There are so many aspects of Interior Design that I enjoy, some of the obvious being selecting rugs, textiles, lighting, and the finishing touches that pull a room together. One of my favorite parts of a project, though, is space planning. This may not seem as dreamy as planning the perfect window treatment, but it is absolutely one of the most important parts of the process, and for me is like solving a good puzzle.
When space planning for my clients I use a program called AutoCad, which allows me to draw the floor plan of a room. Once that step is complete I can give my clients many options for renovation plans, changes in interior architecture, or kitchen and bathroom layouts. It is also very helpful for furniture planning! When a room is drawn out I can plug in existing furniture to be sure it will fit, and scale in new rugs and furniture to ensure that we get the right size. It can be very difficult to envision the way something will fit into a room, so seeing it in plan view is very helpful. If you don’t have access to a furniture planning software, there are some simple things that you can do to be sure that your furniture fits properly.
Begin by measuring the room. Even if it’s very basic, measure the perimeter including doors and windows, your ceiling height, and your overall length and width. Keep this handy when searching for large pieces of furniture. Just by having your overall dimensions, you can be sure that you have enough clearances around the large pieces. Keep in mind the size of your room. Smaller rooms should have smaller furniture, larger rooms can take larger pieces. Nothing makes a small room feel smaller than an enormous sofa or table. Once you’ve selected something that you like, tape out the dimensions on the floor. This way you can walk around it, and truly get a sense of how much space it will take up. You can do this for rugs, any large pieces of furniture, and even art.
The comfortable feeling that you get from a well decorated room comes from more than beautiful rugs and accessories. Having furniture that fits properly and is arranged nicely is the unnoticed ‘something’ that makes a space enjoyable. Once you have pieces that are a good scale and proportion you can move them around, playing with the arrangement. It may drive your housemates crazy, but that’s part of the fun!
