Final Floor Plan Design
Your final floor plan mock up needs to come after a generalized sketch and approval from your client. This way you get somewhat of an idea of what they are wanting and needing and get the right direction to head-in before you get into the heavy workload of the project. You have two options when it comes to your finalized floor plan design, you can create it digitally on a software program, or you can take the time to sketch it out more professionally then the initial rough draft. The final floor plan design is where you want to incorporate some colors so you can get a visual concept of the textures of different pieces you're going to add. For example, if the room has exposed brick on one side, it's important to showcase that in your final floor plan design, so you have a better idea of the "feel" the new room is going to take. For large projects, this is going to be an important step. You will then send your client the finalized concept for approval, along with the mood-board - then the shopping begins.
If you choose to work with a software program for the finalized floor plan, we'll go over the best products you can purchase into in the next chapter. If you plan to use hand drawn sketches, I recommend printing out mock-up prints of furniture pieces and cutting them out and keeping them stored away. They will be a great tool to assist you in your final sketch and in getting the measurements correct. For every 1 square foot in a room, you can draw it out as one square box to represent the room size. Then you can base your measurements on the furniture by inches or feet and reflect that properly to scale into the room. Remember, when drawing out your doors, make sure you indicate whether they open inwards or outwards, so they don't block any elements.
FORMULATING YOUR FLOOR PLAN
1. THE BALANCE LINES OF A ROOM
Take out your floor plan and draw a pair of lines that cut each wall in half. These are the balance lines of a room and they divide the room into 4 equal-sized areas. In order to have a balanced room, the visual weight of the furniture on one side of the room should be about the same as the weight of the furniture on the opposite side of the room.
2. MAKE NOTE OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS
This is the space you want to avoid putting furniture too close to anything, so it doesn't disrupt the flow of foot traffic in a room. Add 36 inches of clearance in front of every door opening. Allow 12 inches to 15 inches of clear space in front of windows. About 36 inches between main walkways, and at least another 22 inches between furniture pieces.
3. WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE ROOM
When you enter the room, what is the most important feature of the room that calls out for attention? All major furniture arrangements should be designed around that item. Some rooms have an existing focal point, like a fireplace. If your room doesn't have a natural focal point, you must create one. Try a large-scale piece of art, a gallery wall, or a console and television.
4. FIND YOUR ROOM'S AXIS
Since we have positioned all of the furniture in relation to the focal point, the last piece of the puzzle when it comes to furniture arrangement is to not forget the walls. If the fireplace is your focal point, draw a line that runs floor to ceiling through the center of it on the floor plan.
In order to find your axis, simply draw an imaginary line that runs floor to ceiling from the center of your focal point. The purpose of this axis is to give you a line along which you can add decoration, such as a mirror or piece of artwork above the fireplace.
To take things a step further, extend the axis line to the wall opposite the focal point to create the same visual weight. In our fireplace example, you could perhaps feature a wall of bookcases flanked by chairs.
- SMART ROOM ESSENTIALS -
Room Versatility - For example, an office can easily be turned into a child's room in the near future. You just want to add components into a room that don't hinder it from being able to change in the future.
Ideal Room Layout - Make sure bedrooms are far from entertaining spaces. Bathrooms shouldn't face common entertainment spaces like dining rooms or living rooms. Most people will like if the kitchen opens to the dining or living rooms so whoever is cooking can still interact with guests or keep an eye on the kids playing. Great tips to know if you are advising a builder in the beginning stages of a home build.
Right-Sized Rooms - Whenever designing any room or hallway, think about how many people will be in that space at one time. Do they have room to move around? Is there enough space with the proper furniture for everyone still to be able to move around comfortably?
Fits Priorities & Lifestyles - If entertaining is important, make sure there's a good flow from the kitchen to an outside space and living room. If your client works from home, make sure their office gets ideal light and is perhaps in a quiet location. When they do laundry, is it ok if they have to climb three floors to get from their master bedroom to the laundry room?
Practicality - Think about the safety of kids, cleaning, heating and cooling bills, etc. before implementing a majestic staircase or floor to ceiling windows in a room design. We all want the prettiest things, but does it work to have certain features in a home? Does it make sense to them in a practical way, or to their families?