In property listings and those "after" reveal episodes on HGTV, houses often appear more modernized with furnishings, larger spaces, and better lighting compared to their actual condition. Is it true that nobody needs to include items like grandmas' massive china cabinets—and do they constantly replace sofas each time they relocate?
Creating a balanced floor plan for your home—without overcrowding or understating it—can be as challenging as solving a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. "Achieving equilibrium is key, similar to how you should put on accessories before leaving and remove one when you're done," explains a New York-based interior designer. Kati Greene Curtis .
We sought advice from home stagers and interior designers about achieving the perfect balance when arranging furniture. Below are some of their recommendations for what to do and not do.
Do: Think about sight lines
"When entering a space, you should have an unobstructed view of everything around you, free from large sectionals or high lamps hindering your sight," explains Michael Fowler A professional based in D.C., who works as both a home stager, an interior designer, and a real estate agent, suggests achieving this effect by placing smaller items like sofas with backs around 30 to 32 inches high towards the center of the room. Reserve areas along walls for larger furniture such as an old bookshelf. Allowing your gaze to travel unobstructed increases the sense of openness and calm within the space.
Center your furniture layout around a key feature such as a fireplace, a window offering an impressive view, or a large piece of artwork. As Fowler suggests, "Your aim should be to highlight the most attractive element in the space right away."
Don’t: Forget about flow
In design terminology, "flow" pertains to how well your furniture pieces work together and how effortlessly individuals can navigate through an area. As Betsy Wentz, a Pittsburgh-based interior designer and the writer of the book “ Create Joy: Vibrant Spaces for Contemporary Families .”
Typically, this involves maintaining a "clearance zone" of about 28 to 36 inches surrounding large pieces of furniture such as dining room tables or standalone sofas. For coffee tables positioned in front of a couch, aim for spacing between 12 to 16 inches: near enough to conveniently place items like beverages or devices, yet distant enough not to obstruct foot traffic.
Avoid pushing all the furniture up against the walls.
"You don't want your home to resemble a bowling lane, so cease positioning all items along the walls," states Shirin Sarikhani, who founded Seattle Set Up to Sell & Decorate ." Consider floating some of your furniture or simply providing a bit more space around items—creating a four-inch distance from walls to chairs or side tables can make the room appear larger."
Some larger pieces — a bedroom armoire, a tall bookcase — do need a wall to visibly (and sometimes, physically, anchor them). If you have a mammoth room and high ceilings, you can place a bulkier item off center or on a less-dominant wall as a sort of visual surprise, perhaps balancing its heft with some wall art or a mirror.
“Still, many people underestimate the proportion of the furniture they bring into smaller rooms,” says Curtis. “Sometimes, your beloved jumbo armchair just has to go.”
Don’t: Buy a bed that’s too large for your bedroom
“I have arguments all the time with clients who want king-sized beds in their small New York apartments,” says Curtis. “You need to be able to walk around the bed.” Since most king beds are 76 inches wide, they require at least that much wall space plus 28 inches or more around each side. Think, too, about leaving space around the bed for nightstands (the smallest of which are about 18 inches wide).
Keep other bedroom furnishings functional (chests for clothing storage) and soothing (a chair and ottoman for nighttime reading). “You don’t have to put everything you own in your bedroom — the Peloton, an extra sofa, a TV,” says Wentz. “It’s a private space where you are supposed to be relaxing, so do you really want to be looking at all this crap?”
Do: Break your room into zones
Larger spaces — outsize basement dens, sprawling living rooms — can serve more than one function, as long as you give each zone a distinct, clear purpose. “There was a real paradigm shift during covid, and now function is king,” says Sarikhani. A den could have a sectional sofa and a TV for watching movies in one corner and a table and chairs for playing games or doing crafts in another zone.
And I occasionally consider hotel lobbies as inspiration when planning out a living room," states Fowler. "They feature various seating arrangements, which you can replicate in your own space.
Create a floor plan
Certainly, you could employ painter's tape to outline prospective furniture arrangements directly onto the floor. However, this method might prove inconvenient and lacks the advantage of visualizing the "height" as well as the overall bulk of each piece relative to walls or window sills. A superior alternative would be utilizing an application designed for generating 3D floor plans or engaging with an online platform where you can digitally rearrange items and generate depictions of different layouts. As Curtis mentions, these resources enable you to input both the measurements of your room and those of your furnishings. This approach offers a clear perspective on how your furniture interacts within the confines of your floorspace and beneath your ceilings.
Retailers like West Elm, Room & Board, and Crate & Barrel each offer their own complimentary floor planning tools. Additional choices consist of various web-based platforms. Room Sketcher as well as smartphone applications like Magicplan and RoomScanLidar , which utilize AI and laser mapping technologies. Printing out room plans will come at an additional cost, but numerous basic features are available for free.
Do not forget to provide each seating area with its own dedicated drinks table.
No, your house isn't a speakeasy or café. However, there’s nothing more frustrating than settling into a spot on some furniture only to find you have nowhere convenient for your beverage, book, or phone. Each seating area requires a companion—a small table or ottoman at a similar height to the armrests of chairs or sofas, allowing easy access to personal items. "Frequently, we utilize" C-tables , which tuck into the sofa, so you don’t trip over the furniture,” says Wentz.
Do: Purchase flexible furniture
Stools that glide beneath a console table and items with wheels such as a bar cart or portable kitchen island can serve as standout solutions in compact spaces, easily altering their position or function just by sliding them around. Additionally, swivel chairs prove versatile according to Sarikhani; "These are fantastic since they let you pivot towards another room for conversations and then swing back toward your television to catch the ongoing game."
Avoid blocking a door or window with furniture.
Having cluttered pathways due to poor feng shui can make individuals suspect that there may be something unsettling concealed behind furniture like an armoire. According to Wentz, "Regardless of having several entry points into a room, ensure none of these paths are obstructed." This obstruction indicates an excess of items within the space. While positioning a chair or bed slightly above a windowsill isn't problematic, remember it could hinder natural lighting and potentially cause fading in fabrics or woods.
Jennifer Barger is a writer based in D.C., focusing on topics related to home and travel.
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