• What is the importance of a well-designed floor plan?
  • A well-designed floor plan is essential for creating a happy and safe home environment. It determines the layout of furniture, facilitates traffic flow, and allows for efficient use of space.
• How should I begin designing a floor plan?
  • Start by considering your needs and lifestyle, as well as the function and feel you want to achieve in each space. Understanding these factors will guide you in creating a personalized floor plan.
• What are some common mistakes to avoid in floor planning?
  • Common mistakes include choosing the wrong rug size, placing furniture too close together, and impeding room flow. It is also important to consider safety issues, such as sharp corners for families with small children.
• How can I make my floor plan flexible for entertaining?
  • To make your floor plan suitable for entertaining, consider incorporating movable and flexible seating options like poufs. Determine your seating needs for different occasions and plan accordingly.
• What are some key indicators that signify a well-designed floor plan?
  • A well-designed floor plan should have accurate measurements, proper placement of furniture, sufficient traffic flow, and consideration for safety aspects. Ensuring all these elements align indicates a successful floor plan.
• How can I make electrical considerations in my floor plan?
  • It is advisable to have electrical outlets available on every wall and consider installing floor outlets for table and floor lamps. Additionally, include cable and ethernet access points based on your technology needs.
• What tools should I use for measuring in floor planning?
  • It is recommended to use an old-fashioned measuring tape for accuracy. Avoid relying solely on measuring apps, as they may not provide precise measurements for designing your floor plan.
• How can I transition to my dream floor plan successfully?
  • Transition to your dream floor plan by staying true to your desired home style and working with the existing space you have. Focus on maximizing the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the layout.

Designing the Perfect Floor Plan

When you move into a new home, one of the first design decisions you will need to make is your floor plan. Once you land on the layout of furniture, you can start shopping and make any architectural changes like adding built-ins, etc. A thoughtful floor plan is a key to a happy and safe home, but designing one is not exactly intuitive. It can be a challenge to figure out where to situate a bed in a bedroom full of windows, or how to make room for a party of 15 in a studio apartment but it can be done! Here to guide you on your journey to the perfect floor plan is Decorno Elite Designer Joshua Jones.

First Considerations for Designing a Floor Plan

There really isn’t any one “right” floor plan; it’s all dependent on what you need a room to do for you and how you want to function in it. The feeling you want to have in a space also influences the floor plan. So, I learn about my client first and how they live, or want to live, to start thinking about a floor plan, room design, and furniture layout.

Subsequent Steps in Floor Planning

I’ll brainstorm with my client some possible options of directions we can go with the space. Once we narrow down some options, I start playing with and exploring the space by building it in a drafting program. That allows me to easily change around walls, built-ins, or other stationary aspects and play with the furniture layout while giving me real-time, exact measurements.

General Rules of Thumb for Floor Planning

In a perfect world, I consider the ideal distance for traffic flow at 5 feet. Realistically, most homes I work with don’t always have that option so we end up either 3 or 4 feet distance for the traffic flows. I don’t recommend less than 3 ft clearance, or you get into issues. Keep in mind, safety issues also come into play when I think about floor plans…

Electrical Considerations in Floor Plans

In general, electrical outlets should be available on every wall. If you have a large room and want to have a seating area in the middle then you should design floor outlets for table and floor lamps. With how we live now, you also need to consider cable and ethernet access into the floor plan. This also comes down to understanding how you want to live in the space…

Common Mistakes in Home Decor Floor Planning

In most cases, I notice the wrong rug size and furniture placement too close to each other, impeding room flow and causing insufficient light. Rug size is important because it is the foundation for everything else in the space…

Pro Tips for Measuring in Floor Planning

Stick with an old-fashioned measuring tape. No measuring apps will really measure the room accurately; I’ve tested many and they are frequently off. Do it yourself with the tape and you won’t go wrong.

Making Floor Plans Flexible for Entertaining

If I am designing a living room, I ask my client to see what their goal is for maximum seating for entertaining. I then try to achieve this with different kinds of seating options, including movable and flexible seating like poufs…

Floor Planning Safety Tips for Families with Small Children

No sharp corners or edges, especially as you first enter a room. Kids running into a room can easily hit that bookshelf built-in with sharp edges if it’s right next to the door. If you have fragile collections, decor, or glass-fronted items like a curio, place them in corners or elevate them to keep them out of kids’ usual routes or regular traffic flow.

Key Indicators that Your Floor Plan is Right

From a physical viewpoint, I’d start with overall measurement first, then measure all the details like window, walls, doors, etc. Add up all the measurements to make sure it is equal to the overall measurement…

Tips for Transitioning to Your Dream Floor Plan

I’d stay true with the style that you want to have for your home and work with the space that you do have…

Additional Floor Planning Tricks-of-the-Trade

If you are working on the living room, start with the maximum amount of seating you’d like to have for your family and guests. Focus on that before you add any other pieces that take up floor real estate.