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Whether you’re looking for an apartment in Seattle or an apartment in Charlotte, you may be wondering what apartment floor plan is right for you. It can be tricky to imagine yourself living in a space without seeing all your stuff in it.
Luckily there are some key floor plan design elements you can consider before moving in that will help you determine if an apartment has enough space for your needs.
1. Evaluating floor plan space
Your primary consideration when evaluating floor plans should be space. The team with property management software, TenantCloud says, “Think about the overall layout and how it will work with your daily routine and needs.” You need to know if an apartment design includes enough space for you, your family, and all of your things.
Just looking at the amount of square footage on a blueprint floor plan isn’t really a good indicator of how usable the space will be. Interior designers recommend classifying the rooms into three categories: private areas, service areas, and public areas; Richard Soto with VIP Realty in Texas, suggests considering “the number of bedrooms and bathrooms based on your needs and about the flow of foot traffic.”
Living rooms are an example of public areas. They are the social spaces where you entertain, relax and live most of your day-to-day life. These should be multi-purpose spaces where you could participate in a variety of activities from hosting a party to reading a book.
Service areas include the kitchen and laundry room — highly functional spaces with defined purposes. When you evaluate these spaces, look for logical layouts that make your life easy.
Private areas include the spaces where you want to be alone: your bedroom, your office, and your bathroom. When you’re thinking about areas such as the bathroom, the TenantCloud team suggests considering how many you may need “to accommodate morning and evening routines” for those residing in the space. In many apartment floor plans, these private areas will be separated from busy public areas by physical barriers.
Thinking about separating floor plan space into these three areas should give you a better idea of whether or not an apartment has enough usable space. If you’re still not sure what to look out for, California real estate agent, Logan Winn suggests “watching @DearModern on YouTube for insightful videos about feng shui and modern design principles to help guide your apartment floor plan selection.”
2. Storage considerations
Don’t underestimate the importance of storage space in your new apartment. Everybody needs a place to put food, clothing, and important valuables.
When it comes to thinking about your storage options, the team with Turnkey Locating says, “Ensure you have ample space for your belongings” and design experts recommend looking for an apartment that is 10-15 percent storage space. In other words, built-ins like closets, cabinets, and pantries make up almost 15 percent of a floor plan with adequate storage. Look for an apartment design that incorporates these storage features throughout the unit and makes them easily accessible.
If an apartment doesn’t have as much built-in storage space as you’d like, don’t write it off just yet. The floor plan may still work if it’s spacious enough to hold a lot of non-built-in storage furniture, like dressers, shelves, or trunks. Turnkey Locating adds, “Ultimately, the perfect floor plan aligns with both your functional needs and personal comfort.”
3. Furniture placements
For those who are relocating with existing furniture, you’ll want to be sure that there is ample space and that the layout can accommodate your belongings.
Marcoantonio Anaya, with The Apartment Source states, “Renters need to determine if they are starting from scratch or bringing furniture from a previous apartment.” He adds, “When relocating with existing furniture, think about which pieces are non-negotiable and measure them before apartment hunting to rule out options that won’t work.”
Additionally, for items such as a sectional sofa, think about which side the “arm” is on and whether that is right facing or left. What works in one space, may not be suitable for another.
4. Foot traffic
Traffic patterns are another important floor plan consideration. A floor plan’s traffic pattern refers to the way a person has to walk through the apartment to get from room to room. The best apartment designs are arranged so that you can move easily from space to space, as well as enter and exit easily.
Foot traffic should also be considered when it comes to entertaining. Ross Quade, lead locator for Second Chance Apartment says, “Make sure it’s easy to move around the kitchen when you’re cooking and hosting guests–and be sure that everyone has a place to sit when you have friends or family over.”
5. Location
Another factor to consider is the location of your apartment unit and whether or not you want to live on the top floor or closer to the bottom of an apartment complex. Dallas, Texas apartment locator, Lisa Parrish with Spirit Real Estate Group shares, “Top floors may have more sunlight and cross ventilation, while lower floors may be cooler and have access to outdoor spaces.”
Questions to ask about floor plan design:
When you’re evaluating an apartment floor plan, ask yourself these questions to get a grip on whether or not a space will work with your lifestyle:
- Will each person in your apartment have enough space for their own?
- Are private bedroom areas far enough away from public living areas?
- Is there room for entertaining as well as everyday living?
- Does the apartment design include a logical foot traffic pattern?
- Are entrances and exits conveniently located?
- Is there enough storage space?
The key to finding the right apartment floor plan is to consider what works for your specific needs. Think about how you need your space to function, and you’ll make the right choice. As you’re going through the process Apartmentlocating.net shares how you may want to consider working with an apartment locator for “access to exclusive listings and insider information.” They add that “These services can help you quickly find an apartment that suits your lifestyle.”
Source: apartmentguide.com