Planning a living space

Six decisions to make before starting your design.

A successful living space does not begin with a finished design. It begins with understanding what you want the room to make easier, calmer, or more enjoyable.

Planning a new living space?

Start with what you want the room to do differently

You may want better storage for clothing, books or a personal collection. You may want a more minimal living room, with technology and wiring concealed. Perhaps an open-plan space feels disconnected, the furniture is out of proportion, or the room no longer reflects the way you live.

Sometimes the need is clear. Other times, you may simply know the space isn’t working as well as it could.

Our designers help you identify what the room genuinely needs before considering the furniture, materials and systems that could resolve it. This may lead to one carefully chosen piece, a fitted composition or a complete bespoke living-space design.

Initial Decisions

1. What needs to change?

Begin with what is not working rather than what you think you need to buy.

The room may lack storage, feel difficult to move through or contain furniture that no longer suits its proportions. Technology may have become the visual focus, or an open-plan area may feel disconnected and without purpose.

The more specific you can be, the more useful the conversation becomes. “We need more storage” is a starting point. Knowing that you want to conceal paperwork, media equipment or a collection allows the design to respond to the reality of your life.

2. How will you use the space?

A living space often needs to support several activities, sometimes at the same time.

A sitting room might be used for reading, entertaining, listening to music and watching television. A dining space may also need to accommodate working from home or larger family gatherings.

Your designer will consider who uses the room, how this changes throughout the day and how the space may need to adapt in the future. This helps distinguish what the room genuinely needs from what simply looks appealing in isolation.

3. What should be stored, displayed or concealed?

Effective storage begins with what you own, not with a predetermined amount of cabinetry.

Books, clothing, artwork, media equipment and personal collections all require different forms of storage and display. Understanding the size, quantity and importance of these items allows the internal arrangement to be planned around them.

A successful scheme will often balance open and concealed storage. Selected objects can bring character to the room, while the practical parts of everyday life remain organised and discreetly out of view.

4. How should the room flow?

Furniture can fit within the measurements of a room and still feel too large once it is in place.

Your designer will consider proportion, circulation and sightlines, as well as the space needed to open doors, use storage and move comfortably around seated furniture. Existing architecture and important pieces should be included in this planning from the outset.

In an open-plan home, furniture, lighting and repeated materials can establish connection and definition. Rimadesio sliding systems can offer greater control, allowing spaces to remain visually connected while providing separation or privacy when required.

5. How should the space look and feel?

Materials and finishes should be considered in relation to the property rather than selected as isolated samples.

Existing flooring, joinery, artwork and furniture can provide a valuable starting point. New elements do not need to match them exactly; a considered contrast can often feel more natural and intentional.

Lighting, media equipment and cabling should also be planned early. This allows shelves, cabinetry, electrical positions and technology to work together, creating a calmer result in which practical elements do not feel like later additions.

6. What is the scope of the project?

Some rooms need one carefully chosen piece. Others require fitted furniture, integrated lighting, concealed media equipment, sliding doors or a design that connects several areas of the home.

The appropriate level of design support depends on the complexity of the decisions involved. Made-to-measure and modular systems need to be configured for the room, while fitted schemes may also require surveys and coordination with architects, builders or electricians.

You do not need to define the service before contacting us. An initial consultation will help establish what the project requires and the most appropriate way to proceed.

The living-space decisions clients often wish they had made earlier

The success of a living space often depends on decisions that are easy to overlook at the beginning. Considering proportion, circulation, storage, lighting and technology early can prevent compromises later and help the finished room feel calmer, more coherent and better suited to the way you live.

A designer and client review the living space layout and furniture

Choosing furniture before defining what the room needs to do

A piece may be beautiful but still wrong for the room. First establish who uses the space, what happens there and what it needs to accommodate, whether that is entertaining, working, dressing, reading or managing the practical demands of everyday life.

Measuring furniture without considering movement

A piece can fit on plan and still restrict circulation. Allow for doors, drawers, windows, seated furniture and natural routes through the room. In a bedroom, dressing room or boot room, access to wardrobes, cupboards and internal storage is just as important as the dimensions of the furniture itself.

Asking one space to support too many activities without defining them

Open-plan rooms, home offices and multifunctional spaces need clear relationships between different activities. Furniture, lighting, rugs, shelving and sliding systems can create definition without making the room feel divided or disconnected.

Planning storage before understanding what it needs to hold

“More storage” is not enough of a brief. A book collection, wardrobe, home office and entrance hall all require different dimensions, internal fittings and levels of access. The design should reflect what needs to be displayed, concealed, protected and used regularly.

Allowing technology to dominate the room

In a sitting room, the television may become the automatic focal point. In a home office or bedroom, screens, speakers, chargers and cables can create similar visual clutter. Their position should be considered alongside furniture, artwork, windows and architectural features so that technology supports the room without defining it.

Fixing lighting and electrics too early

Sockets, cabling and lighting should follow the furniture plan. Coordinating them early avoids visible wires, inaccessible outlets and lighting that does not support how the room is used, whether for reading, working, dressing, entertaining or moving through the home.

Make more of your first living-space consultation

You do not need to arrive with all the answers. A few photographs, basic measurements and a sense of what you would like to improve are enough to begin.

We recommend you:

4 slides

We recommend you:

Tell us what is frustrating you

You do not need to diagnose the solution. It is often more useful to explain what feels unresolved. Perhaps a dressing room does not accommodate the clothes you own, a home office never feels organised, furniture interrupts movement, or technology dominates a sitting room. These observations help your designer establish what the space genuinely needs to do differently.

Show us how the room really works

Photograph the space from several angles, including the routes into adjoining rooms. There is no need to clear everything away first. Seeing the furniture, possessions and everyday items already in the room can help us understand how the space is actually being used and where storage or organisation may be falling short.

Look closely at the showroom

Open furniture, test working products and examine drawer alignment, grout lines, lighting, drainage and the way different materials meet.

A showroom should demonstrate the standard of detailing and installation the company expects to deliver in your home.

Bring anything the design needs to work around

If you have plans or basic measurements, bring them with you, along with details of furniture, artwork or architectural features you want to keep. It is also helpful to mention televisions, audio equipment, workstations or other technology that needs to be accommodated. Understanding these elements early allows them to be considered as part of the design rather than dealt with later.

Living Space Planning Supporting Your Project

Guidance

How we support your project

We help you make informed decisions at the right stage, developing the living space around your routines, property and priorities.

Many projects are managed entirely by Hobson’s Choice. Where other professionals are involved, we can also work as part of the wider project team.

Working directly with Hobson’s Choice

Room assessment and project brief
Layout, products and finishes
Technical coordination
Installation and aftercare

Working with a wider project team

Review of architectural plans
Advice on layout and services
Technical information and specification
Coordination with the wider programme

Book a Consultation

Living-space Planning FAQs

For payment stages, installation responsibilities and aftercare arrangements, see our bathroom design and installation process.

Click here to find out more

What happens after my first consultation?

The next step is usually to understand the space in greater detail.

Your designer will arrange a visit to your home to take measurements and review the room in context. These measurements allow us to prepare accurate plans and elevations and begin developing the initial design proposals.

You will then meet with your designer to review those proposals, discuss the thinking behind them and consider any changes or further development.

If your first meeting was an informal studio conversation rather than a booked design consultation, the home visit would normally follow before the initial proposals are prepared.

Can you work with my architect or interior designer?

Yes. We regularly work alongside architects, interior designers and other professionals involved in the wider project.

With your permission, we can review their plans and communicate directly with them so that decisions affecting the living space are considered as part of the wider home. You can decide how involved you would like the different parties to be.

Our preference is for open communication wherever possible. A relatively small architectural decision — such as moving a window, doorway or electrical position — can have a significant effect on furniture placement, sightlines and the relationship between adjoining rooms.

Working together early helps protect the intention behind both designs and ensures everyone is working towards the same overall result.

Can you work from architectural drawings?

Yes. Architectural drawings are often a helpful starting point. We can review the proposed space, discuss how the living space will be used and identify any design or technical considerations that should be addressed early.

Do we need to know exactly what we want?

No. Many clients come to us with ideas, drawings or simply a sense of what is not working in their home. Our role is to help shape those thoughts into a clear and considered brief.

How do you help us avoid making design decisions we might regret later?

Our role is to balance aesthetics with longevity and functionality. We help clients assess how design choices will perform over time, guiding decisions around layout, materials, finishes and features to ensure the space remains practical, adaptable and enjoyable long after installation.

Can I start with one room and develop other areas later?

Yes. A project can begin with a single sitting room, bedroom, dressing room, home office or another area of the home and develop over time.

Where possible, we recommend considering your longer-term plans from the beginning. Even if only one room is being designed initially, understanding what may happen elsewhere allows us to consider materials, proportions, sightlines and connections between spaces.

If your plans change later and you decide to renovate additional rooms, we can continue developing the home with the earlier design in mind.

When is the right time to speak to a living-space designer?

Ideally, before furniture, electrical positions or other decisions affecting the layout have been fixed.

You do not need a finished brief. Involving us while there is still flexibility allows the room, furniture and technical requirements to be considered together. This can be particularly useful for fitted furniture, dressing rooms, media installations, home offices, sliding systems or spaces being considered as part of a wider renovation.

Do I need to know which furniture or products I want?

No, you may already have a particular piece, collection or manufacturer in mind, but it is equally useful to begin with what you want the room to do differently.

Once we understand the space, what it needs to accommodate and how you use it, we can help identify the furniture or system that is appropriate.

Do I need to know my budget before booking a consultation?

You do not need to have established an exact figure.

It is useful to discuss the level of investment you are considering, however, as this helps your designer understand the appropriate scope, products and materials to explore.

An accurate cost can then be established once the design and specification have been developed.

How long does a living-space project take?

This depends on the scale of the project and the furniture involved.

Selecting an individual piece is different from designing fitted storage, a dressing room or furniture across several connected spaces. Made-to-order furniture also has manufacturer-specific lead times.

Once we understand what you are planning, we can explain the stages involved and give you a realistic indication of the programme.

More FAQs