Space Planning to Avoid Costly Mistakes!
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve gotten my Blog On! but I’m ready to give away some more tips and treasures on designing a perfect space. Today is all about Space Planning or creating a proportional representation of a space. It is one of the first steps if you are planning on painting a room, redecorating or laying new carpet. Drawing to scale, or creating a proportional representation of a particular area, is just a matter of careful measurement. Hopefully, you have never found yourself in the position of bringing home that much loved furniture piece only to find out that it doesn’t fit! Space Planning is the key to avoid such a costly mistake.
I think of the floor plan or space plan as an “inside-out” or interior design-based approach for developing the best arrangement, scale and proportion for interior spaces. Ask yourself: What is a room’s purpose? How can the space best serve the intended uses? What are the visual interest anchors of the room? As you ask yourself these questions, create a list of needs for the room. How is the room to be used? BE REALISTIC about how the room will really be used. You may have an “ideal” vision for the room: it is immaculate, a showplace, world leaders will be in awe of your beautiful home…..but you have kids…remember??? or pets or a sloppy spouse! It is okay to put everything on the list, but remember to put the things you do not want but must live with, like a toy box, a litter box or hamper on your reality list. Also on the list should be items that the room should be able to accommodate. For instance:
- Comfortable seating for eight for social occasions
- Focus on the architectural elements such as a fireplace, picture window, etc.
- Display of artwork
- Curio cabinet to display figurines/collections
- Seat four comfortably for TV viewing
- Computer desk for the family
Once these issues are determined, a floor plan and a layout and arrangement of furnishings are created. This arrangement determines the proper size, scale and proportion of each room.
Things You’ll Need:
- Tape measure
- Notepad
- Graph paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
Now, begin by drawing a rough sketch of your room on either graph or plain paper. This is just a guide of the basic shape and placement of each wall, counter, door, window and other elements. Draw each room while standing or sitting in the room to make sure you note anything that should be present in your scaled floor plan. Measure the length and width of the room in question with a tape measure that reads in feet. Note measurements on a notepad being sure to include every wall. At this point you can label a small sketch with the measurements or just give each wall a title (i.e. connecting wall) and list them, whatever method works best for you. Be sure to include the location of doors, windows and any other fixtures.
Next, transfer the measurements onto your graph paper using a pencil and a ruler. Include in the sketch any permanent pieces of furniture, built-in shelving or cupboards. Transferring the measurements onto your graph paper means you will be taking each measurement and drawing it onto the graph paper using a scale of 1 foot is equal to 1 square on the paper. Know that length multiplied by width will give you the square footage of the room or as it is also called the OA for Overall Area. This calculation is a good way of checking that you have filled in the right number of squares on your paper. Make some photocopies of the blank layout so you can save different furniture layout versions.
Create scaled furniture pieces using the same method. Measure the furniture, and then draw it on the graph paper. Cut out the furniture pieces. Color them in if it helps you better visualize the room. This allows you to rearrange the furniture, move items or add pieces without having to draw a new floor plan or make tons of copies. Having little furniture cutouts saves time in the long run.
Occasionally it is helpful to also plan a vertical space plan. This is especially helpful if you have several windows and you want a chest, table or sofa to fit perfectly under the window. Knowing how much vertical space you have will be extremely helpful when shopping for that ideal piece that also happens to be the perfect height!
A little planning goes a long way in any kind of design project. The fun stuff really doesn’t begin until you’ve done your homework! Happy decorating and if you need more expert help….call Carma For Design…..because it’s all about:
Better Living by Design!