Arranging furniture is an art— no, seriously, it’s one of the most important parts about interior design. That’s not to say that it’s best left to the pros, though. Everyone can design their own perfect space with just a little bit of thought and a lot of experimentation. In fact, figuring out how to set up your new place is a really fun part of moving into an apartment. When it comes to arranging furniture in your apartment,it’s sometimes necessary to get a little creative (and even to just throw the rule book out of the window every now and then). One of the most difficult rooms to design tends to be the bedroom, especially if it’s small. So, read on to learn how to arrange furniture in your bedroom: Before you start deciding where to put what, think about the furniture you’re using and try to use only the pieces that are necessary for the room to function. This is especially important in small apartments when there isn’t a lot of extra space– using fewer pieces will make the room look and feel a lot more spacious.
If your room is extra tiny, use taller dressers and shelves to get more storage while taking up less room. Another quick tip before you get started: Don’t buy new furniture until you’ve arranged the pieces you already have. That way you’ll know the exact furniture you need, along with the dimensions and style you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to experiment with different arrangements on paper before you start pushing furniture around the room. That way you can eliminate some options that won’t work without potentially scratching your floor or walls while moving your dresser for the zillionth time (believe me, it happens). Measure at least your biggest items (bed, dresser, shelves, etc.), as well as the dimensions of your room, then sketch out a couple of different options. If you’re not much of an artist, check out an app that can do the job for you. Try Home Design 3D (iOS) or Floor Plan Creator (Android). While figuring out how to arrange furniture in your new bedroom, think about your lifestyle.
This could really affect where your furniture ends up. For instance, if you tend to watch a lot of TV in bed, you’ll want to find a layout that works well for that. Also, plan your walkways. If your bed is blocking your path from the dresser to the mirror, you may find yourself a little annoyed down the road. Once you’re ready to put the pencil and paper (or app) down, and start actually arranging, begin with your bed. Traditionally, beds are placed on the wall opposite the door or the largest one with no windows. In a small bedroom, you may have to break these guidelines, though. Find a spot for your bed that makes the most sense to you, just make sure you can open and close your bedroom and closet doors. Also, while placing your bed under windows is totally OK from a design perspective, you may find yourself feeling uncomfortable drafts over the winter. When you’ve found the spot you think works best for your bed, arrange everything else starting with the biggest furniture item followed by smaller ones.
Usually the dresser comes next, followed by bedside tables, a desk, shelves, chairs, and anything else you may have. Small-bedroom tip: If your closet is spacious, see if you can fit your dresser inside it. This will open up a lot of extra space (for activities!) in the room itself. Though it’s not a furniture item, your area rug placement will definitely depend on your room’s finalized layout. Area rugs are typically placed underneath the lower two-thirds of the bed so they create a cushy area to step on as you get out of bed in the morning. If your bed is tucked into a corner, your rug will likely have to be placed somewhere else, like next to the bed or in the center of the open part of your room. There are a lot of guidelines when it comes to how to arrange furniture, but there’s no wrong way to design your bedroom’s layout. If your bed ends up being beneath the windows, or your dresser has to be directly next to it, that’s OK. Just figure out what works best for you and your space.
If you want, try experimenting with different layouts during your first few weeks living in your new place. When you hit on one that works, you’ll know it.Corner Beds HeadboardBeds Daybeds Futons HeadboardsBedframe3/4 BedsNightstand HeadboardAngled HeadboardHeadboard WallpaperBookshelf HeadboardCorner BedroomForwardAs someone who hates just lining walls with furniture, I love this idea. Cozy, change the lines of the room, and efficient use of what would otherwise be dead space.In small bedrooms, limited floor space can determine a bed's orientation. The best orientation for a bed in any bedroom depends on several factors, such as available floor space, architectural features and personal preference. When arranging bedroom furniture, you should first position the largest piece -- the bed -- and arrange additional furniture around it. Incoming natural light and window construction can also influence where you place your bed. Traditional Placement In traditional bedroom layouts, the bed is perpendicular to the longest wall, centered, with the headboard facing the room's interior.
But sometimes windows or doors interrupt a continuous wall, making it impossible to center your bed on it. You can solve this design problem by positioning your bed off-center on the longest wall or angling the headboard in a corner. Avoid putting the bed in front of a window unless you have no other decorating options. It blocks the outdoor view and may create an uneasy feeling of vulnerability. Any sliver of incoming natural light, whether bright sunshine or moonlight, can prove annoying if you're a light sleeper. In addition, on chilly nights, cold drafts may seep in through poorly insulated windows. Focal Point When you have a natural focal point in a bedroom, such as a wall of windows or a stunning fireplace, position your bed so it's facing the special feature. By placing a bed so it faces oversized windows with a spectacular outdoor view, you can enjoy the scenery immediately upon awakening or while you're lounging in bed. Turning a bed toward a fireplace lets you soak in the visual serenity, whether your fireplace is a traditional wood-burning one or modern gas.
Feng Shui Feng shui is a Chinese system that integrates a person's relationships with his surroundings to achieve maximum harmony with believed spiritual forces. When you incorporate the feng shui philosophy into your bedroom furniture arrangement, the best orientation for your bed is in a "command position." This means your bed should be positioned to face the doorway from a corner or wall opposite the door or perpendicular to a wall that's adjacent to the door. But even though you place your bed in the "right position" according to feng shui decorating principles, it may still feel "wrong." How the bed placement feels to you trumps the feng shui guidelines, because a particular rule may simply not apply to you. Small Bedrooms The available space in a small bedroom may dictate the best orientation for your bed. Professional interior design spacing guidelines recommend leaving a minimum two-foot clearance around the exposed perimeter of a bed and at least three feet in front of sliding doors.