Finding the perfect layout for each room in your home can sometimes be a challenge. With so many possibilities it’s hard to know where to start or what will look best in a room. Before you start designing a space, the number one thing to think about is the flow of the room and the type of mood you want to achieve. Of course, you can move things around in the room to figure this out, but nobody wants to be lugging around a giant luxury sectional sofa through several positions just to see what it would look like! Below we’ve listed some simple steps to help you plan and layout a room without working a sweat.

Grab the Tape

The first step in planning out a room is to break out the tape measurer. Poor measurements of space can get you into a lot of trouble and have you returning furniture items or running back to the store to make an exchange when you’d rather not. Having the proper measurements of your space will help you to lay out a floor plan and plot out where you’d like things to go. Before you start to lay the items out, make the floor plan — grab a piece of graph paper, a pencil and start marking the measurements of the room to scale, making sure to draw in any doors or windows that exist in the space. Then, make a few copies of that plan. Having a few copies of the floor chart will allow you to create a few different layout options for furniture, etc., so you can clearly assess which one flows the best at the end of the day. You may even want to make little paper or cardboard cut-outs of the furniture/items you’re anticipating in the space. This will give you a better vision of how the room will look with those specific items.

Mood & Function

Next, it’s best to think about what sort of flow or mood would you like to achieve in the room. Ask yourself, “what is the function of this room?” Is it lounging, eating, sleeping or playing? For example, if it’s a dining room, you may want things to be a little more formal, with a large table at the center of the room or a bookshelf in the corner. On the other hand, you may want your living room to be bright and spacious, which will certainly require a nice, open layout. In this case, you’ll need to figure where your luxury sectional sofa will fit best, for example, and where to add other furniture that will make the room feel warm and inviting.

Lighting

Lighting is also a key factor when laying out a room. In smaller spaces, it’s best to let as much natural light seep in as possible to create the illusion of a bigger room. This means avoiding crowding the windows with bulky furniture or draperies. Save any larger items, like a luxury sectional sofa, for the corners of the room and highlight the windows with a bright or thin curtain. On the contrary, larger rooms and rooms with less natural lighting can pose a different problem — you’ll need to figure out how to fill the space in a way that’s aesthetically pleasing. Try adding plants or a small table and lamp at the end of your luxury sectional sofa. Adding larger items is key to filling in a larger room, but don’t forget to accentuate it with the right lighting. A tall lamp in the corner of the room is a great touch, or even breaking up the room by painting the walls different colors. Both are excellent ways to create a cozier mood in a large space.

Flow

Perhaps most importantly, take note of the traffic flow in the room. You don’t want your room to be cluttered and difficult to walk in or through. Think about how the room operates. Is it a through space to another room or is it a place of stasis? In either case, creating the opportunity for a natural walking flow in the room is essential to its overall Feng Shui.

Creating the right plan and layout of a room is important to think about before you start placing everything in it. It also greatly informs the size or style of the furniture you choose to put in a room. A. Rudin offers top quality chairs and luxury sections sofas that come in an assortment of styles and sizes. If you’re charting out your floor-plan for a room and are in need of some classy items to spruce things up, check out their collection at A. Rudin today.