- 1). Use a popular Internet search engine to search for furniture stores that cater for large and small spaces. Shortlist two or three stores that you can easily drive to, and start with these.
- 2). Make a scale drawing of each room as it is currently furnished. Using the squared graph paper, decide how many squares equals 1 foot. Measure every surface and furniture item that takes up space in each of the rooms of your house. Include furniture, doors, windows, radiators and any built-in wardrobes or other storage spaces.
- 3). Draw a diagram of each room to scale on the squared paper. Leave ample room (about 3 feet) for passageways leading to and from doors. Allow at least 2 feet of space to walk around beds, and allow a comfortable viewing distance of at least 5 feet between the sofa and the television.
- 4). Visit the furniture stores with your scale diagrams of each room. You now have a visual plan of where everything is already placed around your home, and what space is available around each item.
- 5). Use a tape measure to get the dimensions of any piece of furniture you are interested in buying. Draw it to scale onto the graph paper where you think you might place it. Ponder on it for a little while; does it really fit or are you squeezing it in? Is it likely to dwarf anything else in the room? Can other pieces be moved around to accommodate it?
- 6). Consider space-saving furniture items for smaller areas; many sofas and storage pieces now have fold-away sections so that they do not take up a lot of space. If you love traditional furniture, which tends to come in large pieces, consider designating one or two rooms in the house to arranging a few traditional pieces, so that they complement the space of the room and each other.
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