Bubble Diagram
The most easy way to plan areas in the room is bubble diagram. It helps you to visualize your future floorplan.
Put yourself in the client’s shoes and try to walk with him. Imagine his living scenario. An example, we have a bedroom with a storage, dressing table and additional relax zone with a chair.
Use simple hand-draw draft of a room and arrange zones in the room using bubbles. Draw flow lines to imagine the walkthrough of your client. After that you will see the floorplan issues and can rearange zones again.
Use additional arrows to show daylight spreading, soundproof zones, flow grades like bold arrow for often relationships between objects and regular for minor flows, etc.
If you want to go deep in this method, we higly recommend to read Space Planning Basics by Mark Karlen.
Ok,if you are happy with a result you are ready to go further with a furniture placement.
Furniture dimensions and ergonomics
Ergonomics in the interior design is the process of designing or arranging the furniture the way they fit the people who use them. Most furniture is manufactured to standard measurements acording to ergonomics. It makes the process of arranging furniture easier when you know those standard measurements.
After you understand precisely how much space you have, you should also understand how large the furniture is and how it fits your client.
Bedroom
Living Room
US & UK:
Three-seat sofa: 38-inches deep by 90-inches wide
Loveseat: 38-inches deep by 60-inches wide
Armchair: 35-inches deep by 35-inches wide
Coffee Table: 48-inches long by 30-inches wide
Square end table: 24-inches long by 24-inches wide
Rectangular end table: 28-inches long by 25-inches wide
Four-shelf bookcase: 54-inches tall by 45-inches wide
Europe:
Sofas
Length: Usually between 170 and 250 cm, with the most common size being 213 cm
Depth: Generally between 80 to 103 cm, with an average of 89 cm
Height: Most often between 66 to 91 cm
Kitchen
Square breakfast table for four people: 36-inches by 36-inches
Dishwasher: 24-inches wide by 24-inches deep by 35 inches tall
Side-by-side refrigerator (standard, not counter-depth): 30- to 36-inches wide by 29- to 35-inches deep by 67- to 70-inches tall
Freestanding range: 30-inches wide by 36-inches tall
Base cabinet: 34- to 36-inches tall by 24-inches deep by variable wide
The kitchen triangle, or 'the kitchen working triangle', or 'the golden triangle' was designed in the 1940s at the University of Illinois School of Architecture.
It is based on the interaction between 3 main work areas: the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove. According to rule:
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each side of the triangle should measure no less than 4 feet
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each side of the triangle should measure no more than 9 feet
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the perimeter of the triangle should be no less than 13 feet and no more than 26 feet
Following the rule you'll get a practical and comfy kitchen with an approriate size. The best practice is to place your fridge near the sink, about 30-60 cm or 11-24 inches, and ideally, place a cooktop on the distance 60-120 cm or 24-47 inches. But the reality is so that we can have a lot of different kitchen use scenarios except cooking: home office, dinning room, storage place, etc. You don't have to follow this rule directly. Think about client's comfort at first, and use the rule as an additional tip. Here is some kitchen layouts for help:
Dining Room
US & UK:
Dining table with one leaf: 72-inches long by 36-inches wide
Round dining table for four people: From a 36-inch diameter to a 44-inch diameter
Side chair: 18-inches deep by 18-inches wide
Armchair: 18-inches deep by 22-inches wide
Europe:
Square table for four people: Usually between 80 and 120 cm
Rectangular table for six people: Typically from 150 to 200 cm
Round table: Usually between 80 and 120cm diameter
Home Office
Traditional office desk: 48-inches wide by 30-inches deep by 30-inches tall
Desk chairs: 20- to 22-inches wide by 36-inches tall
Computer chairs: 18-inches wide by 36-inches tall
In addition, you can explore the resource with a dimensions of most popular furniture.