Here is a quick short list of key measurements that make the difference between a room that looks great and flows and works nicely, to one that is overstuffed, cramped and painfully non-functional.
4-6" - The ideal height above a dresser or console table at which to hang art. Above a sofa, you can go up as high as 7-8". Most people hang art way too high. Offenders, you know who you are..
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| Photo: Centsational Girl |
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| Photo: Sarah Richardson |
36"- 42" - The bottom of a dining room chandelier should hang 36"- 42" above the table. Almost everyone hangs the dining room chandelier way to high.
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| Photo: Wish Decor www.wishdecor.com |
24"- This is the minimum space behind a dining chair and the edge of the rug upon which the chair sits. 30-36" is ideal and usually much better. So make sure when buying a rug for your dining room that you are purchasing at minimum an 8'x10'.
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| Photo: inesblank.com |
36"- This is the minimum measurement you should have between the different elements in your room to allow for adequate traffic and passage flow in key traffic areas throughout the house. It is the standard measurement used in all kitchen and bathroom planning and many times 42" is used whenever possible. 36" is the standard opening for doorways and passages.
42" - This is the ideal space between a bed and a dresser or a buffet server and a chair.
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| Photo: Wish Decor www.wishdecor.com |
8'-10'- This is the maximum comfortable distance between people in a seating area for a comfortable seating a conversation grouping.
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| Photo: Wish Decor www.wishdecor.com |
3X- To find the maximum TV viewing distance, multiple your diagonal screen size by 3 and this will give you the maximum viewing distance between your sofa and your screen. If your TV is 50" you should not have more than 150" or 12'.5" of distance from your screen.
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| Photo: Wish Decor www.wishdecor.com |
26' - The measurement of a functional "work triangle" in a moderately sized kitchen. When planning out your kitchen, the sink, stove and refrigerator should form a work triangle of no more than 26 feet. Each arm of the triangle should be between 4' and 9'. If you have a galley kitchen, ideally, you should place your sink in the middle and then aim to have 36" between the fridge and the sink, and at least 15" between the sink and the range.
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| Photo: Wish Decor www.wishdecor.com |
6"- Ahhh! This is usually the amount of space people will often struggle to find when planning a kitchen, or even a living room layout!
A beautiful and functional design is all in the details and, there isn't any detail that is more important than having the right measurements. Measure, measure, measure!
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Happy Decorating,
Niki
