Furniture Spacing Guidelines
Have you ever wondered how much space you should leave between your chair and sofa, or your bed and dresser? Or just for walking through a room? I've posted some very clear-cut guidelines below to answer these questions for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. These are taken straight from my interior design course books.
It's important to leave enough space between items in a room, especially if it's on the smaller side. You don't want your friends and family to feel like they have to tip-toe around to avoid knocking things over! These guidelines are especially helpful if you're trying to plan a room when you're not yet living in the space, seeing it all the time.
Did you know you should leave some space between your ottoman and your chair? My book recommends 4 inches.
Just as this guide recommends 3 feet as a minimum for frequently used passageways, you should also leave a minimum of 3 feet in front of each doorway for entering and exiting.
Notice the significant difference in spacing (6 inches) between dining chairs that have arms and those that don't.
I'm not too sure about some of the bed lengths here. I found 75" to be a more common queen bed length listed online than the 80" listed here.
Next time you're rearranging a room, think about these guidelines. If your room feels a little cramped, give it some breathing room by deleting some items. Live in it for a little while and see if it feels better. If you can't seem to break out of the minimalist mold, maybe you can use these guidelines to affirm that it's okay to add an extra side table in your living room. Either way, I hope this helps!