Some people think floor plans are meant to be two-dimensional representations of a house, but we disagree. Here are some common issues that can make your floor plans seem flat, and some simple fixes to add depth.
We have all experienced it — a first draft of a floor plan that looks technically accurate but somehow feels dead, as though it could function but no one would want to live there. In most cases, this is because we drew the walls first, instead of thinking about circulation. A floor plan is not merely an organization of space; it’s a depiction of how a person will walk, stop, pivot, and circulate in that space. Before you start drawing, think about walking into the space and through it. Where do you want to stop? Where do you need space to pivot? Where do you want to be drawn with natural light? It is the circulation that will give your floor plan intention.
As you start drawing, make lines to suggest where the circulation should go before you box it in with walls. Have a “line” run from the door to a significant point like a window or another major room. This is the imaginary path that the plan will sit on. Novice designers like to jump right to boxes and end up with tight areas or weird dead space. If a floor plan seems off, erase just the walls, not the path lines. Then re-draw your boxes around them and you will probably get a more comfortable result because the boxes are planned around the circulation.
A second common issue is that each space is given the same priority so the overall plan is bland. There is hierarchy in actual spaces. Some spaces are larger and some smaller to create contrast and help us move through them. Fix this by designating a single main space and giving it a little more square footage or better access than the rest. Other spaces should complement – not rival – this main space. If they’re all roughly the same size, make one space smaller or a hall wider to introduce some contrast. This simple move can take a dull plan and make it seem deliberate.
You can develop this ability by using a short exercise. Look at an apartment or a public building plan for a few minutes and then close it and try to draw the circulation path again from memory. Don’t try to make it as precise as possible. Then look at the original and compare. What turns did you add that aren’t necessary? What straight paths did you fail to notice? That’s how experienced designers make the circulation more efficient. Do this exercise several times, and you will get a feel for it. You don’t need a whole project to practice this.
If you are getting frustrated because you don’t feel like you’re making progress even after several attempts at drawing it out, compare all your previous versions to see if you’ve made any progress. Even if you haven’t managed to get the proportions of the room correct, you may find that the path of travel is more fluid in some of your more recent attempts. Comparing them will also help you see that you’re making progress and that you’re not just getting nowhere with it. Eventually, walls will not be the beginning of your floor plan and circulation will be what the walls serve as a backdrop to, which will lend credibility to even a modest floor plan.
