5 Ways to Maximise Your Floorplans
It doesn’t matter what project you’re working on; how you plan your space is always essential.
You’ll want to get a good balance between all of your different functions whilst leaving enough space for people to move around. So multifunctional spaces need even more thought!
So, we’re here with our Top 5 Ways to Maximise Your Floorplan and make the most of any room.
Before jumping in, we first need to consider who your end user will be. Are you planning on living in the property yourself? Selling? Renting? Is it a holiday home? Is it a student let? All these questions will determine how you plan your spaces. For example, it will change what your bathrooms look like (bath, shower, or both), what furniture you buy, what specifications you go for, and what spaces you create.
So, now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at the 5 Ways to Maximise Your Floorplan.
1) Master the Basics First
It might seem tedious to draw your floorplans to scale and add the furniture you’ll use, but it is a no-brainer for us. It gives you a thorough look at whether the furniture will fit and lets you play around with layouts before you purchase anything.
Be sure to include electrical sockets and radiators to check that your furniture can go in specific places (and to ensure you can plug your lamps in!).
2) Consider Circulation Space
Circulation space is needed in the room to allow people to move around without knocking into each other. So, for example, if you have to walk through a room to get to the next, you’ll want to leave enough of a gap around furniture. That way, you won’t trip over on your way through.
To start, think about how people will move around the space. I like to draw arrows on my floorplans, guiding me where I place the main pieces of furniture. Nothing is worse than hopping, skipping, and jumping over 3 pieces of furniture just to reach the sofa.
3) Buy the ‘Right’ Furniture
There are two things to think about with this one. Firstly, get the size of your furniture to match your room. If your room has plenty of space, scale your furnishings up and go for larger pieces. Similarly, if your room is on the smaller side, then stick to smaller pieces.
The style of furniture is as equally important. If you are short on space, consider furniture ‘on legs’. This type of furniture allows you to see more of the floor space- being able to see underneath furniture makes rooms feel larger. Likewise, don’t overfill your room. Too much furniture, regardless of the size of the room, will make it feel cluttered. This is where scaling up your furniture in a larger room really helps.
4) Utilise Quirky Spaces
Most properties come with more characterful nooks, crannies and quirky spaces. It can be tempting to ignore these or shove a plant in there and be done with it. However, these are great opportunities to create extra spaces that make your property ‘pop’.
Depending on who your end user is for the property, these nooks can be great for adding extra storage, creating a workspace, a laundry area, or even a little bar area for a holiday let!
As these spaces tend to be smaller, you can make them a feature. For example, consider painting the nook in a feature colour, backing it with wallpaper, or adding panelling.
5) Zone Your Spaces
By zoning, I mean having a separate ‘zone’ in the room for each function you hope to provide. This can be pretty simple for a multifunctional room, but it allows us to consider where we place the furniture for each zone.
Each zone should work well independently and as part of the whole room. You’ll want to almost be able to draw a circle or square around each zone without any overlap.
You might not need separate functions for larger rooms, but adding different zones can help break up large spaces. For example, a long, rectangular lounge can split nicely into a square lounge and a separate reading corner.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget Your Outdoor Space
If you have outdoor space, don’t forget to plan how this will compliment the property. For example, consider the layouts of any outdoor furniture and patios simultaneously. These then become an extension of the interior of your property (at least for the 30 seconds of warm weather we get in the UK). Any tenant or buyer will appreciate this.
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If you can stick to these 5 (or 6) tips, you can’t go wrong. But space planning and floorplans can be tricky. Fear not; if you need a helping hand, just reach out to us. Book a discovery call with Åben to see how to maximise your next project.
