I visited a friend’s house yesterday for coffee. Her dining room is actually bigger than mine, but as soon as I sat down, I felt strangely suffocated. I couldn’t figure out why at first. The table was beautiful and the room was bright, but something was “off.”
Then I looked down, and I saw it—the “forest of legs.”
Too many lines, too much noise My friend had a classic wooden table with thick legs, and six heavy chairs around it. That’s 24 legs in one small area! It looked like a wooden fence was built under the table. My eyes were so busy trying to process all those vertical lines that I couldn’t see the open floor at all. It felt like my legs were trapped in a maze.
The “Invisible Wall” at floor level Even though there was plenty of actual space to move, my brain kept telling me, “Careful, it’s crowded.” We don’t just feel space with our hands; we feel it with our eyes. Because the floor looked so busy with all those shadows and legs, the whole room felt narrow and clunky.
What I learned from her room Coming back to my own home, I looked at my dining area with new eyes. I realized that if I want my space to feel “airy,” I need to let the floor breathe:
- Pick the right “shoes” for your table: Thinner legs or a pedestal base can make a huge difference.
- Watch the shadows: The more legs you have, the more messy shadows you create.
- My room air is precious, but so is my view: After seeing my friend’s maze, I’m even more convinced—a calm floor makes a calm mind!