Free redecorating - rearranging the room

There's nothing cheaper than taking what you've already got and putting it somewhere else. However, I find that rearranging furniture is fraught with emotion. Do other people stress about it like this? I worry that the housemate won't like it. The housemate feels a great disturbance in the force everytime his landing strips are relocated for purely aesthetic reasons. We get out of sorts and a little lost. We bump into things. We lose things. We are annoyed by the other person's choices. And then after a few days, we're fine.

Before: I didn't like the wood chairs (which are actually outdoor furniture) crammed so close to my beloved media center. I didn't like the lamp in front of the window or the angle of the leather chair. And there was no room for a future dining room table. Tom did not like that the TV was plugged into a power outlet on a circuit where the fuse blows every week.

After: Sketching a room layout on paper never works for me. I have to see it in action. So Tom dutifully positioned the media center on every possible wall. We took Karen McAloon's suggestion for small spaces and angled it. She says angling keeps the eye moving around the room. Initially we were freaked.

We tested Law & Order at an angle.

Then, just like Karen, we stole items from other rooms. The Hovet mirror was raided from the bedroom.

Now that a few days have passed, we like it. The focus is on the window. The mirror brings in light. The room looks more open. Total cost: $0. Now we just need Karen to drop by with some lovely accessories.