When decorating a new home, it’s tempting to jump straight into choosing colours, curtains, or décor. But before any of that, the most important thing is to plan around the key furniture pieces that will define how you live in your space.
Done right, layout planning makes your home feel spacious, functional, and comfortable. Here’s how to do it.
Start with the Anchors
Every room has one or two anchor pieces—the furniture that takes up the most space and serves the biggest purpose.
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Living Room: Sofa or sectional
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Dining Area: Dining table and chairs
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Bedroom: Bedframe and side tables
These anchors should be the first to go onto your layout plan. Everything else—rugs, lighting, storage—builds around them.
Consider Flow and Movement
A beautifully furnished room means nothing if it’s hard to move through. Leave enough clearance space around your anchor furniture:
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At least 60–80cm of walking space around beds and dining tables
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50–60cm in front of sofas for coffee tables
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Enough space for doors, drawers, or wardrobe panels to open fully
Think about how people will move through the space. Are they walking past the sofa to reach the window? Does someone need to pass behind a dining chair to get to the kitchen?
Shown above: Voxel Modular Sofa — clean lines, deep seats, and endless ways to make it your own. See the Voxel Sofa →
Match Function to Lifestyle
Your layout should support how you actually live.
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Have kids or pets? Keep pathways wide and furniture edges soft.
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Love entertaining? Create zones where people can sit, mingle, or move freely.
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Work from home? Make sure the dining table or side room has enough light and comfort for long hours.
Your layout is not just about looks—it's about daily living.
Use Layout Tools
You don’t need to be a designer to plan well. Try these free layout tools:
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Planner5D
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Roomstyler
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Floorplanner
These let you sketch your actual floor plan and drop in furniture pieces with exact dimensions. Some furniture stores (like ours!) can also help you with basic space planning if you share your floor plan.
Don’t Forget the Details
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Check power point and lighting locations—especially for TV walls and bedside lamps
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Maintain proper TV viewing distance (ideally 1.5–2x the screen size)
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Leave room for curtain or blind clearance around windows
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Plan your rug sizes to fit under furniture, not float between them
Final Word
Your furniture layout defines how you live, not just how your home looks. Plan around your anchor pieces first, then build out your style from there. A well-laid-out space doesn’t just function better—it feels better, too.
