Let me help you avoid this mistake and guide you in what to do instead.
Image of design by Hucker Guthrie Donaldson Farmhouse
When chatting with people I often hear the following common themes…
Regret that their furniture doesn’t fit in their newly renovate space.
Frustration that they can’t orientate the room how they had envisaged.
Disappointment that their space is so much bigger or smaller than they expected.
Annoyance at the placement of windows and doors and how they affect where they can place furniture.
Where do all these problems stem from?
Not planning out your floorplan at the beginning of the design process.
Because I hear this so often I want to help you avoid the same mistakes with your new build, extension, renovation or when you update your living spaces. Here are some tips to help you feel confident when you plan out your living space…
1. Measure your new living space
When you are looking at your new house plans on a piece of paper it can be easy to see the dimensions as just numbers on a page. The best way to know confidently that the yet to be built space will work for you is to measure it out yourself. Seeing the space in front of you allows you to assess if the size is what you had imagined, and if it might need to be reduced or enlarged. If your space is too large to measure out with a tape measure then it’s time to grab out the graph paper and draw it up to scale. If you don’t have time or the inclination to do this yourself having your space drawn up in 3D is another option that an interior designer, architect, building designer or draftsperson can do for you.
TIP If drawing up your own floorplan you will need:
Ruler (regular or scaled ruler)
Eraser
Lead pencil, fine tipped marker &/or coloured pens to mark out windows, doors, walls
Graph paper (A4 or A3 should fit the bill)
Tape measure (if measuring up existing space) and paper to jot down measurements
Image of design by Mim Design Coastal Pavilion House
Notice how the furniture has been chosen with the placement and size of the windows in mind. The low bench seat allows for the view outside to be fully appreciated and not obstructed.
2. Measure all your items
This is the time to take a good old-fashioned inventory of all your things. Measure all the obvious major furniture pieces like your sofas, coffee table and armchairs and note down the width, depth and height. Also remember all the smaller pieces you’d also love to include in your new space such as lamps, side tables, rugs and pot plant stands.
TIP Now’s the time to decide if all the pieces are still serving you and if you want to include them in your new space as well.
Image of design by Phoebe Nicol
Notice how the dimensions of the sofa have been considered to allow for easy access to outside. There is a lovely amount of space to walk in front of the fireplace, and the small armchair also means there is plenty of seating without the space feeling bulky.
3. Consider the orientation and flow
We all know how natural light affects how we use a room. The beautiful morning light verses the harsh afternoon sun all plays a part on what times of the day we enjoy certain rooms in our homes. Look at the orientation of your living space on the floorplan as this will help you plan where you’d best like your furniture to be placed. Along with this it’s helpful to look at how your living space relates to other adjoining rooms.
Does your living space also act as a part walkway to other rooms?
Is your dining area separate or part of this bigger room?
How will people enter your home and access the living space?
These are all good questions to think about in determining how you will create the best living space for your particular floorplan.
TIP Always refer to the north point on any renovation floorplan drawings to work out if your living spaces are in the best position to receive north/east light. If the less used rooms in your floorplan receive the best orientation now would be the time to change that!
Image from the home of Jess Wootten and Krystina Menegazzo
Notice how the placement of the living room furniture doesn’t make the entrance into this home feel cramped, rather it feel spacious.
4. Think about the function of your living space
This may seem like a bit of an obvious point as isn’t a living space for living in? Well yes, but people like to live in different ways. Be brutally honest with yourself here.
Do you mainly want to use the room to watch T.V?
Do you love having sofas facing each other to create stimulating conversion?
Is the view that you love to sit and take in at the beginning or end of the day?
Have you always dreamed of having a fireplace you can relax in front of?
All these questions highlight different ways people will use their living spaces.
TIP Nail down your top two priorities on how you plan to use your space & focus on them.
Image of design Studio McGee
Notice how this living room is unashamedly designed to be a place to watch television. A sophisticated way to incorporate your television into the space, without it becoming the main focal point, is to design around it by using open or closed cabinetry as seen in this room.
5. Place your furniture in a scale drawing
This is the next layer after you’ve measured out the overall dimensions of the room itself. You can do this step using graph paper and scaling your room and furniture to the same scale. From here you can try out different combinations of furniture and multiple layouts. You will need to take note of the doors and windows in your new space and allow room for people to navigate around furniture in the most natural way. This step will often highlight if you need to:
Edit the amount of furniture you’re hoping will all fit
Replace a piece of furniture with another of a different size
Change the position of doors & windows currently on the plan
Help to inform you on where power points and lights would be best placed
TIP Remember if you do need to replace a piece of furniture always have those trusted measurements with you when shopping. This way you know exactly what size piece would work best.
Image of design from the home of Emma Riley
With such a big modular sofa as is seen in this home drawing up your furniture in a scaled room would be super helpful, think about how you would feel if it didn’t fit or it blocked your doorway?!
Remember to consider these 5 interior tips when planning your new living space.
I promise they will save you stress and unnecessary mistakes. You want to feel proud, happy and comfortable with your newly renovated space so put some extra time into planning – it will be worth it! Like a little extra help in this process? Feel free to reach out here.
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