And you want, and prickly … This is how you can describe the experiences of those who think through the rearrangement after moving, repairing or updating the interior. Because I would like to fit everything you need on the limited square meters of the room: a recreation area, a workplace, space for children’s games, and, of course, storage space.

At the same time, the design should not be overloaded, and most importantly, comfortable. It is better to think over the arrangement before you buy new furniture or start moving a bulky heavy cabinet. Let’s figure out what you need to consider when arranging furniture.

Initial data
Ideally, think over the layout of the room before the start of the repair. Then it will be possible to plan the location of sockets, lighting scenarios, design and finishing accents. But often the furniture in the apartment is rearranged without being tied to repair work. Then we build on what we have. Follow a simple algorithm:

Take accurate measurements of the room. An excellent assistant would be a laser range finder (tape measure). Consider not only the overall width and length, but also more detailed dimensions, such as the distance from the wall and floor to the window or the dimensions of the doorway.
Make a scale drawing. You can use special computer programs, mobile applications or just paper. A millimetric or even a squared notebook sheet will do.
Be sure to mark sockets, sewer outlets, switches, lamps and other “stationary” elements on the original plan. After all, it is important that in the end all the points of connection to the electrical network do not end up behind the sofa, and the rack does not divide the room so that one of the parts of the room is left without a light source.
If you have furniture that you will need to find a place for after rearrangement, measure it as well. Draw layouts of these items in the program, or you can draw them by hand and cut them out of paper (keeping the same scale as for the whole room, of course). So you can easily “place” and “move” furniture on the plan.

Room functionality
Consider what functional areas you want to place in the room, taking into account the needs of the whole family.

In the living room, in addition to the relaxation space with the usual sofa and TV, there can be a workplace, a storage system, and a corner for a pet.
If your family has book lovers, for example, you should provide additional shelves or racks for books.
The kitchen may or may not include a dining group.
Do you need a creative area in the children’s room? They also often provide a guest sofa – for example, for a grandmother, who sometimes stays overnight.

It is important, of course, not to overload the space. We’ll have to find a balance between functionality and comfort. By the way, you can use transformers. From the familiar to everyone – a chair-bed, sofas with storage space, a loft bed for a children’s room. However, there are less common options that can suit your task and even decorate the design – a rack that transforms into a full-fledged workplace, or a coffee table that can easily be turned into a dining table.

Use cases
Think about how you will use the space, what to do in it, at what moments. Now look at the plan – it is important that the arrangement of furniture does not interfere with your daily routine.

The general rule can be formulated as follows: it is better to make personal, private zones closed, and common and transit zones accessible, passable.

Let’s say the room has a balcony that you often go out to. Then the path from the entrance to the room to the balcony door is a transit zone. Any obstacles on the way will be very annoying. Maybe remove the pouffe from the route or find another place for the console.
But a sleeping place or a working corner are those spaces that suggest peace and solitude. It is better not to place them in walk-through areas, if possible, not to combine them with public places and access.

Ergonomics
Imagine – to get to the top shelf, you have to use a stool every time. You can sit on the sofa only by going around it. And between the table and the chair you are forced to squeeze sideways. To prevent this from happening, lay down a comfortable aisle width, shelf height, etc. Here are some examples to look at:

Switches are placed at a height of about 90 cm – so they can be used without raising your hand. It is better to place sockets closer to the floor, at a height of about 30 cm – then the wires will not spoil the interior of the apartment.
Lay at least 70 cm on the width of the passage zones (corridors, spaces between pieces of furniture or furniture and the wall). If there are elderly people in the family, it is better to increase the value to 100 cm. elbows against the walls.
The height of any hanging structures (shelves, cabinets) should not exceed 200 cm. An exception is a mast for seasonal storage of things that you do not often need. Also, be careful if there are children in the family or your height is below average – it is better to calculate this parameter individually.
The comfortable length of the bed is your height plus 30-40 cm.
The height and depth of the sofa is selected according to the height of the one who will use it. In the sitting position, the knees of the person should be bent at an angle of 90 degrees, and the feet should touch the floor, not hang in the air.
There should be 40-45 cm between the sofa and the coffee table so that you can comfortably place your legs and at the same time reach out to the tabletop from a sitting position.
Calculate the correct distance from the sofa to the TV. The recommended rate depends on the size of the room and the screen itself. The close location of a large TV tires the eyes, and a screen that is too small forces you to strain your eyesight. The ideal value is the screen diagonal multiplied by 3.