If we could give one piece of advice when it comes to purchasing furniture for your home, it is to plan your layout! Planning a layout accurately and precisely can really be the solution to nailing your home design… and trust us when we say it can save you money in the long term. We see so many clients coming to us and asking us to redo rooms they’ve attempted to throw together as soon as they moved in or without proper planning.
So here, we are focusing on, what for many is the heart of the home, the living room and sharing our top five tips on how to design your living room layout.
1. Draw up your measurements
Draw up your measurements using archiplain, a FREE online tool. Simply measure up your space and enter the measurements and start to draw up your plans!
2. Create a plan of movement
First things first, think about how you use the space so the room will function the way you need it to. Where will you walk through? Do you want a space where you can totally veg out in front of the TV or one where you can host & socialise? Or both? If the former, you’ll want your TV to be your focus, which is fine, but just try and detract attention away from the TV where possible. On the other hand, when you’re creating layouts ideal for socialising, think about how your eye contact would meet another person in the room. So two sofas facing each other or a sofa facing two arm chairs would be ideal. Don’t forget, when planning seating arrangements to allow a good distance between seats.
3. Plan your layout!
Now you need to work out the configurations & see what furniture can fit where. Do some research the average sized pieces of furniture you’ll need. For example, a 3 seat sofa is on average around 180 -230cm and a round coffee table is typically 80cm in diameter. If you need a bit of help, refer to our “Learn To Be Your Own Designer: Issue 1” download which gives you all the common pieces of furniture you’ll need to accurately plan a layout.
4. Get proportion right & don’t buy items too big / small for the space
This applies to all furniture, but our main tip here is to remember that it a sofa shouldn’t ideally take up more than two thirds of the wall it backs up on. Also, remember to check that the depth of the sofa is going to be practical and visually pleasing for the amount of space you have to work with.
Once you have worked out your ideal furniture, get some masking tape and draw it out on the floor. This will really help you visualise it in your space as you can see it in it’s actual form on the floor.
5. Check access to the room
Always remember to accurately check if your furniture can actually fit into your home.
- Door widths
- Tight corners
- Lift heights & widths
- Window opening dimensions
- Whether radiators may cause issues
- If pendant lights should be removed
Also check any entry routes that the sofa will need to pass through. Also find out the height of it and checking whether the legs are removable.
If a sofa arrives and it doesn’t fit, don’t worry there are options to consider. Again, head to our Downloadable Guide on Layouts to find out more.
Still feeling stuck?
Or want more tips?
Purchase and download our new handy downloadable guide on layouts for bedrooms, lounges & hallways here. Or if you’ve already purchased that, our ’10 Step Planner; Guide To Planning Your Home Design’ here.
Or if you need a bit more of a helping hand, our team at Topology also offer an in depth design service for all budgets big and small. Services start from £299 per room, see here. So, whether you want light guidance or a consolidated delivery & on-site management – we’re you’re girls!
