Hi
there! It’s Rhonda from Stylish
Spaces Designed For Living, my blog
where I talk about interiors, outdoor living, entertaining, fashion, and my
random inspirations! I am thrilled
Tara has allowed me the opportunity to share with you a topic that I think few
of us give very little thought to before heading out to shop for furniture;
SPACE PLANNING! Before you walk
outside of your door to shop for furniture, here are 3 simple things to
consider:
1) Decide the function of the space! Sounds simple enough, right? Determining the activities of the space
will dictate not only what needs to be purchased but also the placement of
those items. Special consideration
should be given to spaces that will serve multiple functions; for example, a
living room that is also a home office, or an eat-in kitchen where the kid’s
homework and arts and crafts will be done as well.
2)
Measure!
Measure! Measure! You want to measure to get the
overall square footage and length of walls in the space. *It is especially
important to accurately measure walls containing windows and doors, as this
will also affect the placement of your furniture, thereby affecting circulation
and traffic patterns throughout the space. The furniture arrangement needs to be such that one can move
comfortably within the room, as well as from that room to another. By taking accurate measurements of the
space, and knowing the dimensions of the furniture, you are able to determine
if the desired pieces will be a good fit for its intended purposes.
3) Draw a floor
plan. This doesn't have to take long at all, and it certainly
doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
However, if you’re interested, there are a number of floor planning
programs that can be downloaded free of charge from the internet to assist you. This plan helps you to take into
account the placement of windows, doors, and other architectural elements like
fireplaces and columns that will determine the size and placement of
furniture. This drawing should
also show the location of HVAC vents, radiators, etc., as it is important that
these are not obstructed. Trust
me; you will be so glad that you did!
Tara
has done a phenomenal job explaining the principles of design in an earlier
series! Keeping in mind scale,
proportion, and balance will go a long way in assisting you to make quality
decisions when shopping for furniture.
A great little resource that has terrific information and is wonderfully
illustrated is "good bones, great pieces", by mother, daughter duo Suzanne and Lauren McGrath,
is about “The seven essential pieces that will carry you through a lifetime”, (Stewart, Tabori &Chang, 2012).
Thanks
so much for having me and please visit me whenever you like! I enjoy visitors and love to talk!
Make
it AMAZING!
Rhonda
