms in their beautiful new homes before they knew what to do with them.

You didn't mention if this living area is next to your kitchen or other rooms. Start by thinking about how you're using the space now and want to in the future. Do you have kids and need plenty of space to roughhouse and dance? Do you like to entertain or watch movies? Do you play music or work at home? Setting intentions for how you want this space to feel in your ideal situation and prioritizing these activities will help give you insight.

Then, create smaller "rooms" or areas within the larger room. Make a list of the most important activities you need to accommodate now and later, and set up your current furniture as best as you can to support all those activities, even if it means some leftover space because you don't actually have the right furniture now. One day, you will. Your living space will feel more comfortable with parts of the big room that work really well, rather than to simply scatter around what you do have or push it all up against the walls.

My new book, Love Coming Home, discusses this process of setting intentions and prioritizing in more detail. As you get ready to shop for new furniture, consider your list. Step by step, it will all come together. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Have a design dilemma? Jennifer Adams is an award-winning designer, TV personality and author of the new book "Love Coming Home: Transform Your Environment. Transform Your Life." Send your questions to AskJennifer@JenniferAdams.com or for more design ideas, visit Jennifer's blog on her website at www.jenniferadams.com.