ideas and inspiration

How to plan your room layout

• 17 September 2021
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• 4 Min Read
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• By Jaipur Rugs

When planning the layout of a room, there are several factors you have to take into consideration when planning the decor of the room, especially if it is a small space.

Recently moved into your new abode? You might be wondering how to layout your rooms using the architecture of the space to your advantage. When planning the layout of a room, there are several factors you have to take into consideration when planning the decor of the room, especially if it is a small space. For example: traffic patterns, fireplaces, odd wall-angle, built-ins (if any) seating arrangement, windows, doors, and the function of the space. The room’s measurements and the dimensions of the furniture in it are also just as important. With the right home decor tips, you can save money, time, and mental and physical effort into making your room look aesthetic and be supremely practical in terms of its layout. Here are a few to keep in mind that will help you make further decisions.

      1. Start with an empty room

It is always advised by professionals that starting with a clean slate, i.e. an empty room when planning its layout is way better than dealing with a room full of furniture. From there, you will have the freedom to imagine everything without any mental obstructions. You can start with a blank sheet of graph paper or even use a software/app to visually map the furniture in the room before moving it physically. This will give you a clear idea as to how it will look in the designated space. Free software or apps are widely available for you to explore. If you wish to opt for the old school way, then just pick a pad of paper, pencil, and an eraser. This will give you a lot of freedom to decide how your room will function and look.

      2. Getting your room’s focal point

Every room needs and usually has a focal point to draw attention to. Large spaces may even have more than one given their size. So, before you go ahead and move your furniture, make sure you have your apt focal point. Some spaces which have fireplaces, french doors, beautiful big windows with a view, built-in shelves will also influence your furniture placement a lot.

You can have a major focal point, which is usually the TV in family homes, and other minor focal points like accent lights, a piece of framed art, etc. Make sure you take advantage of the unique features of your space when planning the layout. Every other home decor tip will follow and fall into place.

      3. Build from rugs

Rugs can be a great foundation to build your room layout. It works as an area guide for furniture placement. In most cases, rugs for home come in the 8x10 size range which will fit most furniture layouts. You can choose from different styles of layouts when you have chosen a rug for your home and office and arrange the furniture accordingly. You can choose to have all legs of the furniture on the rug or just the front two feet to anchor the rug in your room. When it comes to your dining room, the rug should be placed in such a way that all the chairs and the table are on the rug, and when the chairs are pulled, two feet remain on the rug. In a dining room, the table and chairs should be centered on the rug. In a bedroom that is comparatively large, you can place an oversized rug under the bed and also include the nightstands and any other surrounding furniture. If you have a compact bedroom, use an 8x10 rug to cover just the front two legs of the bed.

       4. Traffic flow

You don’t want a room that is so busy with furniture that there is hardly room to move around. You need enough breathing space for it to look well organized and the layout to work. No home decor tips can save you from a room that is way too small for all the furniture you are trying to fit into it. As a rule of thumb, you should allow for at least 3-4 feet of easy traffic flow. You can use your rug to maintain a distance around its perimeter and make it the pathway. You should also remember to allow 24 inches between chairs and 18 inches between the sofa and a center table for people to move freely within the seating space.

With these tips, you can plan your room layout much more efficiently. Plan keeping furniture, traffic flow, and functionality in mind as a priority, but don’t forget the aesthetic value of your room as well when doing so.