Jennifer Sheahan: How to design perfect layouts for any space
Jennifer Sheahan: "Constraints such as size can sometimes make life easier by reducing the number of decisions available for you to choose between." Picture: Joe McCallion
When looking at a space and wondering how best to fill it we often tie ourselves up in knots wondering what should go where.
I get praised for how well I designed my very small home, but actually, constraints such as size can sometimes make life easier by reducing the number of decisions available for you to choose between. Larger homes may not require clever space-saving solutions, but they do pose a challenge when deciding where to put what — because there are so many options!
Luckily, there are ways to make this decision process easier.
Regular readers sing along with me here — when you’re planning your space, first decide how you’re going to use it and you can worry about how it’s going to look later. This will make your life so much easier, I promise.
Many clever people before me have devised optimal layouts for each room, so let’s learn how to use these to make your decision-making a lot easier in the major rooms in your home.
You may have heard of the classic working triangle in the context of kitchen layouts. This is where the sink, the fridge, and the cooker are equidistant from each other so that moving between them is easy and efficient.
This really is the optimal layout, but it may not be possible in every home; for instance, you may have a long narrow kitchen that doesn’t accommodate a triangle layout. In this case, all items will have to be along one line. It is also more frequently the case that hobs and ovens are separate — in this case, be honest about what you use more and put that appliance within the triangle.
If you rarely use the oven, for instance, it makes sense for that to be more out of the way. If you have a kitchen island or peninsula, make sure there is a clear pathway through the kitchen so that you don’t have to bang your hip off the corner every time you need to move through it.
It’s usually easier to keep the fridge closest to the kitchen entrance so that people can easily pop in and out for drinks and snacks without having to traverse the kitchen or interrupt the cook.
Aside from the working triangle, consider placing your presses and drawers where you can most easily access them. If you have a dishwasher, it will be easiest to put the presses housing your crockery and pans close by. Cups can go near the kettle, and glasses near the sink etc.
Living rooms can be used for many things — be honest with yourself about how you will most often use yours.
If you most often crash out on the couch, get a big comfy one. If you mostly use it to entertain, have seating arranged to allow guests to face each other. If you do both, an L-shaped couch with some armchairs is a winning combination.
Once you’ve decided on the primary function of your living room, the next step is to decide on a focal point. Usually, this is the TV, but it could also be a beautiful view (if you’re lucky enough to have one!), a statement piece of furniture, or your favourite piece of art.
The arrangement of the rest of your furniture and accessories will flow much more naturally once you have identified the focal point of the room.
Perception of scale can also be influenced by layout — small rooms will (counter-intuitively) appear larger if you move furniture out from against the walls and choose larger items. Larger rooms can feel cosier if you create clusters of furniture.
As with the kitchen, ensure you have a walk-through space to avoid bumped knees!
Bedrooms usually have fewer uses than living rooms, but besides the obvious, you may have secondary uses for it such as working, reading, or even exercising (if this is the case, check out my article on zoning last week to optimise these functions within one room).
Bedrooms typically also have less furniture, and it’s generally a good idea to keep the floor as uncluttered as possible. Wall lights and bedside shelving can help here in small spaces.
The bed, of course, is the key item in the room and placing it centrally creates the most calming effect. That’s not to say up against the wall isn’t possible, should space or room shape dictate it.
When choosing bed size, most of us want the largest possible. You can save yourself a costly mistake by using masking tape to mark out where you would put the bed, before buying the wrong size! Make sure there is enough space for doors — including wardrobe doors — to swing open easily and allow enough space to move around the bed.
If you have a long narrow bedroom, you can section off one end of it as a dressing (or working) area and place the bed up against the partition, towards the middle of the room.
- Got a question for Jennifer Sheahan? Email home@examiner.ie
