How do I arrange furniture in a studio apartment?

Start from the fixed points (windows, doors, kitchen) and zone the space — sleeping, sitting, working. Placing everything to scale on your plan shows what actually fits before you commit.

What furniture fits in a small room?

It depends on your exact dimensions, not general rules. Add each piece at its real size in ToScale and you’ll see immediately what fits and what leaves room to move.

Small room & studio furniture layout

Quick answer In a room under about 12 m², keep one clear walkway of at least 70 cm from the door to the window and put the largest piece against the longest unbroken wall first. Everything else fits around that — decide the bed or sofa position before anything else.

In a studio or small room, every centimetre counts. ToScale lets you try furniture layouts on your real floor plan at true size — so you find an arrangement that fits before you move anything (or buy anything you can’t return).

Upload your floor plan, set the scale once, then drag a bed, sofa, desk and storage into place at their real dimensions. Swap pieces, rotate them, and test a few arrangements until you find one with clear walkways and open doors.

Keep at least 60–70 cm (24–28 in) walkways, place tall storage where it won’t block light, and make sure every door and drawer can open fully.

Plan your small-room layout →

What fits in a small room, by room size

Area alone never decides a layout — the shape of the room and where the doors and windows sit matter just as much. Use this as a starting point, then place the real pieces on your own plan in ToScale.

Room size	Fits comfortably	Tight but workable	Usually won’t work
6 m² (65 sq ft) — box room, about 2.4 × 2.5 m	Single bed (90 × 190 cm) plus a shallow 40 cm shelf unit	A 100 × 50 cm desk at the foot of the bed	Double bed, or a wardrobe with swing doors
9 m² (97 sq ft) — small bedroom, about 3.0 × 3.0 m	Double bed (135 × 190 cm) with one bedside table	A 120 cm desk along the free wall	King bed, or a bed plus a sofa
12 m² (130 sq ft) — standard bedroom, about 3.0 × 4.0 m	Queen bed (150 × 200 cm), two bedside tables, a 100 cm wardrobe	A 140 cm desk or a small armchair as well	King bed with a walkable gap on both sides
16 m² (172 sq ft) — large bedroom or small studio, about 4.0 × 4.0 m	Queen bed, wardrobe and a full desk with a proper chair pull-out	A loveseat (150 cm) to zone off a sitting area	A three-seat sofa and a dining table together
20 m² (215 sq ft) — studio, about 4.0 × 5.0 m	Double bed, loveseat, 80 cm round dining table and storage	A three-seater sofa (180 cm) instead of the loveseat	A separate sofa zone plus a six-seat dining set

Two rooms of the same area behave very differently: a long, narrow 12 m² room takes far less furniture than a square one, and a door swinging into the middle can cost you a whole wall. Draw your own plan to scale in ToScale and check the walkways before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I arrange furniture in a studio apartment?: Start from the fixed points (windows, doors, kitchen) and zone the space — sleeping, sitting, working. Placing everything to scale on your plan shows what actually fits before you commit.
What furniture fits in a small room?: It depends on your exact dimensions, not general rules. Add each piece at its real size in ToScale and you’ll see immediately what fits and what leaves room to move.

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