We share the most current tips for arranging furniture in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and nursery, as well as design hacks for small apartments and a checklist of common planning mistakes.
How to arrange furniture so that you don’t trip over a chair, don’t bump into sharp corners of cabinets and bedside tables, and, finally, have unobstructed access to the window? We explain the general rules, share ideas for a small space, and analyze the main mistakes. And we consider examples of ready-made layouts for different rooms.
Ideas for different rooms
Let’s look at how to properly arrange furniture in a house, using different rooms as an example. Taking into account the area, the shape of the room, and its functionality.
How to decorate a living room
Before buying sofas, chests of drawers, and other large items, prepare a plan for their arrangement. Where is the best place to put a sofa? Where should I design a library or a children’s corner? All this should fit harmoniously into the footage, not block passages, and be located near sockets and switches if we are talking about electrics. Place, move – create the perfect interior on paper or in a special program. And only after that go to the store.
Main functions
The living room has beautiful decor, a comfortable sofa, and a TV. It also has a lot of necessary functions that the right environment will help you to install. If you often have friends over, a narrow sofa should give way to a spacious folding sofa. If you love books and your partner loves to play video games, think about a spacious shelving unit or additional shelves where you will store books and CDs. Or maybe you need a comfortable workplace.
And there are a lot of such examples that can be given, but the essence will not change: a living room is not only an interior but also a list of functions. Which one you have is up to you to decide.
Transformers
A folding table, a sofa bed, a bed-wardrobe – transformers can become a real lifesaver for owners of small spaces and for everyone who wants to get a truly universal interior in a standard size.
Living room design schemes
- Circular- a table or ottoman is placed in the center, and all other objects are placed around it. Ideal for large families and fun companies.
- Symmetrical— the main item (TV, vase, aquarium with fish) is hung or placed in the center and then the furniture is mirrored to the left and right. This composition is characteristic of the classical style, although, of course, it is not limited to it.
- Asymmetrical— objects are placed in random order, without correlation in size, height, and dimensions. Besides being creative, this is a good way to visually expand a small room.
Below are several ready-made layouts of furniture in the living room of different shapes and sizes.
How to arrange furniture in the kitchen
In the kitchen, you should start by connecting appliances and sewer connections. Depending on the location of pipes and sockets, build your ideal interior. The entire storage system is usually located around the sink, refrigerator, and hob. Next, you need to place the rest.
Cabinets
If you have a classic layout, where the refrigerator is at one end of the work area and the sink is at the other, you have several options. The first is to move the refrigerator. It can be swapped, for example, with a stove. In this case, it will become closer to the sink, but the downside is that the bulky design will cut off one part of the surface from the other. The second option is more convenient but labor-intensive: move the wet area. This will require approval, but the end result will be a comfortable, functional room. The dining area in this layout is usually located near the opposite wall, or, if the footage allows, in the center of the room.
If your kitchen is designed according to the principle of an equilateral triangle and the refrigerator, stove, and sink are located around you at a convenient distance, consider yourself lucky. This is one of the most convenient layouts. The dining part will then be located at least 60 cm (preferably 100) from the working part.
Non-standard solutions
For example, let the worktop be narrower than in the photo of a classic kitchen interior. This will save space, and you will find equipment for it, so, the variety of choices today allows this. But it’s better to be on the safe side – to avoid making the fabric too narrow, look in advance for appliance options with suitable dimensions: compact sinks and dishwashers, narrow washing machines, and small hobs. Well, select floor and wall cabinets by size when ordering a set. By the way, a narrow tabletop is an excellent option for those who dream of a U-shaped work area but do not have enough square meters.
It is possible to equip a full-fledged dining area even in tiny square footage if you design upper storage systems. Moving storage upstairs will free up some space downstairs—just enough for a couple of extra chairs or a wider table. Plan a couple of shelves or small drawers around the stove: it will be convenient to store utensils and dishes, and it is also a good way to separate the rest of the space from the hot stove, splashes, and dirt during cooking. And as a result, you can save time on additional cleaning.
Open and closed storage
A continuous chain of bulky cabinets narrows the space too much. But still, you shouldn’t eliminate drawers from your kitchen, just add a couple of shelves, shelves, or a sideboard for dishes – and the kitchen will become more airy.
Closed cabinets are good for storing dishes, small household appliances, and food supplies. To organize storage, use special dividers and organizers for small items and cutlery. If you have a few free meters left or an unfilled space in the work area, you can put a cargo rack there. The upper level of the workspace is designed to store beautiful plates, elegant cups, and other beautiful things. To make all this beauty pleasing to the eye, it makes sense to hang open shelves or a glass display at the top instead of blank cabinets.
Dining area
Even the smallest kitchen needs a table or at least its equivalent. The only exception is if you are only sleeping at home. In all other cases, if you refuse the dining area, you will definitely experience inconvenience. If there is little space, expand the window sill and place one or two folding chairs there, or plan a folding table against the wall. And if the space allows you to fit a bar counter in the kitchen, take advantage of this chance, because this is not only a dining area, but also a work surface!
Below are examples of ready-made layouts with furniture arrangement.
How to arrange furniture in the bedroom
As a rule, the bedroom is not the largest room in the house. And sometimes it’s even a small nook of a few square meters or part of the living room. Here’s what’s important to consider when applying.
Sleeping area
The most important piece of furniture in the bedroom is, of course, the bed. It is best to move it against the wall with the headboard. Psychologists say that this gives residents a feeling of security and sleep becomes more comfortable. If the room is intended for one person, it is best to place a small bed against the wall, not only with the headboard but also with the side – it’s more comfortable. The same can be done if we are talking about a sleeping place for two young people who will not have any difficulty getting off it. The classic option is a bed in the center of the room, framed by dressing tables and sconces. Convenient, but not suitable for a narrow room. The passage between the edge of the bed and the wall opposite must be at least 70 centimeters.
Where is the best place not to put a bed?:
- First of all, by the window, for several reasons. First: it often blows from the window, especially in the cold season. A draft can cause frequent lingering colds. The second reason: as a rule, there is a battery under the window opening, which means that the air during the heating season will be dry and excessively hot. Which also won’t add points to convenience. But if your layout is such that there are two windows in the bedroom, then it is quite possible to place a bed between them against the wall. Provided that there are high-quality windproof double-glazed windows, of course.
- Opposite the entrance. Sleeping near the door is uncomfortable from a purely psychological point of view. On top of that, when the light is on in the next room and the door to the bedroom opens suddenly, the vacationer may wake up.
- Next to the mirror. According to psychologists, this uncomfortable place has a detrimental effect on sleep, just like the door. It is better that when you wake up, a pleasant decor catches your eye, for example, a painting or photo. Want to experiment? Try placing your sleeping area diagonally. The vacant niche in the corner can be filled with a shelving unit or bedside table.
Storage systems
What else do you usually equip a bedroom with? Bedside tables, sometimes a dressing table, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe. If the arrangement of small items can be changed at least every day, then the cabinet will not be so easy to move. Therefore, it is important to think through the place for it, as well as for the bed, in advance.
The ideal option would be the area opposite or to the side of the window on the opposite wall. Why can’t it be placed next to the opening? In this case, the clothes will not be sufficiently illuminated, and choosing an outfit will become more difficult.
Here’s the arrangement you can make in the bedroom.
Children’s furniture
In a children’s room, even if it is of a modest size, it is especially important to consider the division into zones.
The child should have separate places for rest, study, creative activities, and outdoor games. A desk is most often placed near the window, since it is used for writing, drawing, modeling, etc. You need good lighting, primarily natural. Further, if space allows, you can also arrange a corner for relaxation and reading, and sometimes put a bed. It is also convenient to place it to the right or left of the entrance.
If the room is for two or three children, the beds are usually placed on either side of the door in the room. For a narrow room, a sequential arrangement option is suitable: headboard to footboard. If there is not enough space, but you want to create a secluded corner for your child, a loft bed with a sleeping place on top would be an excellent option.
Here are some examples of ready-made furniture arrangement plans for a nursery.
How to arrange furniture in a small apartment
We offer rules that will help you visually save and even increase the space of a studio or a typical small-sized apartment.
Use furniture instead of walls and partitions
A bar counter, a sofa with a high back, a shelf, and a chest of drawers are quite capable of blocking the space, separating one functional area from another: for example, a kitchen-dining room from a living room or a living room from a bedroom. Such an arrangement in a small apartment helps create a feeling of lightness and spaciousness.
Don’t leave blind spots
When arranging small apartments, it is extremely important to rationally use every centimeter, including the so-called dead zones: the partitions between the wall and the window, the space around interior openings, and the space under the window. They can be used to place shelving or bookshelves, provide additional seating, etc.
Make a podium
Why not raise the berth to a low or even high podium? The internal volume of the structure can be disposed of in different ways. For example, it is permissible to supplement the bed with a lifting mechanism. Then underneath there will be a place to store bed linen, blankets, and pillows.
Another option is to equip the podium with roll-out drawers. A similar option that requires less effort, money, and time is a bunk bed. Instead of a lower bed, it’s easy to organize a mini-living room or work area.
Use multifunctional items
A small space should work in any living situation, and therefore for its arrangement you should select “nesting”, stackable or stackable objects. For example, matryoshka tables or folding tables, and therefore chairs that do not take up space when folded.
Small-sized and multifunctional items, such as poufs, tables, and benches, will fit well into the interior. As well as floor mirrors, inside of which there are containers for storing all sorts of things.
Add mirrors and glass
The more air and light there is in a small apartment, the more spacious it looks. Transparent objects and models made of glass or thermoplastic with mirror surfaces will either “dissolve” in the room or visually increase their small area due to the reflective effect.
By the way, a mirror can “double” the volume; the main thing is to choose the optimal location for it: for example, opposite a window or near the passage to an adjacent room.
Order furniture according to individual measurements
In a one-room apartment, every centimeter counts, and if you can’t find an item of the required dimensions, then the best option is to have it made to order. The creation of a cohesive space, “not littered” with inappropriate things, is facilitated by built-in objects flush or in existing and specially built niches.
It is very important that cabinets or other elements of the composition fit exactly into them in depth – even facades protruding slightly beyond the line of the walls look sloppy and interfere with movement.
Choose furniture that will take up unused space
These are always available under the ceiling and on the floor line. Therefore, instead of cabinets and bedside tables with legs, it is better to choose floor-standing models and purchase folding sofas with drawers for bed linen. A mezzanine is also useful – built-in or combined with a free-standing wardrobe. It makes sense to “duplicate” hanging modules with a second row of sections up to the ceiling – rarely used or, say, seasonal items can be sent there.
To prevent the apartment from seeming cramped, select furnishings that will look like a continuation of the walls, without contrasting with them in color and decoration. Don’t skimp on transformable things: a low price is an indicator of poor quality materials and unreliability of transformation mechanisms.
What not to do: checklist of errors when arranging
When planning a room, there are several poor decisions that then affect both comfort and design. Remember and don’t repeat these mistakes!
- The amount of furniture does not correspond to the size of the room. It is necessary to maintain a balance: there should be so many items that, on the one hand, all the functions assigned to the room are covered, and on the other hand, it is comfortable to use these functions.
- The chest of drawers is placed facing the bed. In a small room, this is not the most ergonomic solution. From the point of view of saving space, it is much better to place the chest of drawers on the same wall as the bed. This will eliminate the need for a bedside table. In some cases, gain space for additional functional areas.
- The center of the room is empty. Furniture placed along the walls and an empty space in the center of the room is a solution that is justified only in a children’s room: a child’s play activities sometimes require a lot of space. In other rooms, the emptiness in the middle of the room will look strange and uncomfortable. If you urgently need a free middle of the room, stop at an impressive ceiling lamp: it will restore balance in the interior.
- Missing accents. If all objects are approximately the same size and have a similar color scheme, the decor automatically becomes boring and “flat”. Add accents: Make one or more elements stand out in size, style or color.
- Zoning is not thought out. A huge mistake that will turn your environment into a collection of disparate furniture. Be sure to think about zoning: not only the location of furniture, but also light, color of decoration, semi-partitions, shelving and screens, or different floor and ceiling levels.
- There are extra pieces of furniture. When arranging your home, proceed from your own lifestyle: if you live alone and rarely receive guests, you definitely don’t need a dining table for six seats. Do you hardly cook at home? Give up a bulky kitchen set in favor of a lighter and more compact option. Don’t clutter the space with endless coffee tables, chests of drawers and consoles if they have no practical use.
The most important thing about our X that it is for
those who are in a hurry
