How to Measure your Space for Furniture

Taking measurements may not sound like a lot of fun, but it is very important that you do that before you purchase any furniture for your home.  Before you start shopping, bring in all your measurements to save time when shopping.  Bring those measurements with you and show them to the sales representatives for a quick and seamless shopping experience.

Save all your measurements in an accessible place for easy reference later on.

Before you start taking measurements of the room, start with your front door, and other points of entry. The furniture may fit in your room but what if it won’t make it through your door or staircase!

***Tip: Buy a laser measuring tape for easy measurements especially for large areas

Measure Entries and Passages

Go over your home and measure all the entries, passages, stairways and doorways through which your furniture has to travel to get to its destination. When you are measuring, make sure you have all the accurate width, height and diagonal width.

You should also make a note of any corners that will need to be turned in a hallway or on a staircase. Make sure to measure diagonally on the staircase, too.

Don’t forget to make a note of any light fixtures, railings or any architectural impediments along the way. These can potentially create problems in moving your furniture in if you are not aware of them.

Any furniture you buy should have some clearance around it and should be at least 4 inches less than the passage measurements. This will allow you or the furniture delivery people to move it easily.

Measure Your Rooms

While it is important to measure the passages and entries, you also need to measure all your rooms in detail so that you are aware of not just the size of the rooms but all the windows, doors, and fireplaces that a room has.

First measure the door that you will be using to bring the furniture into the room. Measure the height and width and also diagonally from top left to bottom right. Make sure to get the measurements for inside the door frames, too, because those are the most important measurements.

Next, you should measure the length from the entrance of the room to the far wall. You need this measurement to know if you will be able to bring the furniture into the room and be able to maneuver it easily to place it.

Measure the length and width of the room. That is an easy one.
Next, measure the height of the walls. Most homes have a standard sized height for ceilings which is around 8 feet, but your ceiling may be higher or lower. This is a helpful measurement when you want to bring in taller pieces such as book shelves or armoires.

Measure all doorways, windows, radiators, fireplaces or any other architectural features.

I can look at a mattress and tell you what size it is, but it’s those pesky king mattresses that are tricky. There are 2 kinds of kings and the correct one is needed if you want it to fit into your bed properly.

EASTERN KING: 76″ W x 80″ L (wider and shorter that the Cal King)

CALIFORNIA KING: 72″ W x 84″ L (more narrow and long than an Eastern King)

Keep in mind the height of the actual bed, and the thickness of the mattress. A really thick pillow-top mattress might feel great in the store, but could be difficult to get onto at night. You shouldn’t need a step ladder to go to bed (unless, of course, that’s your thing)!

How to measure furniture:

1) Measure the depth of the piece ( D ) and the height ( H ) and check that at least one of these is less than the width ( A ) of your doorway to ensure it will fit through. See diagram below.

2) It is also very important to measure the diagonal length of the piece from top left corner to bottom right corner on the back

NOTE*** : The negative space

That is, the amount of empty space you want around this piece. Remember, just because you can cram something in, doesn’t mean you should. You need to walk through your room, place side tables next to your couch, or chairs at your dining table. The empty space is just as important as the furniture itself to make sure your room stays balanced, functional and has great flow.

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measuring furniture for your

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