Even a small apartment will be comfortable if its ergonomics is thought over. Arrange furniture in the living room, calculate the size of the headset and home appliances – with our advice it is easy to do it yourself.
Ergonomics is not just a list of rules for arranging furniture in your apartment or house. Its aim is to improve working and rest conditions, to create comfortable conditions for a healthy and productive life. Do you know how to apply its basic principles in life? Take advantage of our advice.
1. Avoid obstacles
When choosing a place for a piece of furniture, pay attention not only to the way they look next to each other, but also to sufficient space for passage. Move away from scattered dressers and cloakrooms in the hallway to a single headset along the wall – the width of the aisle will be the same everywhere. In the living room, make sure that the coffee table does not block the access to the sofa, otherwise you will be constantly stumbling on it.
2. Equipped with a convenient entrance area.
The main secret of a pleasant return home – a comfortable entrance hall, where all the items are in their places: here we leave our shoes, raise our hand and put a hat on the shelf, take off our coats and stretch for our pleasure – elbows do not rest on anything. A wardrobe or an open hanger, a shoe rack and a shoe cabinet are a must. We also advise you to provide shelves or a chest of drawers where you will put your keys, gloves, bag.
3. Watch the height of the furniture.
Consider the height of the hangers and shelves in the hallway and bathroom to suit the height of the family – children may need an extra row of hooks. Keep in mind that furniture can be divided into three heights. The first one is used for sitting, retraining, cleaning shoes – their height from the floor is 40-50 cm. The height of furniture in the second group does not exceed 200 cm – it includes elements with drawers, shelves and mirrors. The third category is furniture for long-term storage. Its height is limited only by the height of the ceiling.
4. Don’t sit anywhere near the TV.
Sofa and TV – the basic requirements of modern man to furnish the living room. Keep in mind that the safe distance to the TV depends not on the width or length of the room, but on the size of the screen. For example, the distance to an HD screen with a diagonal of 35-40 inches should be at least 1.8 meters, and for a diagonal of 50-60 inches this parameter should be increased to 2-2.5 meters.
5. Do not move the bed against the wall.
As tempting as it may be to increase the size of the bedroom by placing the bed against the wall, try not to do so. Note that the distance from the edge of the bed to the wall or a closet with sliding doors should be at least 70 cm – this passage will allow you to comfortably undress and lie down. Making the bed and changing the bed in this case will also be easier.
6. Don’t force the bathroom.
It is not enough to beautifully arrange furniture in the bathroom, you need to do it as comfortable and safe as possible for the person. 75 cm – this distance should be between each item of sanitary equipment, as well as between the equipment and the wall or door.
Do not try to place all objects in a small bathroom at once: look at things realistically. Sometimes it is wise to give up a large bathroom in favour of a shower cubicle to make room for extra storage or a washing machine. And, of course, there is no need to squeeze into a standard bathroom and a separate dryer, when there is an alternative – a washer and dryer in one.
7. Use the working triangle rule
When it comes to kitchen planning, you can’t do without knowing the right working triangle. Ideally, the path from the fridge to the work planes, then to the sink and stove should be a minimum of 6 metres. Maintain a distance of at least 40 cm between the cooker hob and sink so that splashes of water do not put out the fire. This space can be taken up with the worktop.
8. Remember the “opening area.”
Free movement and convenient use of household appliances is an important requirement for kitchen layout. For example, to work with the oven or dishwasher, leave at least 110 cm in front of them, but in front of the kitchen cabinet with drawers you can put the table after 90 cm – even lower drawers will be comfortable to lean in.
9. Same with other storage systems.
Simply “squeezing” a chest of drawers or a wardrobe into a room space is not enough – there must be room for their comfortable use. In front of the chest of drawers you should leave space for free opening of drawers and for passage – for standard furniture it is 100-150 cm. When installing the cabinet, check that the doors do not rest against the bedside table or the bed itself: if there is not enough space, replace them with sliding doors as in wardrobes.