# Space: measured from the body out > The body as the unit: proportions, positions, clearances and the distances people keep. Source: https://guide.rayon.design/knowledge/foundations/space · Foundations · Updated 2026-10-19 © 2026 Rayon. Quote short excerpts with a link to the source page. Full terms: https://guide.rayon.design/about ## Introduction A room is not its floor area. It is the distances between people, furniture and walls, and every one of those distances comes from the human body: how tall we stand, how far we reach, how much room we need to sit, pass and turn. Learn the body’s numbers, and [plans](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/plan), [clearances](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/clearance) and [drawings](https://guide.rayon.design/knowledge/foundations/representation) all follow from them. ## The body is the unit Every dimension starts here. Vitruvius described the well-made body fitting both a square and a circle; Leonardo drew it; Le Corbusier turned it into the Modulor, a scale of dimensions built on a 183 cm man with his arm raised to 226 cm. Today it is called [anthropometrics](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/anthropometrics). The figures below are for an average 175 cm adult. Real people range from about 150–190 cm, so design for the range: heights for the shortest user, clearances for the largest. *Interactive diagram:* A figure beside a post of five blocks, each topped at a key height: knuckle, elbow, shoulder, eye, head. *Interactive diagram:* Move away from the figure and its arms rise: level, the span meets the square, as wide as the figure is tall. ### Eye height **163 cm** Standing. Seated, about 120. It sets art, mirrors and views. ### Shoulders **45–50 cm** Wide, about 30 deep: the body’s footprint in plan. ### Elbow **108 cm** Worktops sit 10–15 below it: about 90–95 cm. ### Reach **210 cm** Arm raised. Shelves people use daily stop near 190. ## Positions set the distances Stand, walk, sit, lounge, reach, roll. The same body takes up different space in each position. Seat heights come from the lower leg, table heights from the seated elbow, shelf heights from reach. A wheelchair user needs a 150 cm circle to turn; plan one in at least the bathroom, kitchen and entry, and every home works for longer. *Interactive diagram:* Point round the figure and it turns to face you, always inside a footprint of about 60 by 45 cm. *Standing* *Interactive diagram:* Move the pointer in close and the stride opens to about 75 cm, the zone stretching with it. *Walking* *Interactive diagram:* Move the pointer in close and the figure sits: a 45 cm seat, a 75 cm table, and the room to pull back. *Sitting* *Interactive diagram:* Move the pointer in close and the figure leans back into a lower, deeper seat of 40 to 45 cm. *Lounging* *Interactive diagram:* Move the pointer in close and an arm rises to a shelf at 190 cm; the hand reaches about 210. *Reaching* *Interactive diagram:* Point round the chair and it turns to face you, inside the 150 cm circle it needs to turn. *Wheelchair* Point at each figure to see the position in use. Dimensions in cm. ## From body to clearance The space around the furniture. A clearance is the free floor a body needs to use something: to pull a chair out, get into bed, pass another person or open a dishwasher. Draw it as a [zone](https://guide.rayon.design/knowledge/foundations/use) in plan, and the furniture plan almost lays itself out. Main [circulation](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/circulation) routes want 90 cm clear; where two people pass, 120. *Interactive diagram:* A chair slides back from the table into the zone behind it: 75 to 90 cm to pull it out and stand up. Pull a chair out and stand up: 75–90 cm behind every chair. *Interactive diagram:* Three pads round a bed, one each side and one across the foot: about 70 cm each to get in and walk round. Get in from either side and walk round the foot: about 70 cm. *Interactive diagram:* One person needs a corridor 90 cm wide; two passing need 120 cm: the walls step out as the second comes alongside. One person needs 90 cm; two people passing need 120 cm. *Interactive diagram:* Two runs of units facing across an aisle; a drawer slides out into it: 100 to 120 cm between the runs. Open drawers and the dishwasher with room to stand: 100–120 cm between runs. Dimensions in cm. Point at each figure to see its clearance in use. **All clearances, minimum and comfortable** | Situation | Minimum | Comfortable | Why | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Main circulation route | 90 cm | 100–120 cm | One person walking with something in their hands | | Two people passing | 110 cm | 120 cm | Two shoulder widths plus a gap | | Behind a dining chair | 75 cm | 90 cm+ | To stand up; more if someone walks behind | | Dining place setting | 55 cm | 60–70 cm | Elbow room per person along the table | | Beside a bed | 60 cm | 70 cm | To get in and make the bed | | Kitchen aisle | 100 cm | 120 cm | Open doors and drawers; two cooks | | Sofa to coffee table | 40 cm | 45 cm | Knees, and still within reach | | Wheelchair turning | 150 cm circle | 150 × 170 cm | A full turn without reversing | ## Distance between people Space is social, too. The anthropologist Edward T. Hall measured how close people stand depending on their relationship. Called [proxemics](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/proxemics), it explains why seating more than about 3 m apart kills conversation, and why a bench that forces strangers within 45 cm stays empty. ### Intimate **0–45 cm** Partners, children. A shared sofa. ### Personal **45–120 cm** Friends talking. A dining table’s width. ### Social **1.2–3.6 m** Group conversation. Keep living-room seats inside 3 m. ### Public **3.6 m+** Addressing a room. Too far for a home’s seating. ## Questions What people ask most about space and layout. ### What size rug goes under a queen or king bed? Choose a rug that reaches about 50–60 cm beyond each side of the bed, and start it just in front of the bedside tables. For a queen bed that usually means about 240 × 300 cm; for a king, about 270 × 360 cm, laid across the bed. A smaller rug works too when it sits under the lower two thirds of the bed and still shows on both sides. ### What size rug do I need for a living room? Size the rug to the seating group, not the room. The front legs of every sofa and chair should rest on it, which in most living rooms means 200 × 300 cm or 240 × 300 cm. Leave a band of floor between the rug and the walls, about 30–45 cm, so the room does not look carpeted wall to wall. ### How high should I hang pictures? Hang a picture or a group so its centre sits about 145–150 cm above the floor, roughly eye level for a standing adult. Above a sofa or sideboard, leave 15–25 cm between the furniture and the bottom of the frame, so the two read as one composition. ### What is the best layout for a living room? The best layout faces the seating towards one [focal point](https://guide.rayon.design/lexicon/focal-point), keeps people within about 2.5–3 m of each other so they can talk, and leaves the main path clear. Pull furniture off the walls when the room allows, place the coffee table about 40–45 cm from the sofa, and keep at least 90 cm for walkways. ### How do I plan a furniture layout? Measure the room, including doors, windows, radiators and sockets, and draw it to scale. Mark the paths people take between doors first, then place the largest piece, then everything else around it. Check every route is at least 90 cm wide and every seat has a surface within reach before you buy anything. ### How high should I hang curtains? Hang the rod 10–15 cm above the window frame, or halfway between the frame and the ceiling, which makes the window and the room look taller. Extend the rod 15–25 cm beyond each side so the open curtains frame the glass instead of covering it, and let the fabric just touch the floor. ### How high should I mount a TV? Put the centre of the screen at seated eye level, about 105–110 cm above the floor for most sofas. Mounting it higher, above a fireplace for example, makes people tilt their heads back; if you must, tilt the screen down towards the seats. ### How far should the sofa be from the TV? A comfortable distance is about 1.2 to 1.5 times the screen's diagonal for modern high-resolution screens. For a 140 cm diagonal, that is roughly 170–210 cm. Further is fine for casual viewing; closer feels immersive but tiring. ### How wide should a hallway be? Plan for at least 90 cm, which lets one person walk comfortably, and 110–120 cm where two people need to pass or furniture lines the wall. Wheelchair routes need about 120 cm, with turning space of 150 cm at the ends. ### What size rug goes under a dining table? The rug should reach at least 60–75 cm beyond the table on every side, so chairs stay on it when pulled out. For a table for six, that usually means about 240 × 300 cm. Match the rug's shape to the table: round under round, rectangular under rectangular.