How to Make a Furniture Plan

Deborah Ogden

Why make a plan?

Furniture tends to look small in a huge furniture store,

and then can look enormous in the house when it is delivered!

Why do we need to learn furniture arrangements?

A lot of furniture is not returnable, especially custom items.

Or if returnable, may be inconvenient or expensive to return.

Please, please, measure and plot the furniture, to scale, on a plan, before you buy!

In my experience, here’s what happens if a furniture plan is not made before buying furniture--

A second end table or a dining-room hutch often will not fit comfortably into the intended room

Large sofas or sectional sofas sometimes won’t fit into the room at all

Sometimes there is an “extra” sofa or ottoman, or chair

Some items that “fit” into the room don’t actually fit the scale of the room

Long items, such as a sofa that’s too large, make good room arrangements or conversation groupings impossible--for a decade or two

The items may fit the room, but block a doorway, a walkway, or project into a traffic pattern

And…

What happens if you do plot the furniture first?

Most often, drawing a furniture plan to scale causes the purchase of fewer items, or smaller-scale items (may save money)

Saves money on buying wrong items (such as an expensive end table used for a guest room night-stand)

Many who planned to purchase a sectional sofa change their mind before the purchase

What happens if you plot the furniture first?

You can plan furniture that fits the room and the other furnishings

You know where the items will fit, and that the traffic patterns will be convenient

You will be able to plan ideal conversation groupings and other functional groupings

What generally works out best for a living room or family room?

A loveseat and pair of easy chairs makes a flexible and comfy arrangement

Makes an “L” shaped or parallel arrangement

Or the same items can be a “U” shaped conversation grouping

For a normal home in California:

Unless your home is in the 4000-5000 square-foot range, or larger:

Buy a pair of easy chairs rather than a loveseat

Buy a loveseat instead of a sofa

For a larger home:

For larger homes, a pair of loveseats, or a pair of sofas is a better choice than a sofa and loveseat

Then use that pair with a pair of easy chairs

Larger rooms may need an additional grouping

Start with a conversation grouping

Place furniture at right angles to the other sides of the grouping

Group around a focal point such as a fireplace

The focal point in this room is the fireplace:

This sofa is in a “floating position”

This pair of chairs, plus the loveseat, makes a “U”-shaped arrangement.

This large room has a pair of chairs, a pair of large sofas, and a group of ottomans for the “coffee table”.

IMPORTANT: Conversation

Distance isfrom 4 feet to 10 feet-- The distance between

people’s heads while seated

Not measured at knees or feet

What arrangements tend to help conversation and interaction?

Easier to talk at right angles or across

Harder to talk if on the same sofa—causes neck pain

Guidelines:

Stay within 4-10 feet conversation distance

Avoid “everybody out of the pool” room arrangements

And avoid “Doctors Office” room arrangements

This furniture looks like it is floating away through space…

This arrangement also ignores the fireplace.

Some furniture is just too far apart…

How is this for a warm, friendly room?

Use some square-ish and some rounded shapes

Use some soft edges and some harder edges, some shapes on legs mixed with some all the way to the floor

The sofas are solid and rounder—contrasting with the chairs—which are airy, leggy and angular

What is the benefit of “see-through” chairs?

Balance

Balance items from left to right--around fireplace or other focal point

Could be mirror-image pairs across the room, or a pair on one side and a larger item across from the pair

Balance can be achieved with items that are not identical

Formal or symmetrical balance

Informal or asymmetrical balance

Some rooms need more than one furniture grouping

Here is a smaller grouping in addition to the main grouping

This room has one grouping near the fireplace and another closer to the viewer

This room has one group near the window and one that is closer

This small room looks cozy and takes advantage of the fireplace and architecture

“Secondary” furniture groupings can allow for a separate function (such as reading or homework), or give some solitude and privacy

They are an effective way to use the space in a large room, while preventing overly-giant conversation groups

This corner grouping uses a pair of chairs with a small table and lamp.

Screens can be used as a background against the wall

Screens can also define a space

Or divide a space

Consider the scale of the items placed into the room

Items that are too large make the room seem small

Small accessory items all over a table look like clutter—use a single item, or up to three, of different heights, for more drama

Scale

Scale includes the actual size of the item

It also includes the “visual weight” or apparent size

Legs are part of the “weight” effect

Legs

Legs should be used in a mixture or variety of “weights”:

Some legs should be thin or “leggy”

Some legs should be a blocky or thick shape, or hidden under a blocky item

Objects have an actual footprint size and a “visual weight”. These chairs have different

visual weights.

These tables have different visual weights

Same footprint but different

“visual weight”

This room has several large blocky items, and a couple of airy, visually-lighter chairs

This room is more pleasing because of the contrast between the leggy table and the solid effect of the sofa

Too many legs!

Too hard and leggy looking—

needs a throw and a solid ottoman or

table…

Here is one idea for a room without an architectural focal point

Here is one way to get a cozy conversation group and book storage in a room

Think about the view from room to room…

What if the entry was painted one of the colors in the art work?

Desks are ideal in a “floating” position instead of facing a wall

Are you moving?

FYI: if my clients are planning to change residences in a few years, I recommend against purchasing a sectional sofa:

Most sectionals will not fit another residence, so will need to be replaced in new home (expenses of a new home often don’t allow purchases in first few years)