Andrea Zatti
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Practical guide · printable

How to take
measurements

Walls, heights, doors and windows, sockets, radiators and photos: everything needed to design a room, in eight steps. You need a tape measure, a sheet of paper and half an hour.

Sheet to fill in

In short

To design a room we need: the length of every wall, the ceiling height, the position and size of doors and windows, the position of sockets, connections and radiators, and a few photos from every corner. Measure in centimetres and write everything on a sketch of the plan.

  1. 1Draw the plan by hand
  2. 2Measure the walls
  3. 3Measure the height
  4. 4Doors and windows
  5. 5Sockets, lights and services
  6. 6Radiators and fixed elements
  7. 7Take the photos
  8. 8Send us everything

What
you need

  • A rigid tape measure of at least 5 m, or a laser measure
  • A sheet of paper, ideally squared, and a pencil
  • Your smartphone for the photos
  • If you can, a second person for long walls

  1. Draw the plan by hand

    Sketch the room seen from above and number the walls, starting from the door and going clockwise.

    • It does not need to be to scale: the proportions just need to be roughly right.
    • Mark doors, windows, pillars, niches and anything that sticks out from the wall.
    • Number the walls starting from the wall with the entrance door and going clockwise: 1, 2, 3, 4…
    • Write every measurement directly on the sketch, next to the element it refers to.
    Sketch of the plan Plan of a room seen from above: the walls are numbered 1 to 4 clockwise, starting from the wall with the door. It shows the length of the walls (400 and 280 cm), the distance of the window from the corner (180 cm), the width of the window (120 cm) and the two dashed diagonals. diagonals 1 2 3 4 door window 400 280 180 120
    Sketch of the plan · example measurements, in centimetres

  2. Measure the walls

    Measure every wall from one corner to the other, in centimetres, and write it on the plan.

    • Always measure in centimetres and do not round: write 287, not “about 3 metres”.
    • Measure from corner to corner, about one metre above the floor, above the skirting board.
    • Walls are rarely perfectly straight: if you can, repeat the measurement near the floor and near the ceiling, and write them all down if they differ.
    • Also measure the two diagonals, from one corner to the opposite one: they tell us whether the room is square.

  3. Measure the height

    Measure the height from floor to ceiling in at least two places in the room.

    • If the ceiling slopes, measure the minimum and the maximum height.
    • Beams, false ceilings, steps and changes of level: measure height and width.
    • If the floor is going to be redone, say so: it changes the final height of the room.
    Ceiling heights Section of a room with a sloping ceiling and a beam: measure the minimum height, the maximum height and the height and width of the beam. minimum maximum beam
    Ceiling heights

  4. Doors and windows

    For every door and window measure the distance from the corner, the width and the height; for windows also the height of the sill above the floor.

    • Distance from the nearest corner, always from the same side of the wall.
    • Width and height of the opening in the wall.
    • Windows: height of the sill above the floor.
    • Which way it opens: inwards or outwards, hinges on the right or on the left. Draw it with an arc, as in the diagram.
    • Thickness of the wall, measured in the door opening.
    • Sliding or pocket doors: write it on the sketch.
    Measurements of a door Left: the door seen from above: clear opening 80 cm, wall 30 cm thick; the arc shows which way it opens, with the hinges on the left. Right: the door seen from the front: 210 cm high and 80 cm wide. hinges seen from above wall seen from the front 80 30 210 80
    Measurements of a door · example measurements, in centimetres

  5. Sockets, lights and services

    Mark sockets, switches and light points on the plan, with their distance from the corner and height above the floor.

    • Sockets, switches, TV and internet sockets, ceiling and wall light points.
    • In the kitchen and bathroom: water connections, drains, gas, the hood or flue outlet.
    • Boiler, meters, fuse box, air conditioners: even if they stay where they are, they take up space.
    • For each one: which wall, distance from the corner and height above the floor.
    Measurements of a wall Elevation of a wall: ceiling height 270 cm; window 200 cm from the corner, 140 cm wide and 140 cm high, with the sill 90 cm above the floor; radiator under the window; socket 80 cm from the corner and 30 cm above the floor. window socket radiator 270 200 140 140 90 30 80
    Measurements of a wall · example measurements, in centimetres

  6. Radiators and fixed elements

    Measure radiators, pillars, niches and exposed pipes: width, height, depth and position.

    • Radiators: width, height, depth (how far they stick out from the wall), height above the floor and distance from the corner.
    • Pillars, niches, columns, exposed pipes: position and size.
    • Write whether an element can be moved or removed.

  7. Take the photos

    Photograph the room from every corner towards the opposite corner, then each wall from the front and the details.

    • In daylight and with the lights on, in landscape.
    • One photo from every corner towards the opposite corner, then each wall seen from the front.
    • The details: windows, sockets, connections, radiators, floor.
    • The furniture you want to keep, with its measurements.
    • You do not need professional photos: a smartphone is perfect.
    Where to take the photos from Plan of a room with four shooting points, one in each corner, each facing the opposite corner. 1 2 3 4
    Where to take the photos from

  8. Send us everything

    Upload the sketch with the measurements and the photos in the order form: PDF, JPG, PNG or DWG, up to 20 MB in total.

    • A hand sketch is perfectly fine: photograph or scan it, as long as the numbers are readable.
    • If you have a dimensioned plan (from the architect, the builder, the contractor), send us that. You can also send us the DWG file.
    • Still check two or three measurements of the plan: sometimes the room as built differs from the drawing.
    • The land registry plan helps to understand the shape of the home, but it is often not accurate enough to design furniture: add your own measurements.
    Go to the order form

The most
common mistakes

  • Rounded measurements or mixed units: always use centimetres.
  • Forgetting sills, radiators and skirting boards: they are what ruins a made-to-measure piece.
  • Measuring only one wall per side when the room has recesses or pillars.
  • Photos from one point only: we need every corner.
  • Not writing which wall a measurement belongs to.

Measurement
sheet

Print it, fill it in by hand and photograph it together with the sketch. All measurements in centimetres.

Walls
WallLengthNotes
1
2
3
4
5
6
Heights and diagonals
Ceiling height, point A
Ceiling height, point B
Minimum / maximum height
Diagonal 1
Diagonal 2
Beams / steps
Doors and windows
TypeWallFrom cornerWidthHeightSillOpening
Sockets, lights, services, radiators
ElementWallFrom cornerAbove floorWidth × height × depth

Andrea Zatti Progetti · online interior design from €199 per room · andreazattiprogetti.it/en/online-design/

Got your measurements?

Upload them in the order form together with the photos: within 5 working days per room you get the design of your room. Would you rather we measured? A measured survey is one of the studio’s services.

Order your project · €199 Ask for a survey by the studio

Frequently
asked questions

Do I need a laser measure to measure a room?

No, a rigid tape measure of at least 5 metres is enough. A laser measure is handy for long walls and ceiling heights, but it is not essential.

What unit should I write the measurements in?

In centimetres, without rounding: for example 287 cm, not “about 3 metres”. If a measurement is uncertain, write that next to the number.

What do I need to measure to design a room?

The length of every wall, the ceiling height, the position and size of doors and windows (with the sill height), the position of sockets, light points, connections and radiators, plus a few photos from every corner.

I can’t measure everything: can I ask for help?

Yes: you can ask for a phone call for explanations or clarifications. And a measured survey is also one of our studio’s services: ask us for a quote.