The Space Planning & Measuring Tips You Need

Have you ever bought a sofa, accent chair or table that looked wonderful in the store (or on Pinterest) but lost its charm once you brought it home? If the color and style were right, the problem may have been that the piece of furniture simply wasn’t the right scale for the room. Whether you’re building a new home, remodeling an existing room or simply rearranging furniture, even the most straightforward parts of space planning can get complicated quickly – and is best done with a plan in mind. Before you start doing any heavy lifting, consider these space planning and measuring tips.

Before venturing out to shop for new pieces, make sure you have the dimensions down. Carefully measure the height and width of each room, getting the true proportions of the space, which will help to give you a realistic idea of which new pieces of furniture will create the flow you want in each room.

Having the dimensions makes it very helpful to scale your new furniture choices to fit each space. Have a variety of room sizes? Here are several approaches depending on the size of the room:

For small rooms, like an 8 x 10 guest room or home office, consider a compact pieces like apartment sofas and accent chairs, which could pair with a small desk for writing or crafts.

For medium spaces, like a 12 x 12 den/family room, you’ll definitely have enough room to allow for options. Combine a loveseat with a comfy recliner or with a cozy chair & ottoman duo to fill out the space (without overcrowding the room).

For large spaces, like a 15 x 18 living room, ample size calls for ample-sized furniture. With the ability to house a stylish sectional, configure your space as your mood, and the number of your guests, might require. As with all of the room sizes above, add an inch to each of the furniture dimensions, just to err on the side of safety.

The most forgotten about measurements can often be entryways, including stairways, corners and even hallways (the word PIVOT comes to mind). That gorgeous new loveseat might be the perfect place to have tea with your old roommate, but it won’t do you much good when squirrels are storing nuts in the cushions on the lawn because you didn’t measure the width of the front door.

One last tip? Draw out a quick sketch before you start buying pieces or moving things around. This will help you keep in mind other items that could get in the way, like large baskets, plants and lighting fixtures.

For more furniture shopping tips, check out Value City Furniture’s blog. Are you trying arrange your space for the holidays? Tell us in the comments!