Rental living is filled with open spaces just waiting for you to put your stamp on them. Maybe you are moving into your new apartment and need to figure out the best place for all your living room furniture. Maybe you’ve been in the same place for over a year and are in need of a change and want to move your bedroom furniture around and possibly add a new piece. Either way you have space to work with and all it takes is your imagination and the time to move furniture all over the place.
Unfortunately, moving furniture around can become a hassle. You end up moving the couch from one end of the room to other, then against the wall or to the corner and then realize that it’s just too big or it really only worked in the first position you had it in. That’s a good 45 minutes and some sweat you've wasted in figuring out that you should've just left the couch in the first position you placed it in, *sigh*.
Save yourself all that time and energy with our rental living tips on arranging furniture! Honestly, you’ll begin to question why you never thought of doing some of these tips in the past (I know we did).
2D Model
In order to create a 2D model of your rental living space all you need is: graph paper, scissors, a pen or pencil, and a measuring tape. Measure the dimensions of your space (whether it be your living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc.) and draw it out on your graph paper, have every foot of space equal one square on your graph paper. Once you have drawn your room dimensions set that paper aside and grab a new one. Measure each piece of furniture you have in the same way you measure your room and draw it on your paper, then cut it out and label it. You can also go online to room planner and create your 2D model for free. Now you can easily move around your furniture within your room without breaking a sweat!
Room to Move
You may have 10 pieces of furniture ranging from small to large that you think would fit perfectly within your open space, but don’t forget the most important piece. Foot traffic. Remember that not only will YOU need to be able to move around without hitting your toe on 3 different pieces of furniture before getting out of the room but so will your guests! Leave some open space around your furniture to give it that nice balance between cozy and functional.
Can it Fit?
When buying a new or used piece of furniture it's important to figure out if it's physically possible to get it into your apartment. Although it can be a pain to assemble each and every piece of furniture you purchase it definitely makes it easier to get them in through your door. Double check the size of that couch and measure your doors and hallways to see if you can get it around the corner and through your door. It’s no fun to find the perfect couch and have your dreams be crushed because you can’t it into your apartment.
Sliders
Make your life simpler by purchasing a few carpet sliders to stick under your couches, beds, tables, etc. Instead of putting all your weight into pushing the furniture across the room you can simply give a push and watch as it slides across the carpet with a lot less effort.
Focal Point
It’s important to find the focal point of your rental living space before arranging your furniture. It could be anything from a window, a TV, or a piece of artwork you are going to hang on the wall. Have your furniture either facing the focal point or have your furniture be placed around it so anyone who walks in can see the main draw of the room.
Lighting
Don’t forget to arrange the furniture around your outlets as well. It wouldn’t make sense to place your desk on the wall that holds no outlet, where will you plug in your lamp or computer? Why would you put your lamp on one side of the room when all your places to sit are located on the other side? When designing how you want your space to look make sure to account for the location of every outlet and how they relate to the function of your furniture.
Seat-to-Table Ratio
Follow the rule that says for every place to sit you should have at least one table, anything from an end/side table to a coffee table. If you are going to have more of one in this ratio then make sure it’s tables. For example, you can have a three-person couch with end tables on either side and a coffee table in front of it. Don’t have multiple seating arrangements with only one table, no one likes getting out of their seat or reaching too far to place something down.
Our last tip is don’t be afraid to pull your furniture out and away from your walls, it can actually make your rental living space feel bigger. That’s it! You are now prepared to go create an awesome, cozy yet functional room without wanting to pull your hair out.
No matter if you've just moved in or you've there awhile, download our 13 Things To-Do Immediately After Move-In and make sure you haven't forgotten something!
