LIVING WITH LOVE – Pull Up a Chair

Have you ever had the experience of looking for a place to sit when you visit someone’s home?  It shouldn’t be a game of musical chairs, right? How do you avoid this in your home and make everyone from the occasional guest to granddad feel welcome?

Sam Moore's Claremont Chair with blend down seating offers true comfort

•    When you’re putting a room together, it’s a good idea to watch how people naturally gravitate to certain spaces.

•    In my home, I have a large room with sofas surrounding the fireplace. Adjacent is a big dining table–really the command central of the room. When our very tall friend John stops by, I noticed he avoided the soft sofas. Instead, he hunted for one of the dining chairs and pulled it up to join the conversation around the coffee table. Now, I have that chair just where John can find it when he visits. We call it “John’s chair.”

•    These are the little indulgences we can provide in our homes that don’t cost a cent. When home has a natural flexibility, it says “welcome” without any fuss. I always love to see a room where there’s a big leather chair that seems to say, “Wisdom resides here.”  It’s the place where a kid might curl up at Dad’s feet as he’s on his laptop checking the stock reports. These are the moments that kids don’t forget–and just might learn a little investing themselves.

Accommodating people’s interests can be a challenge in a well-run home. But if we think about “pulling up a chair” to make things run smoothly, they just might.

Sam Moore’s Claremont chair, roomy and comfy with blend down seating, is just the kind of chair that says “welcome” to guests and family alike. Browse other comfy chairs at SamMoore.com.

Nancy Lindemeyer is the author of “My First Best Friend,”  a book about those once-in-a-lifetime first friendships and how they affect women for the rest of their lives.