Room Planning // The Planner

The Wonders of technology

I now had a good idea of what I wanted for my spare room (see my inspiration here ) but what would actually work in that space.

I am not great at visualising things in the space & many a time after moving heavy furniture decided nah let's put it back the way it was! (hubby hates this)

I knew there must be an easy room planner app thingy so I took to pinterest to see if anyone used a planner & sure enough some kind soul had done a round up on room planners.

I wanted a free planner, not to technical & Urban Barn Room Planner ticked all the boxes.  I did get a bit distracted as Urban Barn site is packed with loads of gorgeous things, shame that Canada is a bit far a shopping trip!

The room planner The Make Room is easy to use, has everything you'd want to add & is a great way of arranging your space without the hassle of moving furniture.  You don't even have to register! You can play around till your hearts content.

I measured every inch of my room - the doors, the window, the radiator & I drew my own wee diagram with all my measurements.

Then I transferred all this info to the room planner.  It didn't take long to get used to the settings & soon I had my wee room with furniture on my screen.  You can easily add windows, doors & all the pieces of furniture - you can even add power sockets! This was great as it's easy to hide sockets behind furniture or work out if you will need an extension cable to get your appliances powered up.  In fact you can add practically anything from gym equipment, pipes, dogs, people, you can even add the kitchen sink!

In my head I had been planning where to move the existing furniture so I promptly moved the desk, got the drawers into position then the spare chair bed I'm going to get it - it goes ….. oh it doesn't fit there because of the radiator.  Ok so if I put the bed here, the drawers there, right  - no hang on that doesn't work either & so I moved the stuff around again.  It was ace! I could move around furniture, try things in different places with no effort, no hassle just a drag of the cursor & I could instantly see if it would work for me.

No more humphing around heavy furniture just to put it back where you started!

Granted it does take time, getting all your measurements of the room & the furniture but I guarantee it saves you time & hassle in the long run!  No more buying things that I thought would fit the space, that blatantly did not fit.

I now have a clear idea of the different zones/areas I wanted in the room

1. Crafts - a place to do & a place to store all the bits & bobs that go with it.
2. Desk - with a study area, noticeboards & filling
3. Meditation area - with the comfy chair bed, my music, crystals & zen garden around me.  This will then double as a sleeping area for when mum or a guest comes to stay.
4. A scarf area - a bit indulgent in a small room but it is my collection & will mean I make greater use of them.  That's the plan anyway.

As I could now clearly see the space I had to work with I could work out what pieces I would need to purchase.  I've picked a few things from Ikea & added them to the room planner.

Now all that's left to do is purchase these pieces & get my hubby to work!  Because I have planned it all out, I have a floor layout that I can show Mr B to make sure things go in the right place, I can easily print it off to take with me for shopping & I can use it in the future should I wish to rearrange things.  That coupled with my ikea shopping list & I am ready to get this room sorted! Exciting stuff the redecorating.

Of course once I pin down my hubby to bring all this planning together I will post my pictures with pride knowing the planning that went into my wee room.

I would definitely recommend room planning for your next decorating project.  I feel so much happier with my decisions & purchases & feel sure I can get my room just how I want it.

Do you have any decorating projects this year?

Any other room planning tips?