How to Layout the Design for your Room

Interior designers use a color board to present their ideas to their clients. You can do the same when designing your own rooms.

Purchase a poster board for each room. Make a sketch of the room as close to scale as you can. If you do not feel you can draw the pieces, find a book that has the pictures you want and trace them onto your board. Make it as neat as you can. It does not have to be perfect. The purpose of the layout is to see how the various items will work in your room. You do not need to color the items in the room. You can also use a large scrapbook with removable pages to create your layout designs.

Go through the items you have collected: paint chips, fabric swatches, pictures of lamps, window treatments, and other accessories.

Determine the key fabric for your room. Does it have a large pattern? You will then want to select matching fabrics that blend with this key fabric. If it is a floral, you may want to select a stripe or neutral plaid.

Select the flooring for the room and add a sample to the board. Select the fabric for the window treatment along with the paint color or wallpaper you will use. Last, but not least add the accessories.

When creating the layout design, you may want to cover the background of the board with a sample of the wallpaper, if you plan to use any. Make a small sketch of the entire room, showing the placement of the furniture. Next, you may want to add a separate picture of the window treatment and accessories. Then, you will want to add flooring samples.

If you plan to decorate more than one room, you should create a layout design for each. Pin your fabrics and other pieces to the board so you can make changes if you do not like your first choice. The layout board will also help your family to visualize the finished room.

When you have made your final decision for each room, glue your pieces to the board or page. You can do your shopping with your layout board.