Furniture tips to help improve your comfort, safety and well-being at home.
The Chinese Feng Shui and Indian Vastu Shastra both imply that interior design can affect one’s mood and health. It may sound like superstition, but the Journal of the Association for Psychological Science has actually published a survey that confirms the same notion. A study conducted by Bjorn Grinde & Grete Patil also suggests that integrating nature in interior design can improve your health and reduce stress levels.
Interior design, however, can be overwhelming. If it’s your first time doing it, you could probably use some furniture tips to help you if you struggle with managing space, choosing colors, and balancing texture and pattern. You also have to consider your lifestyle, budget, and personal preference.
So where do you start? The best starting point is the floor plan. Determine how much space you have in one room and decide how you can arrange your furniture.
Furniture tips for easier living
Here are some furniture tips you can use in arranging your furniture so that you can achieve maximum comfort:
Use easy-to-access shelves
Your first priority is to keep the room clutter-free. You can do this by using storage cabinets. They might take space, but they are the best solution to keep small yet important things in one place. For instance, they can hold your books so that they won’t clutter your living room. You don’t have to worry about the installation of shelves as it is easy to do.
Avoid sharp-cornered furniture
People are usually inclined to buy rectangular tables. However, these might not be the most practical choice. Not only do they put children at risk of injury, but they can also take a lot of space. If you have tables with sharp edges, make sure that you install plastic encasements to protect your family.
If your room is small, you might want to buy round tables instead. These are perfect for small gatherings. Moreover, they make the setting more intimate and cozier.
Give space for traffic
Don’t cramp several pieces of furniture together. When it comes to room arrangement, one of the most important things is traffic flow. Make sure that you have enough space for people to move around the room. Set 30 to 48 inches of space for major walkways. For minor ones, 24 inches of space will do.
Keep the underside of bed clutter-free
Because it’s hidden from view, the underside of the bed usually ends up as storage space for clutter. However, Feng Shui experts say that this should be avoided. The bedroom is an important room for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. You need to make sure that positive energy can circulate around it. And you can only achieve this if the room is free from clutter.
There are a lot of better storage solutions compared you can use. You can install overhead shelves, use crown molding as a shoe rack, or use a headboard storage. Keep your blankets, bed linens, pillows, and other sleeping essentials in the closet.
Secure shelves and keep them within reach
According to AnchorIt, there are about 33,000 cases of injury from tip-over accidents every year. Sometimes, tip-overs do not only injure a person, they can seriously kill a person if you are not careful. These should not happen at all as the home should be a safe space.
In order to prevent tip-over accidents, you need to carefully check the weight of the shelves. Don’t overload them and make sure that you securely fasten them to the wall. As an extra security measure, make sure that you can easily reach the top of the shelf, so it won’t topple over your head. If you have kids, don’t put toys or anything that can catch their attention on the shelves.
Choose a larger coffee table
If you’re saving space, why should you choose large coffee tables? The answer lies in its functionality and aesthetic value. Large coffee tables tend to be sturdier. Also, they can serve as a backup storage space. If you’re choosing a new one, you may want to consider one that is made of spar urethane, so that it has lower toxicity level.
When positioning your coffee table, make sure that you allow about 1-2 feet of space between it and other furniture.
Consider the height of your sofas and couches
While design and style are important in choosing a sofa or couch, you also have to consider its ergonomics. After all, they should be able to keep your back and spine protected while you relax.
If you are looking for a comfortable couch, make sure that it can properly support your lower back. The average height of a sofa is 18-19 inches. However, as each person has different height, you can’t use this as the basis for your choice. You must at least make sure that you can bend your knee to a 90-degree angle without any difficulty. Low-lying sofas are currently popular as they allow you to sit or lie back comfortably.
Check sofa arm height for level of comfort
Many people overlook the importance of arm height as it’s the least important factor to consider when buying a sofa. However, if your goal is to get maximum comfort, you should seriously pay attention to it as well. So what’s the ideal arm height?
If you usually lean against a sofa, then a higher arm height is ideal. However, if you prefer to sit upright, then the arm height might not matter much. Regardless, you still should buy a sofa with an arm as it can support you while standing up.
Remove unwanted furniture
Furniture can take space, so if you’re not using them, you should remove them from the room. Hoarding pieces of furniture will not allow you to fully maximize your space. If you are not ready to throw them away, you can store them in the attic, garage, or basement. You can also sell them if you want.
Final thoughts
The aforementioned furniture tips can help you create a room that is free from clutter, maximized for comfort, and space-efficient. If you don’t want to move heavy pieces of furniture around constantly, make sure that you make a floor plan. Draw the room, so you can clearly visualize where things go.
