Furniture – it can make or break a room. The right furnishings have the power to vastly improve a room’s flow and its function, not to mention the overall aesthetic. On the flip side, the wrong furniture proportions can leave your home feeling cramped, cluttered and dark. Here are some helpful tricks of the trade, to help you when it comes to selecting furnishings that are sized to suit your space.

In The Living Room

Seating is the staple in the living room. You’ve simply got to have it. When choosing the seating for your space, consider your focal points. Will you be seated around a fireplace? Window? Entertainment area? Then, look at the room’s overall proportions and echo those measurements in your selections. For instance, sectionals are well-suited to spacious living rooms and open-concept floor plans. On the other hand, a smaller room with high ceilings would work well with a high-backed love seat.

In The Dining Room

The dining table is the center piece of the dining room. Dining tables usually come at a standard height of 28 to 30 inches, accommodating comfortable sitting and eating. However, height isn’t the only factor to consider. The area surrounding the table requires at least 36 inches between the table and wall, to allow diners to pull chairs in and back comfortably.

TIP: Dainty dining area? Consider having a round dining table. Round tables fit well into tight or oddly shaped spaces, and they seat more people.

In The Kitchen:

The kitchen has lot of elements that require accurate measurements – cabinets, tabletop, storage (not to mention recipes!) but probably the most important is your countertop. This is where the daily food pres takes place, so an ergonomically correct counter height is key. The standard is 36 inches in height, but if you’re building a kitchen from scratch then here’s a great opportunity to customize. Here’s a quick trick: place your hands atop the counter. If your elbows bend at a 45-degree angle, then you’ve found the right height.

In The Bedroom:

The bed is the single most important piece of furniture in this room, and arguably in your life. We spend one-third of our lifetime sleeping, so don’t skimp on this piece! Your bed occupies a large area, so proper scale to the space is essential. The bed must be big enough to accommodate you and your bed-mate, and how you both sleep. And to complicate matters further, “big enough” is totally subjective. Height-wise, your bed should sit at least two feet off the floor, give or take depending on your own body proportions. Comfort is key!

In fact, “comfort” should be one of the prevailing motivators when designing your home and buying furniture. The perfect piece of furniture will satisfy your needs in terms of comfort , style and quality. Measure before you shop the market, and while you’re out there, don’t be afraid to try before you buy.  As they say, measure twice and buy once and love it forever.