Furniture placement for a townhouse floor plan

[aiekon]

About a year ago my partner and I purchased a 2-storey townhouse unit just under 1500 sq ft pre-construction. We currently live in a 1+1 condo unit (that was also bought pre-construction) that's roughly 600 sq ft so the additional space is something we're both looking forward to. Our expected occupancy is in early 2016.

Since we purchased the unit pre-construction, we were able to work with the developer to make some unit modifications. For example, the original unit was being sold as a 3 bedroom and den unit, but based on our current and future needs, we requested for the bedroom on the ground floor to be eliminated so that we could have a dedicated dining area. Because we like to cook and entertain, we also asked for a longer island, a peninsula, and additional upper cabinetry. You can see the changes we've made on the attached floor plan.

Anyway, because we now have a dedicated dining area, the main living/dining area past the kitchen can be used just as a living/family room. This space measures 17 ft x 18.5 ft. Since it's quite a large area, I was wondering how some of you would lay out furniture in that space?

We want to keep that area strictly as a gathering space, and not section parts of it off as an office, etc.

Any suggestions on furniture placement in the living area, or other areas of the townhouse would be greatly appreciated!

 

[measuredmove]

I think you’d mentioned in another thread that you’d like some help with furniture planning for your new condo so I’m really happy to see that you have posted it here. And with 3 times the space(!) a lot of planning needs to happen, for sure.
I’d like to help you with designing the space for your new townhouse. I work in 3D so it will be an accurate representation of your unit and furnishings.
It will take a couple of weeks to bring all the elements together-so if you’re willing to keep supplying me with information for that long I’d be very happy to create your home virtually!
I’ve started a quick layout based on the floorplan (revised) so if you can provide either links or jpegs of the proposed finishes I can refine the model as we go. The FAQ page on my website www.measuredmove.ca spells out the kind of information needed.
So let me know if you’d like to continue…..you will be pretty amazed it really does make the space come to life.

 

[aiekon]

I think you’d mentioned in another thread that you’d like some help with furniture planning for your new condo so I’m really happy to see that you have posted it here. And with 3 times the space(!) a lot of planning needs to happen, for sure.
I’d like to help you with designing the space for your new townhouse. I work in 3D so it will be an accurate representation of your unit and furnishings.
It will take a couple of weeks to bring all the elements together-so if you’re willing to keep supplying me with information for that long I’d be very happy to create your home virtually!
I’ve started a quick layout based on the floorplan (revised) so if you can provide either links or jpegs of the proposed finishes I can refine the model as we go. The FAQ page on my website www.measuredmove.ca spells out the kind of information needed.
So let me know if you’d like to continue…..you will be pretty amazed it really does make the space come to life.

Wow, thanks so much for putting this together for me! Just seeing walls up helps put the space I'm working with in perspective. I tried playing around with floorplanner but I don't think I was able to get the dimensions of the unit right. Anyway, what type of information do you want me to provide you with? I'd definitely appreciate your help!

 

[measuredmove]

No problem - when everything is rendered it will really pop! If you have jpegs,gifs or pngs of the finishes for floors,counters,walls, cabinetry etc. Either the builders finishes or if you have chosen finishes I can apply them to surfaces. Also if there are things I don't have quite right-let me know and I can fix the model.
Not sure if you want to post all that infomation here or just a few of the major finishes. You can PM me other details and the rendered output will have those details in.
To keep the process organized-I'll just work on the basic unit and when that is perfect [!] I will work on modelling your furniture you currently have and will be moving and/or any new pieces you are thinking of purchasing. It will be great way to see what will work in the space or not.

 

[aiekon]

Not sure if you want to post all that infomation here or just a few of the major finishes. You can PM me other details and the rendered output will have those details in.

We just had our upgrades and finishes selection a few months ago, so I have that info on hand. Off the top of my head..

- Ceiling height is roughly 10' on main level, 9' on second and it's exposed concrete.
- Windows are floor to ceiling
- a bulkhead runs the length of the main kitchen wall (and i'm guessing likely the same wall on the second floor for the bathroom exhaust).
- Flooring throughout is: https://kentwoodfloors.com/ca/products/brushed-oak-onyx

Kitchen:
- Countertops are caesarstone organic white: http://www.caesarstone.ca/en/The-Catalog/Pages/4600 Organic White.aspx
- Lower cabinet finish is: http://www.flakeboard.com/search_tfm_name.asp?SType=1&SearchType=1&TFMSearch=Mochatini#
- Upper cabinets are in a high-gloss white lacquer.
- backsplash is Progetto Vetri Cenere Gloss tile (sorry it's hard to find a photo of this, but it's taupe colour)
- Appliances are stainless steel, and the dishwasher is integrated into the kitchen cabinets.

Main floor bathroom:
- Flooring: Layers Aggregate: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#10C700347
- Cabinet: High-gloss white
- Countertop: Caesarstone Blizzard: http://www.caesarstone.ca/en/The-Catalog/Pages/2141 Blizzard.aspx

Second bath:
- Flooring: Layers Chalk: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#10C700347
- Cabinet: http://www.flakeboard.com/search_tfm_name.asp?SType=1&SearchType=1&TFMSearch=Mochatini#
- Countertop: Caesarstone Blizzard: http://www.caesarstone.ca/en/The-Catalog/Pages/2141 Blizzard.aspx

Ensuite bath:
- Flooring: Layers Sediment: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#10C700347
- Cabinet: High-gloss White
- Countertop: http://www.caesarstone.ca/en/The-Catalog/Pages/2141 Blizzard.aspx

Hope all this info helps!

 

[measuredmove]

That's just great! I have enough to make a good start. Give me a couple of days and I will post some stills to review and see if I'm in the ballpark.
This is always the most time consuming part but it's important to have as realistic a model as we can get.
Thanks for the info.

 

[neuhaus]

That's a nice change to the lower level, it will be a great space for entertaining.
A couple minor issues I see is that the powder room door is in close proximity to the new dining room and the closet door is now in the middle of nowhere in the dining room. Having a walk in closet is odd in the dining room. What will you do with this walk in closet? Turning it into a wine cellar would make sense.

If you don't need a wine cellar and like more closet space with a more privately located powder room I suggest something like this:
It will allow more wall space in the dining room for furniture or art.

 

[aiekon]

Thanks for your input, Neuhaus! That's an interesting modification that I never thought of. We really have no idea what we were going to do with the walk-in closet at the dining room - but a wine cellar may not be a bad idea. It was pretty much just going to be storage (e.g. extra dining chairs or seasonal clothes)!

Edit - would it be odd to create a door to the closet from within the bathroom, so that the wall facing the dining room is just a .. blank wall?

 

[cdr108]

I would simply reverse the walk-in closet and that would provide you with a longer blank wall for more options.
the walk-in closet can be very useful and since you have high ceilings, I'd recommend getting taller doors than standard doors at 80" high for both the walk-in and entry closet.

 

[measuredmove]

I have some stills for you to review based on your above specs. They were great BTW!
Just have a couple of questions-one is about the depth of the kitchen counters. Are they supposed to be extra deep? They measure about 4" deeper than my counters-so they are around 29" deep. It seemed odd that they were the same depth as the fridge, but it looks that way on the floorplan that the fridge,stove and counters all line up.
Wasn't sure if the interior doors are to be wood or white. And I think that I put the wrong finish on the powder room vanity.
Anyhow, let me know what you think - if it looks like what you imagined and if there are any changes you'd like made.

 

[aiekon]

I have some stills for you to review based on your above specs. They were great BTW!
Just have a couple of questions-one is about the depth of the kitchen counters. Are they supposed to be extra deep? They measure about 4" deeper than my counters-so they are around 29" deep. It seemed odd that they were the same depth as the fridge, but it looks that way on the floorplan that the fridge,stove and counters all line up.
Wasn't sure if the interior doors are to be wood or white. And I think that I put the wrong finish on the powder room vanity.
Anyhow, let me know what you think - if it looks like what you imagined and if there are any changes you'd like made.

HOLY SMOKES!!! This is ridiculously awesome! Thank you so much for doing this as it's really helping put into perspective how the place will look with the selected finishes, etc. Wow.. I really can't stop looking at the renderings.

To answer your questions, the kitchen counters are only 2' deep. The Stainless Steel fridge is counter-depth, so it's not very deep. The interior doors and unit trim will be painted white, to match the colour of the walls. As for the powder room vanity, the cabinet will be using the high-gloss white.. similar to what's being used as the upper kitchen cabinets.

This is really amazing work. I don't know what to say!

I would simply reverse the walk-in closet and that would provide you with a longer blank wall for more options.
the walk-in closet can be very useful and since you have high ceilings, I'd recommend getting taller doors than standard doors at 80" high for both the walk-in and entry closet.

That's not a bad idea!! I may have to get in touch with the developer and see if they can make that change

 

[measuredmove]

Thanks so much! Really glad that you like the renderings and that they are helping you to visualize your townhouse. When working on something so closely it's sometimes hard to see the whole picture as I'm usually concentrating on what I haven't done right as opposed to seeing all the things I did get right. So I appreciate your response, alot.
I'll make the changes mentioned above and I have started on the upper floor. I might have missed it, but I don't seem to have the info for the wall tiles for the 2 upstairs bathrooms.
I'll put the 2 levels together when this last part is done and probably post it as an animation.
Just wanted to show you the difference in the files output with the software I use to model with and the 'magic' that happens when processed with the rendering software.

 

[measuredmove]

Hi:
The upstairs areas are modelled and I combined with the lower level for this animation. There are still a few tweaks to make in order to stop the 'flicker' in some of the surfaces. If there are things that I need to change just let me know and they will be in the next renderings/animation.
At this point, if the unit looks OK, the next step would be to model the furniture you already have and will be moving as well as any new pieces you are thinking of purchasing. There is no rush for this-you're still a year away for your move-in-so whenever you want to start on this just let me know. The model will still be here. I've enjoyed creating this very much and I hope you like the visualization of your new home.

[video=youtube_share;BKXxnGzhYUo]http://youtu.be/BKXxnGzhYUo[/video]

 

[aiekon]

Hi:
The upstairs areas are modelled and I combined with the lower level for this animation. There are still a few tweaks to make in order to stop the 'flicker' in some of the surfaces. If there are things that I need to change just let me know and they will be in the next renderings/animation.
At this point, if the unit looks OK, the next step would be to model the furniture you already have and will be moving as well as any new pieces you are thinking of purchasing. There is no rush for this-you're still a year away for your move-in-so whenever you want to start on this just let me know. The model will still be here. I've enjoyed creating this very much and I hope you like the visualization of your new home.

WOW!! I can't believe you put this together! This is incredible. I couldn't stop playing the video as it's helping me fully visualize the space and dimensions of each room. I can't wait to to see how it will look once furniture is added in. I still can't get over how you're able to create these 3d renderings with Sketchup, etc. I've tried using it myself in the past and was totally confused, lol. I'll provide some furniture specs that you can use to fill-in the empty rooms of the unit. No rush in getting it done, I'm just really, really, REALLY thrilled that I have this video and the other images you created!

 

[aiekon]

Hello! Sorry for the delay in providing info on furniture. I'm slowly compiling a list and thought I would just go from the top floor down. The furniture I'm listing is a combination of furniture pieces that we own or are considering buying. Let me know if you require more info on them.

Den (Upstairs at stair landing):
- Desk: http://www.structube.com/en/office/desks/28051020-manchester
- Chair: http://www.cb2.com/ideal-white-chair/f9347
- Chaise lounger: http://lucyau.com/portfolio-items/cigar-2/?lang=en

I currently have the chaise in a grey fabric but I’m not sure if it’ll fit in the den space along with the desk I currently have
Dimensions are: http://lucyau.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ENG-Lumiere-1-Allonge.pdf
The arm is on the left-hand side.

Master bedroom:
- Platform Queen Bed: I'll just PM you the image of this.
- I have nothing in mind for the seating area!

Second Bedroom:
- Double/Full Bed: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S29007794/#/S29069796
- Painting above bed: I'll PM you an image of this

Bathroom Finishes:

Powder room:
- Flooring: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#10C700347
- Vanity: High-gloss white

Second Bathroom:
- Flooring and tub surround: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#00B700347
- Vanity: Same as bathroom

Ensuite Bathroom:
- Flooring and shower surround: http://www.florimusa.com/layers/#coloriTab#10A700347
- Vanity: High-gloss white