Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright was onto something all along... The secret to designing the perfect (okay, as close to whatever “perfect” is) space is to prioritize form and function. Whether you're moving into a new space or trying to reimagine your existing one, at the beginning of the design process, ask yourself: How will this space be used? How do you want people to feel when they walk in? Write everything down and use it as your guiding force.
Are these questions starting to fire you up? We hope so because we may or may not have a few other tricks (and questions) up our sleeve to get those creative juices flowing.
P.S. We know spatial planning and determining your home’s layout might not sound as exciting as the sourcing and styling phase of design, but we promise it’s a very fun and (maybe the most) important part of the design process!
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright was onto something all along... The secret to designing the perfect (okay, as close to whatever “perfect” is) space is to prioritize form and function. Whether you're moving into a new space or trying to reimagine your existing one, at the beginning of the design process, ask yourself: How will this space be used? How do you want people to feel when they walk in? Write everything down and use it as your guiding force.
Are these questions starting to fire you up? We hope so because we may or may not have a few other tricks (and questions) up our sleeve to get those creative juices flowing.
P.S. We know spatial planning and determining your home’s layout might not sound as exciting as the sourcing and styling phase of design, but we promise it’s a very fun and (maybe the most) important part of the design process!
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright was onto something all along... The secret to designing the perfect (okay, as close to whatever “perfect” is) space is to prioritize form and function. Whether you're moving into a new space or trying to reimagine your existing one, at the beginning of the design process, ask yourself: How will this space be used? How do you want people to feel when they walk in? Write everything down and use it as your guiding force.
Are these questions starting to fire you up? We hope so because we may or may not have a few other tricks (and questions) up our sleeve to get those creative juices flowing.
P.S. We know spatial planning and determining your home’s layout might not sound as exciting as the sourcing and styling phase of design, but we promise it’s a very fun and (maybe the most) important part of the design process!
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright was onto something all along... The secret to designing the perfect (okay, as close to whatever “perfect” is) space is to prioritize form and function. Whether you're moving into a new space or trying to reimagine your existing one, at the beginning of the design process, ask yourself: How will this space be used? How do you want people to feel when they walk in? Write everything down and use it as your guiding force.
Are these questions starting to fire you up? We hope so because we may or may not have a few other tricks (and questions) up our sleeve to get those creative juices flowing.
P.S. We know spatial planning and determining your home’s layout might not sound as exciting as the sourcing and styling phase of design, but we promise it’s a very fun and (maybe the most) important part of the design process!
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To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
To fully understand spatial planning, let’s take things a step back and actually define it. Spatial planning is a fundamental part of the interior design process. It defines how people will live, function, and move through the space you're designing. If we had to break the "how to" down into a few simple steps, it would probably go something like this:
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
We know how messy and jumbled the planning side of the brain can get (too many good ideas, too little time), so fear not! We put together a helpful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you get started. These questions will help articulate the problems that your space needs to solve — and things should get a lot easier once you determine that.
↓↓↓
~ What are you going to be using the space for? Will it be multi-functional? Eg: living/dining or bedroom/study? (We mentioned these questions above, but this is where you should start!)
~ How many people will use the space, and will they all use it for the same purpose? Eg: A family might use the same room differently; someone may be watching TV while another reads and another is working.
~ Do you have any existing furniture that you want to use in the space?
~ How do you want the room to feel, space-wise: open and airy, cozy, minimal, serene? Try to pick no more than three adjectives.
~ How much natural light is available, and what kinds of lighting will be needed?
~ What are the focal points of the room, and how can you take advantage of them?
~ Do you need to create focal points?
~ Do you like balance and symmetry, the unexpected, or a combination?
~ Is there anything else on your wish list for this room?
Think about the space as a whole. What is the focal point? Is it balanced within the space? Is it “off balance” (e.g. off center)?
~ If there is no focal point, you will need to create one.
~ If the focal point is off balance, you will need to balance it (to your taste).
~ Once you have identified the focal point, you will need to design the space around it.
Every space has a focal point, whether or not it’s intentional. The human eye is drawn to focal points in a room, and it will look for one immediately when it enters the space. If there is no natural focal point already in the room, like a fireplace, a kitchen island, or big windows, you will need to create one!
So you can't find a focal point in your space, now what?
If a focal point does not exist (i.e. something that your eye naturally focuses on in a space), a good rule of thumb is to go with the largest unobstructed wall and build your furniture and decor plan around that. But if you're thinking, “What if there are many unobstructed walls,” — we say, “Well dang! Pick the one visitors will see first when entering the space.”
When there is an obvious focal point (a bay window, a large kitchen island, very loud existing wall trim/molding, etc.), try to embrace it as much as you can and build your design around it. You do not need to “balance” out the other parts of the space or try to create an opposing focal point. Instead, ensure that the furniture and any wall coverings and treatments bring the focal point into the rest of the space. Almost like you’re “blending it in” or offering a softer balance to the “loud” statement of the focal point.
The perception of a space varies from human to human based on personal experience and their size! One person’s cozy den is another person’s shoebox (seriously). If you're designing a space for yourself, you'll only have to worry about #1. If you're working with a client, make sure to understand their perception of the space before you try and solve for it.
Say hello to the bubble trick! The process is simple: start creating zones or “bubbles” of the scale of the various spaces needed within your plan. Remember that a space = a function (back to that handy checklist from before). So, for example, you might make a bubble for the powder room that is much smaller than the bubble for the living room or the kitchen.
This is what we call a bubble diagram — it will help you work through the general function of each space and, therefore, its furniture and design.
Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
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Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
Have we piqued your interest yet in bubble diagrams? Not only do they sound incredibly cute, but they are also extremely helpful! A bubble diagram is a simple diagram that will show you what activities take place in the space and the relationship between these activities.
Step 1: Roughly draw out a map of the space.
Step 2: Create “bubbles” that represent a function that will happen in that space (e.g. “powder room” would be a bubble if you're planning a space from scratch. If you’re planning a space with walls already, you may have “dining area” as a bubble). The bubble size should be proportionate to the relative size of the zone in that space.
✍️ For Example: In an open-plan living area, you might have three or more bubbles — one showing the kitchen, the other showing the dining area, and another showing the living area. Using bubbles will help you not only define those spaces but also their size in relation to one another.
When you are clear about where the activities are going to happen in the space, then you can move on to creating a scale plan. The final bubble diagram will quickly become your space plan. If the space you’re designing already has walls, then it will become your furniture plan.
Many designers approve their bubble diagrams with their clients to ensure they are happy with the flow (just like you can use it to plan the flow of your own space).
Make sure you’ve set up the circulation in your diagram so there’s an easy pathway from the door to all other primary areas. (This is especially helpful when moving into your furniture plan!)
Aim to create both a prospect and a refuge in each room so you can feel enclosed, but also have a view beyond to the outside or natural world.
Using the Prospect and Refuge Theory in a space can make it more comfortable for the human experience. We prefer a shelter (refuge) with a view (prospect), because humans have their field of vision to the front (prospect), therefore needing some sort of protection from behind (refuge).
Borrow space from outside by ensuring an uninterrupted view of the outside world. You can also ‘borrow’ space from adjoining rooms by using the same flooring materials.
Here, you can see the bed against the wall = refuge, and the view outside = prospect. (Swoon!)
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