Following on from last week’s introduction to the buyer’s guide – Creating the Perfect Room, which discussed room use, part two is about creating a logical layout.

When a room is carefully planned and logically laid out, it helps to create the right ambiance for social interaction and means residents are less likely to move the furniture around.

Consider how residents can navigate around the room. If you have wheelchair users or those using walking aids, there must be enough space between the furniture for them to manoeuvre around the room. The visually impaired could benefit from contrasting colours both in the room decoration, carpets and furniture fabrics to help them negotiate the space.

Too much space between furniture, though, can impair social interaction so you need to find the right balance to allow conversation to flow and allow easy movement.

Remember to think about the space required to open sideboards or wardrobes. When you are deciding where to place a television, think about how natural light could impair the visibility of the screen, and also where your aerial socket is. If you plan to put a television at one end of the room but the aerial is at the opposite end, it can cause headaches! Think about where your power sockets, radiators and windows are located so you don’t block access to them.

Ensuring residents can clearly see across and into communal areas improves transparency, and makes them more open and welcoming.

Logical layouts will help your residents to feel more confident and independent and there are other ways to help with this, such as using different colours for each floor. A colour scheme that encompasses wall decoration, carpets, artwork and furniture, can help residents to get around a building, and clear signage is another useful aid to navigation.

However you decide you want to use your room, Buckingham Interiors can help you to plan the layout and buy the right furniture to deliver the desired end result.