There are the obvious, more traditional areas to place furniture in your home like your couch against a wall or the kitchen table right in the kitchen. When designing your floor plan for your own space, why not consider placing your furniture pieces in unexpected places?
Try Placing Furniture In Unexpected Places
[Create a virtual floor plan to see how your unexpected furniture placement will look.]
Typically in smaller homes, being creative when designing and maximizing space will provide more opportunity for your design layout. For example, try placing your home office/desk space right in front of a window or turn your kitchen into a home office. Here are a few inspiring ideas that you can reference when creating your floor plan
1) Look how you live: Comfort, convenience and harmony in your layout are most important. Your layout should work best for you in your space.
2) Multi-task a room: Just because you sleep in your bedroom, doesn't mean it can't double as an office or library space as well.
3) Window? Sure, why not?: When every square foot of wall and floor space is prime real estate, don't overlook using your windows for more then seeing through. If you need the wall space but there's a window, try placing your couch, desk or shorter book case in front of the window.
4) Scale and Balance: When placing your furniture in an unexpected place, still consider the scale of the pieces and balance in the room.
5) Virtual Floorplan: If you aren't quite sure what it would look like if you placed your dining room table in the family room, try creating a virtual floor plan to help you decide. Check out Floorplanner.com for a free design service.
For more design tips:
[Title image via The Inspired Room]
Comments (14)
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If you're going to do a floorplan, it helps to do one to scale (unlike the one pictured above - there's no way that doors are as narrow as a dining room chair or the same depth as a bathroom sink/kitchen counter - or that a TV credenza is going to be as deep as a sofa)
Otherwise you're just wasting time.
view bepsf's profile
I really hate couches against a wall, especially in a small space. It is so uninspired and creates a box that (usually) faces the television and does not create any dynamic for talking and entertaining.
A floating couch is just more interesting and versatile.
view cherrybomb's profile
When you live in an Eichler, with their multiple glass walls, you almost have to do this. We have the family room sofa against one window. Since that window is still single-pane (we're replacing with double-pane a few at a time) it can be a bit cold in the winter. On the other hand, having that window open right behind you during the summer can be lovely.
view paintitbright's profile
Our couch floats in front of a floating staircase to define the "living room" area within a larger space. It leaves us with a funny little triangular "pass-through" when serving drinks to guests:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualingual/2438785582/in/set-72157594505190197/
view visualingual's profile
Hi all - just a note that the featured floor plan was created just to see the space, look and feel. Creating one with accurate scale is definitely a direction to go as well.
view lovinglivingsmall's profile
Its a great idea to move things around from time to time and put them in unexpected places. It gives a fresher outlook or changes the whole atmosphere. I have an L shaped studio, which allows me to have a bedroom 'nook' which is how i've had it since i moved in. i recently moved my bed out of the nook and put my couch and TV in there. Its a nice change.
view srah's profile
Turning your bedroom into an office or library space is screaming for sleep problems. Most sleep experts agree that your bedroom should really only be for bedroom-appropriate activities. But I'm all about multi-tasking other rooms!
view katiek_inDC's profile
/\/\ Ditto.
(It's bad Feng Shui too)
view bepsf's profile
The way my living room is set up I have a fireplace on one wall, sliding doors on another and the entrance in between the other two walls. I always had the couch up against one way, but it didn't seem very inviting. So, finally I moved the couch about 4 feet in front of the sliding doors to the backyard and perpendicular to the fireplace. It looks much better.
However, I still feel like it is a designing "no-no" to place a couch visually in front of sliding doors. Do you all think so?
view Robbybird's profile
one floating couch, and one against the wall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photoinformal/2640141715/in/set-72157605995660886/
i also floated my office desk in such a way that i can look out on my backyard...
view maude's profile
"However, I still feel like it is a designing "no-no" to place a couch visually in front of sliding doors. Do you all think so?"
No - not as long as there is plenty of space to walk around it and use the doors.
view bepsf's profile
I agree with katiek_inDC, please don't multi-task your bedroom! It's supposed to be your retreat!
view HeatherAB's profile
I'd never had a bed against a window until we bought this house. I really like it.
view madampince's profile
I have issues floating furniture, I really like everything up against a wall and a large open space in the middle to walk around in.
view DrRubyDoomsday's profile