How to plan/design an apartment by myself?

[tungu2]

Hello everyone!

My apartment is in desperate need of renovation. My first step is to actually decide what I need and how to use limited space (for example, I need to fit a small home office somewhere).

I am very much into minimalist interior and I am not going to spend on decor, therefore, I am not looking for ~design inspo~ but for actual practical guidance on how to plan a convenient place. Any recommendations  for books, magazines, websites etc?

Huge thanks!

[HipGnosis]

How much room do you have to convert into your home office?

[tungu2]

How much room do you have to convert into your home office?

Not much, just a desk and small paper storage (fortunately, I don’t need to print out many things). But zoning is required because it’s going to be in the corner of the living room. And the room has windows on two adjacent sides. The other room is my bedroom, no extra space there.

[calimom]

Check out: www.apartmenttherapy.com

[Papa bear]

Houzz is good for pictures and ideas. 

To actually plan it out, get some graph paper, measure your space, graph it out, and make 20 copies of it.  Then start drawing. Have friends or family come up with ideas too.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jon Bon]

I've used ikea kitchen/home planner, they have it for offices and such.

Free to use and it lets you put all kinds of furniture and stuff in there.

[AMandM]

In my experience my estimates of how much space something takes are often wildly wrong. When you are drawing ideas for layouts on your graph paper, make sure you are using real measurements for the furniture etc.

Sit at your desk--how far from the edge is the back of your chair? Push your chair back so you can stand up--how much open space does this require behind the chair? How much space do you need between a sofa and table to be able to walk comfortably to sit on the sofa? How much space do you need to be able to pull drawers out efficiently? Etc. Etc. Etc.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Step one: figure out what you actually need for your lifestyle. If you have a home office, for example, will you use it? Or do you actually prefer working at a kitchen table? Figure out what you will use.

Step two: Google or Pinterest to find images of those spaces that appeal. Ignore considerations like space or cost, just use the process to find out what your preferences are.

Step three: narrow down the preferences. In the amazing home office on pinterest, what is it that's really pushing your buttons? Light? Wall colour? Furniture?

Step four: mentally strip back your apartment to bare bones and draw that. The only things you need to keep on the plan are plumbing sites, electrical sites (eg where the oven is wired in), windows, supporting walls, that sort of thing.

Now you get to play. Draw a scale plan. Draw and cut out scale furniture, scale walls and shift things around. Remember that you'll need a meter clearance walk space around everything.