How To: Read a Floor Plan

In the world of Interior Decorating, there are some questions that we are asked from our customers on a constant basis. The main questions that are posed to us are ‘What color scheme should I choose, or what color looks best with this furniture?’ and  ‘How do you read this floor plan, I can’t understand it.’ Even though both are good questions, we are going to take the opportunity to address the latter. Learning how to read a floor plan is key in interior decorating. Most times you will not be able to begin decorating until you understand your floor plan. First things first, lets describe a floor plan. The floor plan is a layout of the space in an area. This gives a top-level view of the space and gives dimensions as well. The overall floor plan is the main floor plan that most see. This again gives a two-dimensional “bird’s eye view” of the space. There are lists of things that a floor plan should always include. The following information is required on all floor plan layouts. They are:  

1. A legend  -Every floor plan should include this. This gives us an idea of what the project is and what the floor plan is of. This can also include a north arrow. Just a key point, the to right of the drawing page is always north. The legend can also include the architect name, designers name etc. 

2. Walls, patios and decks- The walls are probably the most important thing in a floor plan. These are elements that form rooms and create the overall dividers. Usually walls are drawn with parallel lines and the breaks in these lines usually mean there is a window or a door.  

3. Dimensions- As we mentioned above, dimensions are also usually included in a floor plan. This is obviously on a smaller scale. Commonly the scale is about ¼ inch equals 1 foot. So this means that the floor plan represents ¼ inch for each sq. footage of the space.  

4. Symbols – These are symbols that are used to signify material, plumbing, and electrical, fixtures, doors, windows etc.  

5. Stairs, Permanent Fixtures, Fireplaces. These are just a few of staples that should be easily identified within a floor plan. These items should always be included in a floor plan. 

Make sure to always familiarize yourself with the list of items that are required to be on a standard floor plan. You don’t want to begin renovating without viewing what you are up against on paper. These items listed will give you a good start at understanding your floor plan.  

Below we will discuss easy guides for beginners to read a floor plan. These steps should guide you in the right direction in relation to you understanding your floor plan. You have the basic information down, such as some key definitions, and what key elements encompass a floor plan. Now it’s time for you to use those definitions and keys to navigate through your floor plan. See below: 

1. Step 1: After you have identified the key terms and symbols, you want to first locate the front door. Doors, in floor plans are usually a horizontal line with a door swing. These door swings trace the swing of the door, in and out. Once you have found the front door, you are open for business! 

2. Step 2: Find the front door and try to walk through the plan mentally. Moving through the living room, into the kitchen then into the bedrooms. Think about how everything is connecting and if it is making sense to you. 

3. Step 3: Assess the Garage Entry Point. Follow the path from the garage into the house. Estimate the spacing and review the plan to make sure that the corners are not tight or they mimic your home, if the plans are of a current home. If the plans are for a future home that will be built confirm the spacing to make sure no areas will seem tight. Usually there is some sort of laundry or utility room that will be passed, make sure you see that on the floor plan.  

4. Step 4: Review the room dimensions. This step is very crucial, especially for future projects. You want to make sure that the dimensions within the space are accurate and it is accurately represented on your floor plan. A great idea is to compare the dimensions within your plan to the dimensions of a space that you feel comfortable with. 

5. Step 5: Review Storage Space. You want to make sure that your floor plan depicts the exact amount of storage space you would require in your space. This includes closets, nooks, etc. Since you are familiar with the wall setup and the symbols in your floor plan by now, it should be fairly easy to find the closets and spaces that resemble storage spaces. 

The best advice of all is to try to put yourself in your floor plan. You want to make sure you can follow the drawings; otherwise they would not be useful. The advice that we like to give is to draw up a floor plan that would be ideal or even a plan that resembles their home as it is now. This way it gives them an idea of how a floor plan is designed to operate.  Floor plans are designed to help the end users. These end users would be the interior decorators, construction workers, and of course the customer. Floor plans are also very useful for the city in which the space will be. Usually, homes and other buildings are required to have floor plans submitted to the city and placed on file in their records. Floor plans are not meant to look like a foreign language, ore to be intimidating, although they tend to do both, they are created to help review and depict the space before you. Floor plans are helpful for interior decorators because it allows us to review a space from a raw perspective. It is sometimes better to create from a raw space than one that has already been used.  If necessary we are available for tutorials and additional how-to’s relating to floor plans. Please contact us with any questions. We, here at Dainty Decorating By Design, hope that this article was helpful and hopefully you know a little bit more about floor plans.