Taping Off My New Cafe Space

I spent the morning taping off the furniture layout for our new in-home cafe space.

Our new cafe will be nestled in a little nook adjacent to my dining room that has been begging for a new look and function.  When I was deciding how to use this space, I knew I wanted a cozy area where I could edit, write, and of course have tea!!   I LOVE beautiful sumptuous hotel lounges and edgy modern coffee shops with lots of natural light.  My dream, my fantasy, my obsession for the past I don’t know like 4 or 5 years was to have a space in our home that captured ALL that.

Fun fact: I met my husband Mike in a coffee shop over 9 years ago, so having our own in-home cafe suits us perfectly!

Tips For Taping Off – Using Tape to Plan Furniture Layout

I like to think of taping off a space as a sort of “try before you buy” technique. Whether you are adding new pieces or just rearranging your old things, it can be challenging to visualize where you want to put your furniture.  Shucks it can be tricky to put a full outfit together in your mind, much less a whole room.  Which is why I recommend clearing out a room, taping lines on the floor with the precise measurements of pieces you want you use, and you’ll begin to see your space come alive.  What better way to visualize the furniture in a space and to quickly make layout changes. It’s almost a 3D feel because you can physically move around the taped off areas and see if you like where everything is.  

You only need 2 things to try this technique:

1. Painters tape because it’s easy to tear (meaning you don’t need scissors to cut it) and it doesn’t mare surfaces.
2. A basic tape measure which pretty much everyone has on hand in their homes.  

How to tape Off

Adjust tape measure to the desired length, lock in place, lay on floor where you want it to be, and then run the tape along outside edge completing the measurement.  

Basically I did this until I created the layout of each piece of furniture, checking my measurements along the way.

Now that I’ve got my room taped off, I can walk around the space and imagine what it will feel like to be in the completed room. I can’t wait to bring in the furniture and bring it all to life. Stay tuned for the big reveal of my finished cafe space. I’ll be sharing lots of design and budget tips!