Without a doubt, my number one tip for anyone trying to design a room is to own and use a tape measure. It seems obvious that you would measure a wall before you buy a sofa, yet I have been called to people's homes more times than I can remember because they have either bought too much furniture or furniture too big for the room. It happens all the time. Unfortunately, most of the time there isn't a lot you can do. Buy a 25' metal tape measure, know where you keep it, and use it every time you leave the house to purchase anything bigger than a pillow.
So you need some furniture for your den, what do you do? First you take out your tape measure, a pencil and a pad of 1/4" graph paper. Every square on the pad equals 1 foot in your room. Measure the width and length of your room and draw a box on the graph paper that measures the same as your room; i.e. your room is 12' X 12' so the box on your paper is 12 squares wide by 12 squares long. Once you've drawn the box, measure where each opening in the room is-every door and window-and mark that on your drawing. You will want to erase the line where the doors are so that you are sure to remember 'opening in the line means opening in the room.'
Now there are two things you can do: One is to make several copies of this drawing and start sketching in where you think you'd like to see, for example, a sofa, remembering that each square equals one square foot of floor space. The 78" X 36" sofa that you like in the Pottery Barn catalogue will take up 6 1/2 squares by 3 squares. Color in those squares and then keep adding the essential items that you'd like to see in your space. Don't think you'd like that particular arrangement? Try another.
Another way of doing this is to cut out, from another piece of graph paper, the actual sizes of pieces you'd like to see in your room and then just move them around on your sketch to see how things fit in various positions. My preference is to have many copies of the room sketch and start filling each in-then you can compare one way against another.
This exercise shouldn't take all that long and it is your insurance that you've done what you could to avoid the problem of buying either too much furniture or furniture that is too big or too small (yeah, that happens too) for the room.
BLOOPER: I can't remember any big mistakes in the size of furniture that I've sold to clients-but it took me TWO huge mistakes to remember that you also have to make sure that there is a clear path to getting the furniture that will fit in the room to the room. About 10 yrs. ago I sold a $5000 sofa to a client on the 36th floor in the One Mag Mile building. It was 105" long-perfect for his large living room- unfortunately, the elevator height was only 98." I had to pay an upholsterer to basically cut it in half --$1500 later his long sofa was moved in to his condo in 2 pieces and secured together on site. It was a very expensive mistake and one I will remember. I said TWO huge mistakes, right-the other will be described in a future post about 'furniture options.'
So you need some furniture for your den, what do you do? First you take out your tape measure, a pencil and a pad of 1/4" graph paper. Every square on the pad equals 1 foot in your room. Measure the width and length of your room and draw a box on the graph paper that measures the same as your room; i.e. your room is 12' X 12' so the box on your paper is 12 squares wide by 12 squares long. Once you've drawn the box, measure where each opening in the room is-every door and window-and mark that on your drawing. You will want to erase the line where the doors are so that you are sure to remember 'opening in the line means opening in the room.'
Now there are two things you can do: One is to make several copies of this drawing and start sketching in where you think you'd like to see, for example, a sofa, remembering that each square equals one square foot of floor space. The 78" X 36" sofa that you like in the Pottery Barn catalogue will take up 6 1/2 squares by 3 squares. Color in those squares and then keep adding the essential items that you'd like to see in your space. Don't think you'd like that particular arrangement? Try another.
Another way of doing this is to cut out, from another piece of graph paper, the actual sizes of pieces you'd like to see in your room and then just move them around on your sketch to see how things fit in various positions. My preference is to have many copies of the room sketch and start filling each in-then you can compare one way against another.
This exercise shouldn't take all that long and it is your insurance that you've done what you could to avoid the problem of buying either too much furniture or furniture that is too big or too small (yeah, that happens too) for the room.
BLOOPER: I can't remember any big mistakes in the size of furniture that I've sold to clients-but it took me TWO huge mistakes to remember that you also have to make sure that there is a clear path to getting the furniture that will fit in the room to the room. About 10 yrs. ago I sold a $5000 sofa to a client on the 36th floor in the One Mag Mile building. It was 105" long-perfect for his large living room- unfortunately, the elevator height was only 98." I had to pay an upholsterer to basically cut it in half --$1500 later his long sofa was moved in to his condo in 2 pieces and secured together on site. It was a very expensive mistake and one I will remember. I said TWO huge mistakes, right-the other will be described in a future post about 'furniture options.'
The photo above shows the sofa in the condo I described in this blooper.
