Home office layout planner: arrange your workspace online

No sign-up · free · in your browser

ApaPlan lets you plan a home office layout for free in your browser: set the room size, place a desk, chair, shelving and storage from a catalog of real products, and check chair clearance, daylight and walkways in 2D and 3D. No sign-up is required.

Home office dimensions that matter

The chair zone is the most underestimated number: an office chair needs room to roll back and turn. If a wall, bed or cabinet is closer than 90 cm (3 ft) behind the desk, you will bump into it every time you stand up.

Where to put the desk

Side-on to the window

The best default. Daylight falls across the desk, there is no glare on the screen and your face is evenly lit on video calls. Place the desk so the window is on the side opposite your writing hand.

Facing the room

A desk floating with your back to a wall and facing the door feels open and gives a calm video-call background. It needs more floor: desk depth plus about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) behind it.

Facing the wall

The most compact option and good for focus, with shelves above the desk. Add a lamp, because the wall in front of you will be in shadow.

Avoid: back to the window, or facing it directly

With your back to the window the screen reflects the light; facing it, your eyes constantly adjust between bright glass and the monitor.

Home office furniture layouts

Straight desk with storage beside it. Works in narrow rooms from about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) wide: one wall for the desk and shelving, the opposite wall free.

L-shaped desk in a corner. Gives a large surface for two screens and paperwork; it needs about 1.5 × 1.5 m (5 × 5 ft) plus chair space.

Two workstations. Back-to-back desks need about 2.4–2.8 m (8–9 ft) between walls; side by side along one wall, about 2.6–3 m (8 ft 6 in–10 ft) of wall.

Office plus guest room. A sofa bed or daybed on the opposite wall works if you keep at least 90 cm (3 ft) between the chair zone and the open bed.

Small home office and work corner tips

• A 100–120 × 50–60 cm desk fits into an alcove, a hallway niche or a corner of the bedroom.
• Use wall shelves and a monitor arm to keep the desktop clear.
• Plan sockets and a network point before choosing the desk position.
• In a bedroom, choose a desk that can be closed or hidden by a curtain so work is out of sight at night.
• Think about acoustics: a rug, curtains and a full bookcase reduce echo on calls.

Mistakes to avoid

• Choosing a desk that is too shallow for an external monitor and keyboard.
• Putting the desk in the walkway so the chair blocks the door.
• Filing cabinets placed so their drawers cannot open past the chair.
• Forgetting cable routes from the desk to the nearest socket.
• Ignoring what the camera sees behind you.

Lighting, power and comfort

Good daylight is the main reason to put a desk by the window, but you also need artificial light for dark mornings and evenings. Combine a general ceiling light with a desk lamp placed on the side opposite your writing hand, so your hand does not cast a shadow on paper. For video calls, a soft light in front of you — not behind — keeps your face visible.

Power is easy to forget on a floor plan. A typical workstation needs sockets for a computer, monitor, lamp, phone charger and router or network point. Mark existing sockets when you measure the room and choose the desk position so cables run along the wall rather than across the floor. If you plan new sockets, place them just above desk height for easy access.

For comfort, the top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level, with your forearms roughly horizontal on the desk. A height-adjustable desk lets you alternate between sitting and standing; if you plan one, leave a little extra space for the frame and for cables that move with it. A footrest and a rug under the chair also change how much floor you need, so add them to the plan.

Before drawing, measure the room wall by wall, note window positions and sill height, radiators, sockets and the door swing. In a small room these details decide where the desk can go.

How to plan your home office in ApaPlan

Open the example with “Open this plan in the editor” or draw your room: walls with exact lengths, doors and windows, plus any niche or alcove. Add desks, chairs, shelving, cabinets and lamps from more than 2,500 3D models; set width and depth to the product you are considering, rotate and recolour items, and let them snap to walls and each other.

Switch to 3D to check daylight direction and sightlines, and use the first-person walkthrough to see your video-call background from the chair position. Try wall colours and flooring from the material library. If the office shares a room with a guest bed or a living area, plan both together — the living room planner covers seating and walkways. Other ways of planning are compared in ApaPlan alternatives.

How to do it in ApaPlan

1. Open the home office example. Open the example in the editor or start a new plan; no sign-up needed.
2. Set walls, door and window. Enter exact wall lengths and place the window, which decides where the desk should go.
3. Place the desk and chair. Put the desk side-on to the window and keep 90–110 cm behind it for the chair.
4. Add storage and lighting. Add shelving, cabinets and a desk lamp, checking that drawers and doors open freely.
5. Check in 3D and save. Review the layout in 3D and first-person view, then save it or download the PDF.

Open this plan in the editor

Frequently asked questions

See also