Last Updated on August 22, 2024 by Kimberly Crawford
Designing your ideal space starts with a solid plan. Careful planning is essential, whether you’re dreaming up a new home room layout or simply revamping one’s current room. A well-thought-out design can transform your space into a functional and beautiful oasis. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry!
A free floor plan creator like Wondershare EdrawMax offers an easy way to design your room layout. With customizable templates and a free trial, you can try different designs for home or office settings – online or offline. It also has a library of symbols for essential fixtures like doors and windows, which you can resize as needed. You can also use its AI Chat feature for design ideas to guide you through the basics.
Ready to make a floor plan? Let’s start!
How To Design a Room Layout and Make a Floor Plan
A floor plan is a top-view drawing of a room that shows the walls, doors, windows, and furniture placement. It helps you visualize the space before you build or decorate. Follow the steps below and learn how to design a room layout:
Step 1: Gather Your Tools and Materials
Before you start drawing, gather your tools. You’ll need a measuring tape for accurate dimensions of walls, doors, and windows. Grab a pencil and paper to sketch the draft. Have a clear idea of the purpose of your floor plan – is it for renovation, furniture arrangement, or new construction?
After making the draft, you’ll also need to create a digital room layout design. A floor plan creator can make things more efficient for you. With its scale tools, you can effortlessly create a floor plan that reflects your room’s proportions. Adjust furniture or walls, and the measurements update automatically.
You don’t need professional design skills to use Wondershare EdrawMax. This room planner is perfect for beginners. There are plenty of pre-designed templates you could choose from to jumpstart your project.
EdrawMax offers a vast library of symbols, from sofas and chairs to kitchen appliances and garden plants. All these are customizable, allowing you to refine your design to perfection. Not only that, but this room layout planner offers unlimited space, which lets you see how your furniture will fit and look in the actual spaces.
Step 2: Measure Your Space
Before you start dreaming up room layout ideas for your space, it’s crucial to have accurate measurements. This is where your room outline begins to take shape. Bring out your tape measure. Then, decide if you prefer feet or metric units and stick to one. For precise measurements, consider using a scale ruler.
Determine the largest scale you can use on your floor plan based on your room size. For instance, a large room might require a smaller scale, like 1-inch equals 10 feet. Now, measure the length and width of the entire room.
Next, measure the width of all doors and windows. For built-in features like closets or shelves, measure their dimensions and location within the room. Record all measurements clearly, including units (feet or meters).
For example, you might write:
- Room length: 12 feet
- Room Width: 10 feet
- Door width: 3 feet
- Window width: 4 feet
These measurements will be the foundation for creating an accurate floor plan.
Step 3: Set Up Your Digital Workspace
After taking the measurements of the room, windows, doors, furniture, and other elements, you’ll need to create a digital floor plan. EdrawMax is a popular free floor plan creator for beginners.
Now, here’s how to design a room layout with EdrawMax:
Step 3a: Download and install it on your computer or use the online version. Then, create or log in to your account.
Step 3b: There are two ways to start making a floor plan in EdrawMax:
- From a Pre-Designed Template
To start, browse EdrawMax for floor plan and room layout ideas. Go to Templates in the left-side navigation pane and enter Floor Plan in the search bar. Then, choose one suitable based on your project. Next, click Use Immediately to open the floor plan template on the drawing canvas.
- From a Blank Floor Plan
From Home in the left-side navigation pane, go to the Floor Plan tab. Next, select Home Plan under the Floor Plan section. Then, scroll down and select a blank template under the Local Templates section.
Step 3c: On the left-side navigation pane, you’ll find a list of symbols from the Symbols menu. These are the building blocks for your floor plan. Different floor plan templates have different symbols. For example, a home floor plan template will have furniture symbols, while an office room template will have office items.
Tip: Click the Edraw AI icon on the right side of the canvas to use the AI Chat function. Here, you can ask Edraw AI about ideas for making a floor plan.
Step 4: Draw the Room Layout
If you selected a pre-designed template, select the floor plan on the canvas, then click Ungroup. It allows you to customize, resize, and move each floor plan symbol within the EdrawMax floor planner.
If you’re ready to edit the floor plan template to fit your room measurements, follow these steps:
- Add Walls
Go to Symbols > Wall Shell and Structure from the left panel. Then, drag and drop a wall symbol to the drawing canvas. Drag your mouse to the desired length of the wall.
Differentiate between interior and exterior walls by adjusting line weight. Select the wall symbol on the canvas, then choose Wall from the floating toolbar. After that, enter a value for Wall Thickness.
- Add Doors and Windows
Go to Symbols > Doors and Windows from the left panel. Click on the door or window symbol that best suits your needs. Then, drag and drop the door onto your floor plan, aligning it with the wall opening.
You can also specify the door’s opening direction (inward or outward). Select the door symbol, then click and drag the manipulation point (diamond shape) to rotate. You can also click and drag the rotation handle to move the door symbol to your desired angle.
Step 5: Furnish and Decorate Your Room
This step is where your room layout begins to take shape. EdrawMax floor plan creator makes it easy to add furniture and decorative items to your floor plan. Go to Symbols from the left panel, then drag and drop the furniture symbols you like onto your design.
If you need more, select More Symbols from the Manage dropdown menu.
Now, how to set up a room without being cluttered?
To ensure your room functions well, consider the flow of traffic. Place furniture strategically. For example, leave enough space to walk around your bed and between seating areas. Can you easily reach everything you need? Try moving furniture around until you find the best arrangement for your space.
Tip:
Want to add personal touches? You can incorporate decorative items like carpets, plants, and appliances. Play with colors, patterns, and textures to create a space that reflects your style. Remember, this is your chance to visualize how different pieces will look together before making any purchases.
To customize the style of a floor plan symbol, open the right panel. Then, select a symbol from the canvas and change the Color from the Fill tab in the Style menu.
Step 6: Finalize and Export Your Blueprint
Select a symbol, then choose Settings on the floating toolbar. Adjust the Drawing Scale for all floor plan symbols from 1:1 to 1:200. You can also change the measurement Unit, Precision, and dimension visibility. Additionally, set Exception Settings for the floor plan.
Next, check your room layout for any errors. Make changes as needed to perfect your design. Go to File > Export to Other Formats in the upper navigation pane to save your work. EdrawMax lets you export your floor plan in various file formats, such as an image or PDF, for printing or sharing with others.
Beginner’s Tips for Making a Floor Plan
Avoid common mistakes by following these tips and tricks:
- Create Focal Points: Draw attention to a specific area, like a fireplace or large window, by arranging furniture around it.
- Embrace Negative Space: You don’t have to fill every corner of the floor plan. Empty areas can make a room feel more open and inviting.
- Use Guides: Precise placement is key for a balanced look. EdrawMax floor plan creator has a grid and lines to align furniture with walls and other objects you can use.
- Think About Traffic Flow: Ensure easy movement around the room. Avoid placing furniture in high-traffic areas.
- Create Zones: Divide larger rooms into different areas, like seating and dining, and work for better functionality.
- Optimize Natural Light: Position furniture to maximize daylight. This can dramatically brighten your space.
- Consider Scale: Balance large and small pieces. A tiny coffee table in a spacious living room can look lost.
Conclusion
From measuring your space to choosing the best furniture symbol, creating a floor plan is easier than you think! By following these steps, you can design your dream room layout. Ready to turn your vision into reality?
EdrawMax is the floor plan creator you need. Its user-friendly tools and vast library of symbols make it quick and easy to design anything from a cozy living room to a spacious office. Download EdrawMax now and start exploring endless living room layout ideas!