Picking furniture can be daunting, especially when you are doing it for the first time. The material used, quality, your aesthetic taste and the budget are all important parameters. But a very important criteria to consider is the measurement of the furniture and whether it will fit comfortably in the space it is supposed to be. This can be tricky but in this blog, we will help you understand measurements better.
It is important to accurately measure the dimensions of your room, to avoid crowding of your home. Furthermore, if refunds or exchanges are not possible, or the product is a second-hand item, it can lead to a financial loss. By following a few simple steps, you can avoid disappointments.
Creating a room sketch
Gathering required measurement tools: The tools that you will need to measure your room are:
- A tape measure. This should preferably be 25 feet long, one you can get in a hardware store.
- A paper or a notebook, along with a pencil to draw out a rough sketch of your room
- A handy helper! This can be anyone from your family or even your friends. They can help move furniture around or hold the other end of the tape when required
1. Drawing a rough outline: Start from the entrance of the room and move from there. It is important to work in one direction, so you don’t miss anything A tip: Start from left to right, or take the top-to-bottom down approach. Create a sketch as if looking at your room from the top. It does not have to be perfect, it just has to be approximate.
2. Wall measurements: Start from your left, and measure the first wall by placing the tape on one end and dragging it to the other corner. You can also do it from floor to floor, if you do not have someone to help you. Note down these measurements on your rough sketch, and put down all the walls and sides measurements on the paper/notebook.
3. Repeat the process until almost perfect: Sometimes, we may not accurately measure the room dimensions on the first go. So, repeat the process until you are confident about the measurements.
4. Include other fixtures and room parts: This means, include the measurements for your doors, windows as well as any other openings present in your living space. For windows and doors, you can either measure with the trims, or without. It makes sense to measure both, just to be on the safer side.
Here is an in-depth guide on how to measure your window or doorway:
- Left sided wall placements: Move along from left to right until you reach a stopping point, such as a window
- Right sided wall placements: Move along from right to the left until you reach a stopping point, such as a window.
- Width of the window or doorway including the trims/frames
- Width of the window or door excluding the trims/surface
- Wall placement (Top): Measure from your ceiling to the top of any window/door trim
- Height of the window or doorway including the trims/frames
- Height of the window or door excluding the trims/surface
- Wall placement (Bottom): Measure from outer trim of the window/door to the floor
- Wall placement (Diagonal): Measure from the inside bottom right of the window/door to the inside top left corner
- Ceiling fixtures
- Fans
- Television sets
- Floor/wall vents
- Light switches
- Outlets
- Ceiling fixtures
- Fans
- Television sets
- Floor/wall vents
- Light switches
- Outlets
7. Measuring the points of entry: Points of entry can be the entryway and passages. This is important as the furniture will have to comfortably fit through these areas to be placed wherever you want it to be kept. Make sure you measure the accurate height, width and diagonal width. If you have a staircase, measure it diagonally too!
Standard measurements for different areas in your home
Living room: Some of the standard measurements for furniture in your living room are:
- 3 seat sofa: 35”D * 84”W
- Loveseat: 35”D * 60”W
- Armchair: 35”W *35”D
- Coffee table: 30”W * 48*L
- End table (Square) : 24”W * 24”L
- End table (Rectangular): 24”W * 28”L
Dining room: Some of the standard measurements for furniture in your dining room are:
- Dining table: 36”W * 72”L
- Side chair: 18”D * 18”W
- Arm chair: 18”D * 22”W
Bedroom: Some of the standard measurements for furniture in your bedroom are:
- Twin bed: 39”W * 80”L
- Double bed: 54”W * 80”L
- Queen bed: 60”W * 80”L
Once you get all of these measurements, it is easy to compare it to the furniture that you are going to buy as sellers always provide the measurements for furniture! This will ensure that you can easily meet the style requirements of your room, while not being careless about it. These steps are a major leap towards understanding furnishings and your requirements in general. So, what are you waiting for? Go on, and let us know how you did!
Title Picture Credits:
Photo by William Warby on Unsplash