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How to measure your room and check the fit with AR

Furniture that does not work out usually fails in one of three ways: it does not fit the space, it fits but leaves no room to move around it, or it never makes it through the door. A tape measure and a little planning avoid all three. This guide explains what to measure, how to mark it out and how to use AR to see a piece in your room at its real size before you order.

What you need

  • A metal tape measure, ideally five metres or longer, so that you can measure a wall without the tape bending.
  • Paper or a notes app, to write each measurement next to a quick sketch of the room.
  • Painter's or masking tape, to mark sizes on the floor without leaving marks.
  • A second person for long walls and high ceilings, if you can find one.

Write every measurement in centimetres. Product pages on FurnitureOnGo give sizes in centimetres, and comparing like with like avoids conversion mistakes.

Step 1: Measure the room itself

Start with a simple floor plan. Measure the length of each wall at floor level and note where it starts and ends. Then add everything that limits where furniture can go:

  • doors, including the direction they swing and how far they open into the room;
  • windows, with the height of the sill from the floor, so you know whether a sofa back or a headboard will sit below it;
  • sockets, switches and network points, so that a TV unit or a bedside table ends up next to power;
  • wall-mounted air conditioning units, vents and thermostats, which tall pieces should not block;
  • built-in wardrobes, columns, skirting boards and any step or change in floor level.

Measure the ceiling height too. It matters for tall wardrobes, bunk beds, shelving and hanging lights.

Step 2: Measure the way in

A piece that fits the room still has to get there. Walk the route that the delivery team will take and measure the narrowest point at each stage:

  • the building entrance and any gate or barrier;
  • the lift: the door width and height, and the inside depth and height, because a long piece may only fit standing up or at an angle;
  • corridors and the turns between them, where a long sofa has to pivot;
  • stairs, including the headroom above them;
  • your front door and the door of the room, measured with the door fully open.

Compare these measurements with the largest part of the product, not only its overall size. Some sofas have legs that come off, many beds and wardrobes arrive flat-packed, and corner sofas usually come in sections. If you are not sure how a product is delivered, ask the seller before you order.

Step 3: Plan the space around each piece

Fitting is not only about the footprint. You also need room to walk, sit down, open doors and pull out drawers. Interior designers often start from rules of thumb like these:

  • about 75 to 90 cm for the main walkways through a room;
  • about 40 to 45 cm between a sofa and a coffee table: close enough to reach a cup, far enough for your knees;
  • about 75 to 90 cm behind a dining chair, so that it can be pulled out and someone can pass;
  • about 60 cm on each side of a bed that you get in and out of;
  • enough room in front of wardrobes and chests for the doors and drawers to open fully.

These are starting points rather than fixed rules. A narrow gap behind a sofa is fine if nobody needs to walk there.

Step 4: Mark it out on the floor

Once you have a product in mind, mark its width and depth on the floor with tape and leave the outline there for a day if you can. Walk around it, open the doors next to it and sit where you would sit. For height, a stack of boxes or a sheet of cardboard taped to the wall shows how tall a wardrobe or a headboard will look. This simple step often reveals a problem that a floor plan hides, such as a door that would only half open.

Step 5: Check the fit with AR

Many products on FurnitureOnGo have a 3D model, and you can place them in your room through your phone's camera:

  1. Open the product and tap View in AR, or open the AR Room Composer to work with several pieces.
  2. When the AR view opens (on the website, tap View in My Room first), move your phone slowly so that it can find the floor.
  3. Tap the floor to place the piece. It appears at its real size. If your phone's AR viewer lets you pinch to resize it, keep it at 100% so that what you see is the size you would get.
  4. Walk around it and check the walkways and the doors you measured in the steps above.
  5. Add more pieces to see how a sofa, a coffee table and a side table work together. On many phones you can also record a short video to share with your family.

AR works best in good light and on a floor with some visible texture. Very glossy, very dark or completely plain floors can make it harder for the phone to find the surface, so move slowly and give it a moment. AR is a guide, not a replacement for the tape measure: always check the dimensions on the product page as well.

Before you order: a short checklist

  • The width, depth and height fit the space, with room to walk around the piece.
  • The largest part fits through every door, lift and turn on the way in.
  • Doors, drawers and recliners have room to open.
  • The piece does not block sockets, vents or windows that you need.
  • You have asked the seller about delivery, assembly and anything else you are unsure of.