Several studies have confirmed that there’s a connection between interior design and one’s mood and overall health. For example, a study conducted by Bjorn Grinde & Grete Patil suggests that incorporating nature in your interior design can significantly reduce stress levels and improve both your physical and mental health.
When it comes to planning an interior design, nothing is more intimidating than sitting in an empty room without any idea where and how to start. There are plenty of things to consider: your personal preference, budget, lifestyle, and more. However, the best way to start is with your furniture layout. It means deciding how you arrange your chairs, tables, sofas, and anything else inside your rooms.
Without further ado, here are some fail-proof tips to help you arrange your furniture to attain maximum comfort.
- Keep Common Items Inside Easily-Accessible Shelves
To keep an area clutter-free, it’s ideal to keep your commonly used items inside reachable storage spaces. Storage cabinets are your best friend. They’re the perfect place in the kitchen for your utensils, or in the living room for your books and any other accessories.
- Increase Space by Considering Traffic Flow
When arranging furniture, one of the most important things you should consider is traffic flow. Make sure your arrangement won’t block the flow of traffic within your room and will allow enough space for people to move between places. Allocate around 30 to 48 inches of width for major walkways and at least 24 inches of width for minor ones.
- Go for Round, Non-Glass Furniture
When choosing furniture, particularly tables, most are inclined to go for sharp-cornered, rectangular ones as they’re obviously the most popular option. The problem is, kids and even adults tend to suffer from bruises and even cuts from bumping on sharp corners – and these kinds of furniture are to blame. To avoid possible injuries, consider choosing rounded furniture made from either wood or stone. Or, you can instead install plastic encasements in your sharp-cornered furniture to protect you and your family from sharp edges.
- Don’t Store Stuff Under the Bed
Feng Shui experts would advise you to avoid under-the-bed storage as much as possible. As the bedroom is very important to your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health, you need to make sure energy can freely circulate in your space. This means no clutter as much as possible, and the area under your bed is no exception!
The problem is, with not enough room to store things, most of us are forced to store stuff under our beds. If you badly need that space, like many of us city-dwellers do, make sure you avoid storing the following things:
- Shoes
- Electronics
- Souvenirs or any other memorabilia
- Any type of clutter
Meanwhile, you’re allowed to store bed linens, sleeping essentials, blankets, and pillows as long as you store them neatly.
- Keep Your Shelves within Reach and Make Sure to Secure them to the Wall to Prevent Tip-Over Incidents
Furniture tip-overs can seriously injure or kill someone. According to statistics by AnchorIt, around 33,000 individuals suffer injuries from tip-over incidents every single year. The increase in tip-over related incidents has made it one of the leading safety issues. In order to prevent such incident from happening, you have to check how much weight your shelves can safely hold. Don’t overload them with a lot of stuff and make sure to fasten them to the wall using safety straps. Also, make sure they’re within reach to prevent the possibility of them toppling over your head.
If you have kids in your house, avoid storing objects that will attract their attention such as toys or remote controls on your shelves.
- Pick a Large Sized Coffee Table
A large table placed in the middle of a seating area offers excellent functionality and aesthetic value. However, don’t go picking overly large tables. Also, make sure to allocate at least 1-2 feet of space between your coffee table and other furniture, just enough for people to pass through.
If you can’t find a large sized coffee table, you can instead opt for two smaller tables as a substitute. For added safety, it’s best to use a coffee table made of Spar urethane as it has lower toxicity level.
- Choose Couches that Have the Right Size and Height for Easy Sitting and Standing
Design and style are two important things when choosing a couch or sofa. However, yet another important factor you have to consider is its ability to keep your back and spine protected. While low lying sofas are all the rage these days, you have to make sure you can sit and lie back comfortably. How do you make it happen?
When looking for a comfortable couch, you should check if it can support your lower back adequately. An average sofa height is around 18 to 19 inches and allows you to bend your knee to a 90-degree angle with ease. Any lower than that and you could end up suffering from back pains and sitting discomfort.
- Go for a Sofa with Comfortable Arm Height
In terms of furniture comfort, arm height is probably the least important factor. Due to this, most people tend to prioritize a sofa arm’s style over comfort. However, if you’re the type who wants to enjoy maximum comfort while sitting on a sofa, you have to pay attention to arm height.
Higher arm height is ideal for leaning against, so looking for a piece with an arm height of two or three can help you. However, if you’ll mostly be sitting upright, arm height won’t be of that much importance. Regardless, you have to go for the arm height that will provide you support while standing up.
- Declutter by Removing Unwanted Furniture
Unwanted pieces of furniture take up too much space in your room. To maximize room space and allow everyone to move freely, you have to remove any unwanted furniture and store them appropriately. This way, you can have a clutter-free house.
Don’t forget that a true clutter-free home also means getting rid of dust, pet dander, and the like with a reliable, good quality vacuum. More info on the best brands and models can be seen on the bestpethairvacuum.reviews.
Final Thoughts
These simple tips will help you create a room layout that will provide maximum comfort for you and your family. Always keep in mind that when it comes to furniture arrangements, it’s best to plan ahead of time.
