jackie dici

If you are an interior designer, project manager, or have any project remotely related to those worlds you carry a tape measure with you at all times. I know I do. I often hear clients and DIY enthusiasts say it’s too early to think about the furniture. Oh my dear friends, it is not. Large pieces like sofas, televisions, bath tubs, beds, kitchen cabinets. These are big items that can take weeks, sometimes months to arrive. If you think ahead early you can catch details that are critical to their succesful execution and installation.

Here are some examples and good tips to help you think outside the box if you are in the early stages of remodeling or construction and should be considerate of your furniture.

LIVING ROOM

Understanding the placement of your sofa can help you determine where to place the TV outlet, over head lighting. Reviewing sofa dimensions before buying may help alert you if it impedes on walk ways, or the functioning patio door. No one likes to squeeze past the sofa to get out, worse fall over the ottoman they didnt see as they walked inside.

KITCHEN

Doublechecking the box or standard size dimensions in and out can ensure you are going to get a good fit. That the boxes of the cabinets do not over lap with windows or space for the appliances. These are basics that most (every) kitchen company will review and help work out, but is important if you are purchasing a buy and build DIY kitchen. Im looking at you, you incredible customer of the blue and yellow store with fantastic meatballs. Also it helps with the lighting, often times older recessed lighting may have been placed close to the upper cabinets, if you decide to go deeper or change their position you may over lap with lighting and black the surface below from getting adaquate lighting or worse- face shadows. Think: psycho black and white scene as a chef. Yikes.

BEDROOMS

My dear god bedrooms are so important. Everyone wants the big bed, but do you know what you are giving up when you get it? Or are you measuring a standard king mattress dimension and forgetting that you are buying a slightly bigger king size mattress, putting it on a bed platform with a headboard about 6″ thick, and oh yeah the only outlet for the bedside tables is behing the headboard so you got to pull the bed out a few inches to het the plug in it. Even a flat outlet extension cord buys you an inch or two back. Before you know it the “plenty of space” to walk over to your side of the bed became a mid night reminder of things you can stub your toe on in the dark.

DOOR SWINGS

This isn’t particularly a space, because it applies to all areas. When you are selecting your furniture for an entry way, or the cabinets for your bathroom think about the door swing. Which direction does it go and how far into the room does it swing. Sometimes you might consider a shorter entry table or one with less depth, a cabinet without a drawer that is in the way of a closet door if you are dressing. Even the doors to appliances like washers, dryers, and refridgerators, do you have to close the door to step away from it…that would be no good if your hands are full or vision is blocked by the mound of clothes you are practicing to carry like a circus trick without dropping a sock.

There are so many other ways, let me know what your project is and where you are at and I can help give you some pointers!