12 Aug Find the Perfect Furniture Layout for Your Home
Congratulations, you’ve bought a new house. Or maybe you’ve lived in your house for years but have never liked your furniture plan. You keep moving your furniture around but you just can’t figure out how to position it so that it makes sense. What you need is a space plan (or sometimes referred to as a furniture floor plan).
Can I create a floor plan myself?
Yes, you can. You’ll want to make sure you’re working in an accurate scale to be sure that everything you draw will actually fit. It also helps not only to consider your plan view (looking down from the sky) but also in elevation, which is looking vertically at walls. For example, if you have windows that come close to the ground, you may not want to put a big piece of furniture in front of those. Sill heights will be extremely helpful in figuring that out. You can find more tips about how to measure and draw up your room here:
There are also many software programs or apps that you can use to create a floorplan to scale. If you have the time and energy to fiddle around with learning new software, you may want to google to see what programs are available to assist you with this.
What if my rooms are not the right size or configuration to accommodate my needs?
When thinking about your interior design floor plan, start with the “big picture”. For example, you’ll want to ask yourself, “what functions do I want to accommodate in the house as a whole?” rather than “what do I want to accommodate in a particular space.” The reason that we want you to keep this conversation broad is because you may want to break away from your preconceived notion of what the room should be based on how it was labeled, say, on the realtor’s description of the house.
Consider switching up the function of rooms:
When we first walked through the residential design project we are featuring below, the smaller space functioned as the dining room and the large space functioned as a playroom. Once we discussed the homeowner’s needs, we all came to the conclusion that actually the two rooms should be switched.
Original Layout
After Layout
Before Photo
After Photo: Rebecca McAlpin
Consider changing your openings:
To improve traffic flow, add light, or anchor furniture, you may want to consider widening an opening, closing an opening, or adding windows. Closing an opening might be a DIY project, but if you’re hoping to add an opening on any wall, you need to find out if it’s load bearing and proceed accordingly. Bring in a contractor and/or a structural engineer to help make this determination.
After Photo: Rebecca McAlpin
The opening on the right hand wall was widened by 8 feet to increase connection between spaces and ensure adequate circulation space around furniture (see narrower opening below on right hand “before” photo). We also added a much wider window on the far wall of what is now the dining room to provide tons more light (see left “before” photo, below).
If working with an open plan, make sure you provide an anchor.
A rug or a light fixture can demarcate a zone within a larger space.
Art also helps create a moment, vertically, above low pieces that are situated against walls.
After Photo: Rebecca McAlpin
I tried creating a floor plan myself but I’m still unhappy with the layout.
This is where an interior designer comes in. Interior designers are experts at space planning. What else does an interior designer consider when creating an effective floor plan? We understand scale, clearances, traffic patterns, aesthetics, psychology, durability, and functionality.
More floor plan questions?
Consider a consultation with a d2e design consultant. Simply visit our Talk to Us page and complete the Client Contact Form.
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