Free home design guides

Clear, measured answers to the questions people ask most when designing a home, room by room. Every guide gives you the numbers in inches and centimeters.

• What size rug for a living room?

  Choose the right living room rug size every time. The front-legs rule, a size chart for every room, and the most common mistake to avoid. Inches and centimeters.

• How high to hang art, including above a sofa

  Hang pictures at the right height every time. The 57 to 60 inch gallery rule, how high to hang art above a sofa, how big it should be, and gallery wall spacing.

• How to hang curtains: height, width and length

  Make windows look bigger with curtains hung high and wide. Exact curtain rod height, rod width, curtain length and fullness, with a simple diagram.

• Living room layout ideas for every room shape

  Arrange your living room furniture with six simple floor plans: long and narrow, square, open-plan, fireplace, TV wall and small apartment. With walkway clearances.

• Living room lighting: how many lamps you need, and where

  Layer living room lighting like a designer: ambient, task and accent light, the 3 to 5 lamp rule, lamp heights and the best bulb color (2700 to 3000 K).

• Coffee table size guide

  Pick the right coffee table: about two-thirds the sofa length, level with the seat, and 16 to 20 inches away. Plus round vs rectangular and how to style it.

• Bedroom layout guide: bed sizes, clearances and rugs

  Plan a calm, practical bedroom: bed size for your room, walkway space around the bed, nightstand height, rug size under the bed and art above the headboard.

• Dining room layout: table size, clearances and lighting

  Plan your dining room with exact numbers: table size per person, space to pull out chairs, rug size, and how high to hang a pendant light over the table.

• Kitchen layout guide: the work triangle, aisles and islands

  Plan a kitchen that works: the work triangle, aisle widths for one or two cooks, island seating space, counter heights and pendant light height over an island.

• Bathroom layout guide: vanities, clearances and lighting

  Plan a comfortable bathroom: vanity and mirror height, space around the toilet, shower sizes, towel bar height and how to light a bathroom mirror well.

• Home office setup: desk, monitor, light and space

  Set up a comfortable home office: desk and chair height, monitor distance, where to put the desk for good light, and how much space you need behind your chair.

• Find your interior design style

  A free six-question quiz to discover your style, with a palette for each result.