The Importance of Layout Planning

When designing people’s homes, it’s important for us as designers to consider both the general layout functionality as well as how our clients go about their daily lives to use their space. Layout planning is a crucial part of the early-stage design process and creating the ultimate layout can be critical to the design - throughout this post we’ll be sharing some helpful tips for creating the perfect layout.

Blue Bedroom at Thornfield House by Pia Design

One of the first things we ask our clients is what furniture do they already own and want to bring into their new space – this can be a helpful starting point to the design so we can start by placing existing pieces before considering what might be needed to fill in the gaps.

A functioning layout should create a warm and welcoming space that is easy to navigate and includes the necessary storage to keep clutter to a minimum. A layout that doesn’t work for the needs of the homeowner can break the flow of the space and may cause it to become an unused space, or create unused corners of a space that accumulate clutter. Furniture should be placed so it leaves enough circulation room to get around without tripping over or knocking into other furniture and so that wardrobes and other storage furniture are accessible.

The positions of doors and windows should be considered, so that access and natural light isn’t being blocked. Another point to consider when planning a layout, is the distribution of products throughout the space - having too little or too much furniture gathered in one region can make the area feel rather sparse or overcrowded.

An example of layout planning and considering the flow of the space

Tips for Specific Room Layouts

Living Room / Reception

When planning a living room layout consider the distance between the sofa and the TV as to be able to view it comfortably. This is dependent on the size of the TV, but as a guide for a 40-inch sized TV, the sofa should be 1 to 1.5 metres away whereas with an 85-inch sized TV should be 2 to 3.5 metres away from the sofa.

In a living room, the dominant pieces of furniture tend to be a coffee table, side tables and sofa (and often armchairs). Facing the sofa towards the TV or fireplace with armchairs either side facing in can be a cosy layout for socialising, whereas L-shaped sofas tend to work better for casual scenarios like cinema type living rooms.

Formal Reception at Thornfield House by Pia Design

Dining Room

When planning a dining room layout, it’s a common mistake to not consider the space when the dining chairs are pulled out and in use – this can make it tricky for people to get into their seats and can lead to furniture or walls being scratched and scuffed. Make sure there is at least a metre between the dining table and the edges of the room (or 50cm between the back of the chair and the edge of the room).

Another factor to consider is the shape of the dining table. Rectangular shaped tables are good for longer rooms and some tables come with extending leaves so they can be more compact if space is a premium and only extended when required for entertaining. Oval tables are great to save space as it offers the same number of seats without the sharp edges. Round and square tables work for spaces which are more square than elongated - but round tables offer more flexibility on the number of seats than can fit around the table and can help soften the look of a space so it doesn’t feel too ‘boxy’.

Another great space saving solution for narrow dining rooms is a banquette seat as one side of the table can site closer to the wall and banquette bench, and the other can have chairs or a dining bench. This layout tends to work best in narrower spaces, for example in open plan kitchen / dining rooms where the dining table is positioned next to a kitchen island.

Dining Room Layout Planning Guide

Bedroom

A good tip for planning a bedroom layout is to try and place the bed on a wall that will be immediately visible when entering the room - this focuses the eye on the bed area and creates an opportunity for a' ‘feature’ wall - a striking wallpaper, paint colour or interesting headboard. It’s usually best to avoid placing the bed in front of windows as it can be difficult to hang curtains and feeling a draft can interrupt sleep.

It’s important to plan around access to wardrobes and storage, entering and exiting the bed as well as the rotation of the room.  Placing the bed and bedside tables too close to the wardrobes can limit access to storage - make sure you can stand in front of the wardrobe doors and open them fully, without hitting nearby furniture. A bench at the end of the bed creates a place to sit and get changed as well as extra storage depending on the bench design, and can also visually ‘fill’ the space if the bedroom is long.

Depending on the size of the bedroom a seating or reading corner can be created to further fill the space and make it feel balanced and cosy.

A good layout will enhance the experience of a space - if you’d like to speak to an expert about your perfect layout, please get in touch with Pia and her team.