INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Layout guideline
Like a blank page or canvas, an empty room can be either an opportunity or a challenge. With
so many ways to fill it, how do you know where to start?

Basic rules of furniture arrangement which will help you to figure out where to put things,
where not to put things and how to prioritize the choices you make.

Function. Consider how the

room is used and how many
people will use it. That will
dictate the type of furnishings
you'll need and the amount of
seating required.

Focal point. Identify the room’s focal point

— a fireplace, view, television etc.— and
orient the furniture accordingly. If you plan
to watch television in the room, the ideal
distance between the set and the seating is
three times the size of the screen (measured
diagonally). Therefore, if you’ve got a 40-
inch set, your chair should be 120 inches
away

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Priority. Place the largest pieces of furniture first, such as the sofa in the living room or the
bed in the bedroom. In most cases this piece should face the room’s focal point. Chairs
should be no more than 8 feet apart to facilitate conversation. Unless your room is especially
small, avoid pushing all the furniture against the walls.

Symmetry-
Symmetrical arrangements work
best for formal rooms.
Asymmetrical arrangements
make a room feel more casual.

Traffic. Think about the flow of traffic

through the room — generally the path
between doorways. Don’t block that path
with any large pieces of furniture if you
can avoid it. Allow 30 to 48 inches of
width for major traffic routes and a

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minimum of 24 inches of width for minor ones.

Try to direct traffic around a seating group, not through the middle of it. If traffic cuts
through the middle of the room, consider creating two small seating areas instead of one large
one.

Variety-Vary the size of furniture

pieces throughout the room, so your
eyes move up and down as you scan the
space. Balance a large or tall item by
placing another piece of similar height
across the room from it (or use art to
replicate the scale). Avoid putting two
tall pieces next to each other.

Contrast- Combine straight and curved lines for

contrast. If the furniture is modern and linear, throw
in a round table for contrast. If the furniture is
curvy, mix in an angular piece. Similarly, pair
solids with voids: Combine a leggy chair with a
solid side table, and a solid chair with a leggy table.

Ease of use-Place a table within easy reach of every seat, being

sure to combine pieces of similar scale, and make sure every
reading chair has an accompanying lamp. Coffee tables should
be located 14 to 18 inches from a sofa to provide sufficient
legroom.

Circulation-In a dining room, make sure

there’s at least 48 inches between each
edge of the table and the nearest wall or
piece of furniture. If traffic doesn’t pass
behind the chairs on one side of the table,
36 inches should suffice. In bedrooms
allow at least 24 inches between the side of
the bed and a wall, and at least 36 inches
between the bed and a swinging door.

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Planning- test your design on paper. Measure the room’s dimensions, noting the location of
windows, doors, heat registers and electrical outlets, then draw up a floor plan on graph paper
using cut-outs to represent the furnishings.

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Standard Clearance Guidelines

Spaces that need 3’‐6' clearance:

1. Hallways (4’ at least)
2. In front of clothes closets, dressers and chests of drawers
3. Any route where 2 people might pass each other
4. from the edge of a dining room table to a wall or stationary object.
5. Sides of bed you get in
6. 4' or more for stairways.

Spaces that need 16"‐4'clearance:

1. Sides of beds used only for making the bed
2. Between sofas & coffee tables
3.30" in routes where only one person will walk such as in front of tubs or through
doorways.

Primary Conversation Areas:

1. 8‐12 feet in diameter is ideal

2. Seats 4‐6 people

Secondary Conversation Area:

1. Seating for just 1‐3 people

Dining Area:
1. Allow 3 feet from the table edge for the person to be seated at the table and room
behind for traffic
2. Each person is allowed a minimum of 24 inches of seating room at the table.

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FURNITURE SPECIFICATION AND SIZES

S. NO. FURNITURE SPECIFICATION SIZE

ITEM
1. Main Door Should be made of hard Standard height- 7ft
wood. Main door width- 4ft
Standard door width- 3ft
Space between the door and
wall- ½ feet

2. Wardrobe If free standing, furniture Height- 6-7ft

glides must be fixed to the Width-3ft-4ft
legs to protect the carpet. Depth -2ft
Hanging rail should not be Hanging space-3ft
too close to the top and Full length hanging space-
should be firmly fixed 5ft approx.

3. Luggage rack Should be made of hard Height-1.5ft

wood. Width-1.5ft-2ft
Length- 3ft-4ft
4. Table Table should the primary Writing table –
use- working, dining etc. Height – 2.5ft-3ft
Table top should have an Width -3-4 ft
easily maintained finish, Length-2 ft
preferably heat and stain Coffee table-
resistant. Height- 1.5ft
Round tables are for Radius- 1.5ft or
informal occasions, whereas Length and width- 1.5ft/1.5ft
oblong ones suit a formal or 2ft/2ft.
setting. Center table-
Height -1.5 ft
Length and width – 2ft/3ft or
2ft/4ft
Bed side table-
Bedside table may also be LxB- 1.5’/1.5’ or 2’/2’
referred as a nightstand. Height- 1.5’

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5. Chair Chairs meant for convention Chair-

room and conferences must Seat height from floor -1.5ft
be easily stackable. Backrest height from seat-
Upholstery material should 1.5ft
be easily detachable for ease Seat area- 1.5ft/1.5ft
of cleaning. Arm height from seat-7”
Chairs for use with tables Arm width-2”
should allow at least 1’ gap Seat area- 2.5ft/2.ft or 3ft/
in between. 3ft
Width and Depth-
Single seater- 2.5’/3’

6. Bed Should be placed away from Bed-

direct view from main door. Height – 1.5ft
Should be comfortable, Width and Length-
durable and easy to Single bed- 3’/6’
maintain. Poorly Chosen Double bed-5’/7’
beds can easily sag within a Queen bed-6’/7’
short period King size bed- 7’/8’
Super king bed- 7.5’/8’

7. Sofa Should be placed near best Seat height from floor –

view form room 15”
Height of back rest from
seat- 15”
Seat area-
Singe seater – 2/2ft
Two seater – 2/4ft
Three seater-2/6ft

BATHROOM
8. Door Standard height- 7ft
Bathroom door width- 2.5
to 3ft
9. Vanitory Two types: Length- Wall to wall or
Counter a. Sunken Washbasin 3ft/4ft depending on the
b. Built In Washbasin category of room.
Breadth- 2ft
(For suite room 2ft x 4ft is
a good size)
10. Washbasin Can be porcelain, granite, Length- 1.5ft
marble or ceramic. Width- 1 ft
Diameter (for circular
washbasins)- 2ft
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11. Water Closet Ceramic water closet Height- 15 inches

preferably white in color Length- 1 ft
Breadth- 1.5 ft
12. Bathtub Ceramic surface preferably Height- 15 inches
white in color with attached Length- 5ft
faucet set. Breadth- 3ft
13. Jacuzzi for Can be single, double, four 6ft diameter minimum for
single person or six seater depending on single seater.
the room category. Should
come with hydrojets and
bubble baths
14. Shower Surrounded by safety glass Height- 7ft
Cubicle enclosure. Length- 4ft
Breadth- 4ft

How you use your space:

 Look at the entrances to the room. Do you have doors? Do they open in or out? If they
open in, you will need to allow room for those to open fully.
 Do you use the room as a pathway to another room? Is the room a destination room?
In other words, is the room one that people go TO or go THROUGH? If they go
through, you need an easily navigable pathway from one room to another.

 How do you want to feel in the room? Do you want it to be cozy and intimate? Do
you want an open and spacious feel? Furniture in a cozy room tends to be places in
closer groups. A open feel needs more space between pieces.
 Are you going to use the room for entertaining? If so, you need flexibility in your
furniture choices. Extra seating may be placed out of the way and be moved into use
when company comes.

Furniture Placement Guidelines:

 Between the sofa and side chairs designers normally allow 48 to 100 inches. But you
should adjust the space according to your family's needs. If you feel more comfortable
with the chairs closer or if you are better able to hear conversations, then move them
closer.

 If you are using a coffee table in front of the sofa, the normal placement is 14 to 18
inches from the sofa. But again, if you have short arms or long legs, adjust the table
until you are comfortable.
 For television watching, the normal guideline is to place the television at 3 times the
size of the screen. But with some of these new big screen TVs, 3 times the size of the
screen is in the next room!
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 Three feet of space is recommended for traffic lanes. But if you have large family
members or lots of kids, I would recommend allow an extra foot for safety for your
furniture and for your family members.
 In the dining room an average adult needs a depth of 20 inches for a dining room,
chairs, plus 16 inches to scoot back the chair back from the table. Again, adjust the
measurements to fit your family.
 At the dining table you should allow 24 inches per person or more. If your family
tends to gesture as they eat, as mine does, allow another 6 inches.
 In order to serve your guests, allow 46 inches between the wall and the dining table.
 For ideal bed placement, allow at least 24 inches between the bed and the wall to get
out of bed comfortably and allow 36 inches between the end of the bed and the
bedroom or bathroom door.

FURNITURE AND FITTINGS SIZES IN CMS

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Bathroom Fittings Sizes in Cms

Washbasin 56 cms * 40 cms
Bath Tubs 80 cms wide and 170 cms long
Shower Cubicle 1 sq. mt. minimum
WC Height 35- 40 cms
Depth 60 cms

Bidet Width & Height 38 cms

Length 60 cms

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Reference and authorship

 Sources

o From Book

Source: Adapted from Raghu Balan (2014), Housekeeping Operation, Oxford Publication, New
Delhi, ISBN 10:0-19-945051-X

o From website

Source: Adapted from –

http://www.schools.utah.gov/cte/documents/facs/conference/S11/
http://www.cawspi.org/Furniture%20Design.pdf
https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/hk/288-bed-sizes.html

o Authorship

Creator of handout: Sohini Basu Mukhopadhyay, IHM, Kolkata

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