---
title: "Furniture Clearance Guide & Gap Checker | Tiny Room Life"
description: "How much space to leave around beds, sofas, desks, dining chairs and kitchen aisles, each figure cited. Enter your gaps: comfortable, tight or too tight."
url: https://tinyroomlife.me/furniture-clearance-guide/
---

Measured, then cited

# Furniture clearance guide

How much room to leave beside a bed, behind a chair, in front of a sofa and down a kitchen aisle, with the figure behind each one. Enter the gaps you have to see how they compare.

## How the verdicts work

Each gap is compared with a published planning figure. **Too tight** means below the minimum the source gives; **tight** means at or above that minimum but short of the more generous figure; **comfortable** means the generous figure is met. These are planning guidelines for new homes, not rules for your flat: plenty of small rooms work with less, and the verdict simply tells you where it will feel cramped.

Tick *Plan for a wheelchair user* to switch to the accessible figures, and the checker adds a clear turning circle.

### Recommended clearances

| Space | Figure | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Walkway through a room | 36 in (914 mm) | NKBA Guideline 7 |
| Clear route between furniture and to a window | 750 mm (29 1/2 in) | Approved Document M 2.25a; Universal Design Guidelines 3.1 |
| Beside and at the foot of a bed | 750 mm (29 1/2 in) | Approved Document M 2.25 |
| Beside and at the foot of a double bed, generous | 800 mm (31 1/2 in) | Universal Design Guidelines 3.5 |
| Table or counter edge to the wall behind a seated person, nobody passing | 32 in (813 mm) | NKBA Guideline 8 |
| The same, with people edging past / walking past | 36 in (914 mm) / 44 in (1118 mm) | NKBA Guideline 8a, 8b |
| Kitchen work aisle, one cook / more than one | 42 in (1067 mm) / 48 in (1219 mm) | NKBA Guideline 6 |
| In front of and between kitchen units | 1200 mm (47 1/4 in) | Approved Document M 2.24b |
| Sofa to coffee table | 14 to 18 in (36 to 46 cm) | Common rule of thumb, not a standard |
| Wheelchair: accessible route | 36 in (915 mm); 32 in (815 mm) for up to 24 in (610 mm) | 2010 ADA Standards 403.5.1 |
| Wheelchair: turning circle | 60 in (1525 mm) across | 2010 ADA Standards 304.3.1 |
| Wheelchair: beside and at the foot of a bed, and in front of furniture | 1000 mm (39 3/8 in), with a 1200 mm square to turn beside the bed | Approved Document M 3.35e |
| Wheelchair: kitchen between counters | 40 in (1015 mm) galley; 60 in (1525 mm) U-shaped | 2010 ADA Standards 804.2 |
| Wheelchair: behind a seated person | 36 in (914 mm); 60 in (1524 mm) to pass behind | NKBA Guideline 8, Access Standard |

### Making a small room work

- Give one side of the bed the full gap and push the other side to the wall.
- Round or drop-leaf tables need less space to walk round than square corners.
- Sliding wardrobe doors and open shelves need no swing space in front.

## Sources

- National Kitchen & Bath Association, [Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards](https://kb.nkba.org/uploads/2022/05/Kitchen-Planning-Guidelines.pdf): Guideline 6 (work aisle), Guideline 7 (walkway) and Guideline 8 (traffic clearance at seating), with their Access Standard figures.
- US Department of Justice, [2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design](https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/): 304.3.1 (turning space), 403.5.1 (clear width of walking surfaces) and 804.2 (kitchen clearance).
- HM Government, [Approved Document M, Volume 1: Dwellings](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540330/BR_PDF_AD_M1_2015_with_2016_amendments_V3.pdf) (2015 edition incorporating 2016 amendments): 2.24b and 2.25 (accessible and adaptable dwellings), 3.35e (wheelchair user dwellings).
- Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (National Disability Authority, Ireland), [Universal Design Guidelines for Homes in Ireland, Section 3: Spaces for Living](https://universaldesign.ie/uploads/publications/Section-3-Spaces-for-Living_2024-09-24-123002_xwpl.pdf): 750 mm clear routes between items and 800 mm beside and at the end of a double bed.
- The sofa-to-coffee-table range is a common rule of thumb used by furniture retailers; no standard sets it.

## Questions

**Where do I measure from?**

From whatever sticks out furthest at body height, such as a bed frame, a drawer handle or the seat edge, to the nearest wall or piece of furniture opposite. Skirting boards and rugs don't count.

**Why do some figures use millimetres?**

Each figure is shown in the units its source uses, with a conversion in brackets. NKBA and the ADA work in inches; the English and Irish guidance is in millimetres.

**My bedroom fails. Is it unsafe?**

No. These are comfort and access guidelines for designing homes, not safety limits. A tight gap just means making the bed or passing someone will be awkward.