5 Steps of Interior Space Planning

Buying new furniture is a difficult task. While color and design choices are important, so are exact measurements and thoughtful layout. You'll be constantly reminded of the fact that a piece of furniture is too large or too small every time you scrape your shin on a too-heavy coffee table or see your guests cram into a too-narrow sofa.

If you want to make sure you get the right size, what should you do? Consider the furniture's size as carefully as you would when purchasing a pair of shoes. Following these five guidelines will get you there faster and more efficiently.

STEP 1: MEASURE

So that you know how much room you have, it's a good idea to get out your tape measure and figure out the dimensions of the room (including the dimensions of any existing furniture). Be sure to double-check your measurements and account for any alcoves or bump-outs.

Step 2: Draw up a floor plan

You should then make a floor plan to use as a guide as you arrange the furniture. Make a rough drawing of the space and its furnishings on grid paper using the measurements you took in Step 1. Get as close to the actual size as you can. Are you afraid of yourself? Create your ideal floor plan and furniture layout with the help of a computer programme or mobile app. After testing a wide variety of floor planning tools, we recommend Better Homes and Gardens' Arrange a Room for its user-friendliness, flexibility, and speed. The one major drawback is that there is not a huge selection of household goods to customise your virtual home with. Floorplanner (which was used to create this quick floorplan) and 3Dream offer more flexibility if you are willing to experiment with something a little more complex. Both have extensive furniture and decor selections and allow you to view your envisioned space from a variety of angles, including in 3D. Go through types of flooring.

Step 3:Plot out the furniture arrangement

Think about the pieces and the empty space around them when you arrange your virtual furniture using the floor plan. You wouldn't want to sit down and inadvertently bump your knees on the coffee table, and you wouldn't want to trip over the ottoman as you walk around the room. Find out if that couch you're in love with will actually fit with your extra-large armchair by consulting the available space with these clearance guidelines. Consider the item's intended function. Do you need a sofa that can seat four people, or would two loveseats be more appropriate? Finally, consider the room's overall visual harmony. You don't want it to look cramped from cramming too much furniture into it, nor do you want it to look empty from having too much space around the pieces.

Step 4: Consider alternative scenarios

Having determined how your proposed furniture arrangement would look in the virtual space, you can now test it out in the physical world. Trace the footprint of your new furniture on the floor with painter's tape or newspaper. As an additional visual aid, we often stack books on the floor in the intended location, creating the illusion of a three-dimensional object rather than just an outline. Are you thinking about getting a bigger table for your dinners? Just place a cardboard sheet of that size on top of your current table to make room for everything. Likewise, remember that the height of your furniture is crucial. Even if your ceiling is only eight feet high, a seven-foot-tall armoire may look too towering. You can measure the armoire against the wall with painter's tape. The vertical relationship between pieces of furniture is another factor to think about. The ideal height for a side table is right next to a sofa arm.

Step 5: Suggestion is to BRING IT IN

Now that you know what furniture you want to buy, measure the space to make sure it will accommodate it (and the house). What is the width of your halls and stairways? It would be devastating to find the ideal piece, pay for it, have it shipped and wait for weeks only to discover that it won't fit in your home interior Design.

Also Read: A BRIEF HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Thanks For Reading!