Tools to Design the Layout of a Room

Tools Required to Draw a Floor Plan

• The floor plan is a to-scale drawing of the floor of the room and shows the architectural elements, such as a fireplace or radiator, and the position of the windows and doors. Floor plans can be manually drawn on graph paper with a pencil and ruler or with computer software. Some large furniture dealers provide free floor-plan software on their websites. The floor plan is the tool that illustrates the physical floor of the room.

Tool: Furniture Templates

• Templates of furniture can be downloaded from websites such as Simpler Pleasures, or simple rectangles of graph paper, drawn to the same scale as the floor plan and representing the width and length of each piece of furniture, can be cut. These representations are the tools used to position each piece of furniture on the floor plan.

Tool: Room Usage

• Knowing the expected functions that will take place in the room -- the room usage -- is another tool in the creation of a room layout. List all the functions that will take place, the number of people involved in each function, the required furniture and the lighting necessary.

Tool: Understanding Traffic Flow

• The path people follow to move in and through a room is the traffic flow pattern. This tool will ensure that movement through the room is unimpeded by furniture and that there is enough room for door swings or drawer openings.

Tool: Furniture Placement

• Furniture placement is based on the proposed usage and the physical properties of the room. Furniture is arranged using the actual floor plan and the tool of knowledge gained from the usage list. Place the furniture templates on the floor plan to create a functional furniture arrangement, keeping the traffic flow patterns clear. The completed floor plan, with furniture and lighting indicated, creates the layout.