Filed under: Kitchen, Bedroom, Your Home, Living Room, Projects, Furniture
Did you know that there's actually a formula to creating the perfect house? Neither did we...until now.From a creative perspective, designing and decorating a home is a very right-brain type of activity. Matching paint colors, choosing textures, pairing furniture and fabrics - it's like an artist's dream job! But what about those of us who are a bit, well, challenged in the "just wing it!" department.
Luckily, the experts behind the National Kitchen & Bath Association and Design Works, Inc. have created a formula to follow for just about every space in your home. Use these helpful measurements to help your home flow better:
Photo: Getty Images
Bedroom
When picking furniture for your bedroom, you'll want to include at least 4 feet of uninterrupted space in front of closets to allow for adequate dressing room. Also, plan for 30 inches of walking space between large pieces of furniture -- in particular, extra large dressers and armoires, which sometimes require lots of room to open.
Dining Room
Your dining room table should provide 2 feet of space per person. So if you're planning on hosting a total of eight people at a time, you'll need a table with a 16-foot perimeter (or 2-by-6-feet) to keep things comfortable. If traffic will pass behind seated diners, allow for at least 44 inches to walk by comfortably. If you will simply need to edge past, you can minimize the space to 36 inches.
Also, if you're thinking about hanging a chandelier over your table, measure the table (for rectangular and oval table, measure the width; for round tables, measure the diameter) before subtracting 12 inches. A chandelier looks its best if it is about 6 inches in from the edge of the table, therefore the width or diameter minus 6 inches will give you the size needed.
Photo: Getty Images
Living Room
Your living area's conversation space should be approximately 10 feet across. For cozy conversations, reduce the space between furniture to 15 to 24 inches. This way everyone will be able to reach the coffee table without getting up and will be able to talk to one another without shouting.
The path between low objects (think sofas, coffee tables, ottomans) should be 18 inches wide. At first you may think that's too narrow, but give it a try -- we think you'll find it's plenty of room.
Photo: jupiterimages
Hallways
A hallway is a great place to incorporate furniture like a chest or console table. But make sure to consider depth and height, as well as the length of the piece of furniture. For example, a table that's 5 feet long may be a perfect length for the space, but if it's 2 feet deep, it will be too large for a standard 3-foot-wide hallway.
And if you have the luxury of planning your spaces from scratch...
Bathrooms
Plan a clear floor space of at least 30 inches from the front edge of all fixtures (lavatory, toilet, bidet, tub
and shower) to any opposite bath fixture, wall or obstacle. The distance between the centerlines of two vanity sinks should be at least 36 inches.
Entry
The clear opening of a doorway should be at least 34 inches, which means your entire doorway should be 3 feet wide. The average person needs between 3 to 5 square feet of space to comfortably put on and remove a coat, so if you have the luxury of designing your own foyer, keep in mind the volume of guests that could be arriving or departing at one time.
Kitchen
The recipe for a successful kitchen lies in its work triangle: the refrigerator, sink and range/stove. To optimize efficiency, the sum of the triangle should total no more than 26 feet, with no single leg of the triangle measuring less than 4 feet. A total of 158 square inches of countertop, 24 inches deep, with at least 15 inches of clearance, is needed to accommodate all kitchen uses.
Storage/Closets
In closets, a pole should run parallel to the wall, about 12 inches from both sides, so that all garments can hang at a right angle. In the kitchen, designers recommend at least 18 square feet of general storage. Add another 6 square feet to that number for each additional family member.
Happy house planning!
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