Interview Style Seating

That's right. I think I just coined a new phrase. Holla!

What it is:

So, what is "interview style seating?" Well, as I mentioned in my post yesterday, what I refer to as "interview style seating" is when furniture - usually in a living space like a living room or den - is arranged so that it's parallel on either side of a coffee table/ottoman/etc., just like in my mom's living room (above). I call it "interview style" because it reminds me of how you sit on either side of a desk when you are being interviewed. It forces people to look right at each other, and I love it. It's typically done with two couches, a couch and a love seat, or a couch and two chairs, and the arrangement frequently flanks either side of a fireplace. But as you'll see at the end of this post, you can set up an interview style arrangement with just two chairs.

What it isn't:

This is different from the popular furniture arrangment in which key pieces are fanned around the central table, ottoman, again - whatever floats your boat, like the image below.

*Note the layout in the image above is NOT considered interview style because of the angle of the chairs. Had they been next to each other with their arms parallel, facing the same direction, it would work. But for now, this room remains a reject.

The room above, on the other hand, is one of my favorite examples of an interview style arrangement. The two green chairs and the white couch make up the key pieces. The two blue benches and extra chair add great additional seating, but they could be eliminated entirely and you still have interview style.

Here's another great example by Madeline Stuart. The green chairs and the couch are the main pieces, with additional seating in the form of the two striped ottomans.

Madeline again with the two couches

and another Madeline Stuart with two couches arranged interview style

I think you get it. In case you don't, here's a bevy of examples:

Woah. Above we see what I like to call the DOUBLE INTERVIEW.

Madeline is such a badass.

And as I mentioned at the beginning, you can have an interview style seating arrangement with just two chairs. This is perfect for in front of a fireplace. All you need is a table and a chess board in the middle.

So, that's that! Do you have interview style seating in your home?

Do you prefer when furniture is angled toward the center or interview style?

And most importantly, does this arrangement have a real name? Or should I start filing trademark papers stat?

*images from Madeline Stuart, Lonny Mag, DecorPad*