8 Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know

When designing or renovating a living space, purchasing new furniture can be exciting. However, many people struggle with arranging their furniture in a way that creates a cozy atmosphere. Instead, they are left with a cold, awkward living area that doesn’t feel quite right. Creating a welcoming home requires more than just selecting the right pieces of furniture; it also involves strategic placement to maximize the functionality and aesthetic of the space.

1. You arrange furniture on the carpet without regarding the rules.

Designers outline 3 methods for how to properly place furniture on a rug:

• Put the furniture right on the carpet so that there are about 12-18 inches left between the edge of the furniture and the edge of the carpet.
• Arrange things so that there’s no furniture standing on the carpet at all. In this case, it’s important that the carpet is not too small because it will create a feeling of messiness in the room.
• Position the furniture so that only its front legs are standing on the carpet. With the help of this trick, you can visually combine several things in one group, such as a couple of armchairs and a table, for example.

2. You choose kitchen furniture before buying household appliances.

When designing a kitchen, it’s better to first choose kitchen appliances (like a fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave oven, and other necessary items), place them in the right places, and then choose kitchen units, like a dining table, etc. Otherwise, you may end up having no place for putting kitchen appliances, and the space will look cluttered and tight.

3. Not enough light.

One, or even 2, light sources are not enough for a small apartment. To make the place seem bigger, you need to light every dark corner.

Something else to remember is that the light should be placed with the consideration of your needs. If you are going to sew in the right corner, paint in the left one, and read in the middle, you need at least 3 light sources. It’s better to plan these things when you are doing the renovation because it’s not a good idea to place floor lamps in small apartments: they take up too much valuable space.

4. Your big bathroom isn’t divided into zones.

When the area of a bathroom is really big, owners often place all the furniture and plumbing along the walls and end up having a lot of empty space in the middle. This simply doesn’t look nice. In this case, designers recommend splitting the room into zones. It can be done with the help of a glass wall, partitions, or even folding screens. The best option is to split the room into 2 or 3 parts: a washing zone, a toilet, and a showering zone.

5. Use simple handles on the furniture.

If your furniture has handles with a complicated design, lots of dust and dirt will pile up on them. In order not to spend many hours and tons of money replacing the handles, buy smooth-surface handles of simple colors. Also, while you’re at the store, touch all the handles there. Choose the ones where the least amount of stains are visible.

6. There are objects of approximately the same height standing right next to each other.

There’s a rule that says when you look around a room, your eye should “jump,” not move along one line. This can be acquired by placing furniture of different heights throughout the room. If you, for example, have 2 high closets, place one of them in the left corner of the room and the second one in the opposite corner — it will help them “balance” each other. Don’t put these closets right next to each other, as it will make the room look cluttered and cramped.

Here’s one more useful piece of advice: to combine various shapes. A round-shaped piece should go with a square-shaped item, and straight lines should go with wavy ones. For example, it’s better to place a round or oval table near a rectangular couch. It will make the room look nice and original.

7. The table in the kitchen takes up too much space.

A big dining table is one of the worst solutions for a small kitchen. But sometimes, we want to have a get-together with friends but don’t have enough space. In this case, it’s better to use the following trick: opt for benches or backless chairs instead of typical couches and standard chairs. The former can be hidden under the table, which will help you win more space.

8. The couch is located with its back facing the door.

Housewives agree: induction cookers are much easier to wash than any other surface. They don’t get hot which is why pieces of fallen food don’t get burned. Even if milk drips on the surface, all you need to do is wipe it off.

9. Hide the toilet tank in the wall.

If possible, make sure that the toilet doesn’t even reach the floor — it will make it super easy to clean the dust around it. Also, hide the tank in the wall. It’s simple: no tank means no additional surface for the dust to collect on.

Bonus: The toilet is located opposite the door.

A toilet located opposite the door is quite a bad solution in terms of design. It’s better to be placed so that it’s not fully seen when the door is opened. When locating the toilet, keep in mind that there should be empty space on both sides of it (otherwise, it will be uncomfortable for you to use it because you’ll keep hitting your elbows on nearby furniture or walls). A space of about 8 inches from each side is sufficient.