How to Determine the Actual Space of a Room

Don’t be locked into titles. A dining room doesn’t have to be used for dining if you need it more for something else. I interchange my dining and living rooms with the seasons.

A young family I know moved into their first home, which had two bedrooms upstairs and a master bedroom downstairs. The kitchen and living rooms were too small to accommodate a dining table large enough for two adults and two children. They desperately needed a place to eat and decided to take one of the upstairs bedrooms for themselves, bought bunk beds for their two daughters, and put the girls together in the second bedroom. They were then able to turn the downstairs bedroom into a dining room.

When we were building our house, the plans called for a cozy den. Our architect had spent many years designing wooden boats, and we wanted him to design a room that would feel like the space inside a boat. Since we live in a boating community, this seemed logical.

The room, only 9 feet square, has a corner fireplace and built-ins all around, and is just right for two. But before the room was built, we planned floor-to-ceiling bookcases for all the walls, not realizing how little space would be left for furniture. When we saw the space, we quickly changed our thinking. We now have narrow shelves that run around the room above head level, which is more in keeping with the scale of the space.

Don’t be put off if a room seems too small or overly spacious; you can always create a design to compensate for any problem. Before planning what furniture you’ll need for each room, write down the following questions and answer them as best you can. Try to think of your immediate needs and, if possible, anticipate what you might need in the future.

1. How will the room be used most of the time? For example, the kitchen may not be a high priority on your list because you work all week and put together simple meals. However, if you enjoy cooking on weekends, es-pecially if two of you cook together, the kitchen should be designed accordingly. Even if you only dream of one day spending more time cooking as a hobby, you’ll want to plan space to accommodate your collection of cookbooks and cooking untensils.

2. Will the room be used for other purposes from time to time? For example, an eating area for two may have to seat more family members during the holidays, or friends who occasionally drop by.

3. Who will use the room most of the time? If, for example, you’re creating a home office in an unused bedroom, this is essentially your room. Since you’ll need to put up the occasional guest, you might select some pieces of furniture that work for both purposes. However, don’t sacrifice the functional office aspect of this room for the one time a year when your mother comes to stay for a week.

4. How much seating space will you need when the room is used optimally? A living room, for example, should be as comfortable as you can make it for you and the people you live with. However, you don’t want to drag chairs in from the kitchen every time you have company. Small occasional chairs can be worked into the plan for this purpose.