Trade
October 27, 2026
6 min read
Most furniture mistakes are made before anything is ordered. A designer shows up for a first visit, measures the room, forgets the stairwell, and three weeks later a sofa won't turn the landing. This is the interior designer site measurement checklist we wish every project started with, built from the questions our trade desk gets asked most.
Short version: measure the room, then measure the way in. Both matter equally.
Get wall-to-wall length and width, but don't stop there. Note ceiling height, and check it in more than one spot since older Raleigh homes can drift. Mark window sills, window heights, door swings, radiators or vents, and every outlet and switch location. Photograph each wall straight on.
Then record the things that eat floor space without looking like it: a fireplace hearth that projects, built-ins, a stair that opens into the room. These decide where furniture can actually go.
Baseboards add depth you'll lose to a sofa back. Take both numbers so your plans don't promise inches you don't have.
This is where projects quietly fail. Walk the route from the truck to the room and measure every opening: front door, hallway width, stair width, landing depth, tight turns, elevator interior if there is one. Our guide on measuring doorways for furniture walks through diagonals and pivot clearance.
Write down the smallest opening on the route, not the front door. That number is the real constraint for any large piece.
Measurements sitting in a notebook don't sell anything. Enter them in the free Trig Studio, drop in real pieces at verified W x D x H, arrange to scale, and export a spec sheet. Clients approve a plan faster when they can see the sofa next to the window instead of imagining it. We cover the workflow in using the Studio to close client projects.
Pair that with a clean spec sheet. Our spec sheet checklist shows what to include so nothing gets lost between selection and order.
Before anything goes on a PO, double-check three things. First, that the piece clears the tightest opening with margin to spare. Second, that you've confirmed finish and fabric against a physical sample. Third, that the client knows the delivery date and who will be home to receive it.
Our trade program covers preferred pricing across all our brands, a dedicated contact, and white-glove delivery across the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill Triangle, so those details have one person tracking them. Details are on the trade page.
On the very first visit, before you present anything. Knowing the tightest opening up front keeps you from falling for a piece that physically can't get inside.
Yes. Clients usually remember the front door and forget the stairwell. Always verify with a tape.
The turn at a landing or hallway corner. Width alone doesn't tell you whether a long piece can pivot through it.
Working on a Triangle project and want a second set of eyes on a layout? Call (919) 516-8744 or request a quote through the trade desk, and we'll help you sort the specs.