Determine the Layout
Before You Begin * Determine the Layout * Choose a Color Scheme * Determine Flooring
* Select an Area Rug * Select Wall Treatments * Determine Lighting * Select Furnishings
* Choose Window Coverings * Arrange the Furniture * Accessorize
* Select an Area Rug * Select Wall Treatments * Determine Lighting * Select Furnishings
* Choose Window Coverings * Arrange the Furniture * Accessorize
After you have drawn the room to scale, you can then experiment with Layout. To determine the best layout for the space you will be decorating, you will need to do the following:
*Determine the balance lines of the room *Determine the traffic patterns *Determine what the room will be used for *Experiment with different furniture arrangements *Determine the balance lines of the room: To do so, take your floor plan of the room and divide it into four equal quadrants. In other words, on your floor plan, draw a pencil line down the center of the width of the room and draw a line across the center of the length of the room to divide the room into four equal size areas. Where the two lines cross is your midpoint and you can use the midpoint as a starting point for planning where to place your furniture around.
Drawing the balance lines and determining the midpoint will keep you in check so that you don't weigh down any one side of the room, but work towards keeping a balance of the furnishings within the whole room. The weight of the furniture should be more or less equal on opposite sides of the room to keep the room in balance. For example, if one side of the room has a large sofa in it, the opposite side of the room might have two chairs with an occasional table between them that face the sofa. The two chairs and occasional table balance out the large sofa. *Determine where the traffic patterns will be within the room: You need to take into consideration the location of doors (and which ways they swing), windows (making sure you have access to open & close them), fireplaces etc... This will tell you where you can't put any furniture because it would block the traffic flow of individuals moving around the room. If a door opens into a room, you will need to give at least 36" of space before placing a piece of furniture or else a person entering the room will have difficulties maneuvering around.
Other things to take into consideration when determining traffic patterns are the placement of heating and cooling vents and units, where a television might be placed if there will be one in the room you are decorating and where conversation areas will be (avoiding having traffic walk through conversation areas or in front of a television). You can re-direct traffic away from these ares depending on where the furniture is placed. Ideally, individuals should be able to "go with the flow" and the pathway from one place within the room to the another should be unimpeded. Note: 30" is about the minimum path width to walk around within a room, however, 48" is desired for major traffic paths in a room. *Determine the desired focal point: That is any interesting fixture or item that individuals will focus on within a room. In other words, it is the area that you will want to be looking at when you are sitting in the room. Some examples of a focal point are a fireplace, the view, artwork or a television.
Most of the time there is one main focal point in a room; however if the room is large, there can be a secondary focal point. For example, in a large living room that has a great view and a fireplace within the same room, the view might be the primary focal point with the fireplace being the secondary focal point. In such a case, the focal points have been pre-determined. Other times, a focal point can be created within a room. Using an interesting piece of artwork or a television can create a focal point. After you have determined a focal point it will be easier to plan furniture placement because you will then know where to start placing seating arrangements. (to face the focal point) Determine what the room will be used for: When making plans for the layout of a room, it is important to know what the room will be used for. If the room you are decorating is a living room that will be used mainly for watching television, then you may decide to place an entertainment center with a television in it on one of the largest walls and have a sofa facing the television etc.
On the other hand if the living room will be used mainly for entertaining and reading, then the layout will be very different and seating areas will need to be set up for both. Experiment with different options for furniture placement. You can do this by drawing different pieces of furniture in pencil on your floor plan, using a furniture template. When using a furniture template, ensure you one that is in the same scale as your floor plan.If you have drawn your floor plan to 1/2 inch scale be sure to use a 1/2 inch template. Another option is to use furniture cut-outs.
Start by placing the largest pieces of wooden furniture, then the largest upholstered furniture, then smaller upholstered furniture then tables and so on. If an arrangement looks too cramped or doesn't look good, you can erase or move the furnishings and start again until you end up with a desirable arrangement.
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Computer planning can make the job a lot easier by allowing you to move items quickly around your screen.
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Before You Begin * Determine the Layout * Choose a Color Scheme * Determine Flooring
* Select an Area Rug * Select Wall Treatments * Determine Lighting * Select Furnishings
* Choose Window Coverings * Arrange the Furniture * Accessorize
* Select an Area Rug * Select Wall Treatments * Determine Lighting * Select Furnishings
* Choose Window Coverings * Arrange the Furniture * Accessorize