So you’ve found your new home and need to think ahead and start planning where your furniture is going to go. In this and our next blog we will look at how you can prepare to move into your new home and get your furniture lay-out planned well before you get there – I promise you this will make moving-in so much easier!
The kitchen is the heart of the home and one of those rooms that is needed from the minute you move in, so let’s start with the kitchen and dining room or your open plan kitchen diner.
First off, when you pack the final items into the back of your moving lorry or van, just make sure you add a kettle, cups, tea, coffee, sugar, milk and some snacks where you can easily get to them. Taking a 5-minute breather in your new home with a cup of tea or coffee to get re-charged and re-focused will make you more productive in the long run!
Before moving-in day get the full measurements of the space – take note of where sockets, light switches, windows, doors, radiators are. Then you need to decide if the furniture you currently have will work in the new space – there’s no point paying to move it if you want to change it. If you had a formal dining room before and are now moving into a modern kitchen diner you may want to change to a modern industrial style dining table, if you are moving into a cottage then a farmhouse table may suit the style of your new home better. Maybe your dining space is bigger in your new home and you would like to add some reclaimed wood furniture, such as a rustic sideboard.
Use a floor plan to see how this will all fit in the new space – remember to take into account which way doors open and leave plenty of room around the dining table or breakfast bar to pull the dining chairs out and get around it. If the room is open plan then use zoning to define the different areas – you may want be able to fit in a modern leather sofa and TV area and create a family TV space.
If you have a separate dining room you may want to go for a more formal reclaimed dining table and make it the focal point of the room. Think about if the lighting is in the right place? Would it work better if the ceiling light were moved? Do you need to change your wooden dining chairs to fabric dining chairs? Think about bringing in an accent colour – bold blue velvet dining chairs will give an otherwise formal room a modern splash of colour.
If your kitchen only has a little bit of spare space you may want to bring in a small wooden table and chairs that can be used for breakfasts and quick lunches. Use your floorplan to decide how big the table can be – just allow an additional metre all around it for chairs.
