Why is it essential to space plan a room?

Photo Credit: Sabine’s New House

Space planning is an integral part of your interior designer’s process, and you’ll also be involved in that process. You will be asked questions, and your answers will help inform that plan. It is essential to space plan a room so your furniture will fit, you’ll be able to use the room for the activities you envision in the space, traffic patterns will work so you, your family and guests will be able to move about freely. Space planning is all about how to effectively use the space available in a room to make sure rooms work for you while at the same time making the decor seem effortless and beautiful.

The need for space planning bathrooms and kitchens is easily understood, perhaps more so than any other rooms in the home. After all, there are water pipes and drainpipes to be run with little flexibility, so plumbers and other contractors need to know precisely where sinks, dishwashers, and bathroom fixtures should be located. But space planning is essential for every room in the house.

Photo Credit:  RUM magazine and Oliver Gustav.

If your furniture includes large pieces like a sectional sofa, space planning will be even more important in your living room. You don’t want to discover on moving day that your sectional simply will not fit into the space. Space planning will help you avoid disappointments like that.

If your space is meant to contain multiple “rooms,” that’s an ample open space intended to be used as a dining room and living room adjacent to the kitchen. Space planning will help determine where each “room” will fit best.

If you hope to use a room for multiple activities, space planning will help you see where each activity can take place. Traffic patterns are crucial in such spaces. 

Even large wide-open spaces that seem to have more than enough room benefit from space planning or perhaps because they’re so large, space planning is even more critical so a balanced space can be achieved.

Space planning a room is vital for all the reasons above and many more. Without a plan, it’s challenging to reach your interior design goals for a room. That brings us to the importance of defining how you want a room to feel as you begin to space plan. How you want a space to feel, light and airy, warm and cozy, minimalist or calm and retreat-like, will impact space planning.  Don’t forget lighting because it’s important in space planning and color also affects our perception of space. To learn more about color and space, see our take on “How Colors Change the Perception of Interior Spaces.” 

 If we can help you with your new interior design project, from space planning to final installation,  let us know by telephone or email at Paula Interiors. We hope to hear from you soon!