Finding the right furniture combination to fit your home’s spaces isn’t always easy. That sectional you adore might be much too big to fit through the door. Or the cabinets you loved are too small to fill out the space. It can be like solving a puzzle – and just as frustrating when you can’t find the right pieces. Here are some tips for choosing furniture that fits your space.  

Remember, Furniture Needs to Fit Through Your Door
This first tip might seem obvious, but you don’t want to end up in a situation where your new dining room table is wedged tight in your front door. Take measurements of every doorway and hallway you’ll need to fit the furniture through and keep ceiling height in mind. If you have hanging lights or chandeliers, make sure you won’t accidentally break a bulb carrying your new furniture inside.

Tape It Out
Sometimes the easiest thing to do is grab masking or painter’s tape, take measurements of your favorite furniture, and mock out a configuration on the floor. Doing this allows you to visualize how each piece will fit in the room. You can understand how much extra space you’ll have, which orientation looks best, and how the different furniture will fit into your space.

Avoid Designing a Funhouse
Avoid creating a funhouse room by being mindful of furniture height. Measure the height of your ceilings, doorways, archways, and windows, and keep those numbers in mind when choosing furniture. If you pick high-backed furniture in a room with low ceilings or doorways, the space will feel cramped and tiny. The opposite is true: Higher ceilings and windows can dwarf furniture with a low profile, which can make your room seem empty or cold.

Design Virtually with AR
Over the last few years, furniture companies like IKEA and Wayfair have adopted augmented reality (AR) to turn any smartphone into a professional design tool. AR allows you to virtually place furniture into any space to see how it would fit. Usually, you’ll download an app that superimposes furniture of your choice into your room in real-time, making it simple to see what looks good and fits right.

Keep Daily Activities in Mind
Your furniture choices should reflect your lifestyle. If you spend weekends entertaining, make sure you design your living room with plenty of seating, even if the room is on the small side. You can always add in moveable seating. Stools and benches work great for this. If you spend your evenings lounging in the living room solo with a good book or movie, focus on comfort and coziness. Add in oversized chairs or a larger sofa that fits the dimensions of your room. Make every space a place you want to be in.

Take some time to get to know your space – its dimensions, the amount of light you get, how you’ll move through the room throughout the day. Use an app or plain ol’ masking tape to visualize the furnished room before making any purchases. Then, you’ll be ready to buy the right furniture to fit your space, no matter its size or shape.