It’s time to put some furniture on your wish list for the new home.
Keep in mind that furniture can take up to six months to make and deliver, so start as early as possible even if you can’t get into the house under construction.
Begin by noting the width and height of each doorway into the house. Also, find out the widths of all exterior gates and the heights of all hallways, especially just inside entrances and just outside of large rooms, like the owner’s suite, which will have large furniture.
Knowing this will help you decide which door to go through with larger pieces.
Next, make note of the door widths within the home and how much space you can gain by temporarily removing doors from their hinges while moving in.
For indoor living spaces, the builders specify the room dimensions. Learn as accurately as possible the distances from window sills to floors in each room. It’s just as important to collect measurements between all windows and doors — including closet doors — in each room.
Luckily, new home plans are flexible enough that arranging the furniture doesn’t have to feel like a Tetris game.
Analyze the existing furniture
The next step is to take a critical look at your current facility and take a tape measure.
In order to determine the best furniture combinations and arrangements, you probably need to part with some older furniture. And that’s okay.
That oh-so-comfortable sofa that had to be set up in your current family room because it was too big to fit in the doorway? Make sure it’s not too bulky for its new place.
And what about that entertainment unit that used to contain all your components? If you’re honest, you haven’t needed it in 10-20 years due to smaller electronics and streaming media content.
Determine which pieces are practical enough to bring to the new home. Are they high quality enough, clean enough and stylish enough to feel like this in your new home? Analyze the cost and time of reupholstering existing, quality sofas and chairs versus donating to buy new sofas and chairs.
Tape off each configuration
The professionals at the builder’s design center will have even more detail on the dimensions of each house plan. Use their virtual design programs to create possible configurations of the pieces of furniture you already own.
Note any large gaps or spaces that would be too tight with your existing furniture. Unless your family plays hide and seek several times a day, avoid creating furniture mazes in the smaller rooms of the house.
Also, understand the relative height of each room so smaller pieces of furniture don’t make the room appear cavernous or filled with dollhouse decor.
Whether you’re masking furniture arrangements digitally or with real tape, take your time with the process. In doing so, you may discover less obvious furniture alignments, as well as places where there is extra space and where you may be trying to squeeze some items in too tightly.
lifestyle and flow
Freedom of movement, airflow and the natural flow of light are equally important in interior design. Consider the positions of windows and sliding glass doors when positioning furniture in each room.
If areas of the home have ample windows at the ideal height from the floor — or floor-to-ceiling windows — consider low-backed chairs, console tables, or even plant stands nearby.
For each room and the spaces between rooms, consider how your household lives and moves.
Smaller, moveable seating such as comfortable chairs and love seats can allow flexibility: these can be spread across a few rooms or hallways during normal family use, and easily moved into larger rooms for additional comfortable seating when entertaining.
Are kitchen island stools used for more than breakfast or your afternoon tea break? Consider choosing some with low backs that are more comfortable than open stools.
Finally, although furniture will make your new home ready for your future, there’s no need to rush your shopping if you’d rather wait until you see how your home will live. This applies in particular if the purchase of a new home marks a change in life or marital status or phase of life.
The best furniture is as quality as the show home they will live in.