Bedroom
Under Turkey’s Planned Areas Zoning Regulation (Planlı Alanlar İmar Yönetmeliği, article 29), a bedroom must be at least 9 m² with its shortest side at least 2.50 m. For a comfortable bedroom, leave room to walk around three sides of the bed. The UK’s accessible housing guidance (Approved Document M4(2)) asks for 75 cm of clearance on both sides and at the foot of a double bed; that’s a good measure for everyone.
- Bed head against a windowless wall. A bed under a window is cold and makes the curtains awkward to use.
- At least 60 cm in front of the wardrobe. Hinged doors need more; in a narrow room consider sliding doors.
- Don’t let the door hit the bed. Keep furniture out of the door’s swing area.
Living room
Under the Turkish regulation, a living room must be at least 12 m² with its shortest side at least 3.00 m. What matters here is how the sofa, coffee table and TV relate to each other, and the path through the room.
- TV distance. A commonly used measure is about 1.6 times the screen diagonal (an older SMPTE recommendation). For a 55-inch (140 cm) screen that’s about 2.3 m; in the example living room the TV is 2.35 m from the sofa.
- Don’t block the walkway. The path from the door to the window or balcony should pass comfortably behind or in front of the sofa.
- A rug pulls the seating together. If the sofa’s front legs sit on the rug, the group looks like one.
Dining table
Around a table you need room to sit down and get up. NKBA recommends 81 cm between the table edge and the wall where nobody walks behind, and 91–112 cm where people pass behind.
Measure before you place
Putting the room and furniture dimensions on a plan before you buy a new sofa or wardrobe is the easiest way to avoid surprises when it arrives. If you don’t know how to measure your room, read the how to measure a room post.
- Bedroom at least 9 m², shortest side at least 2.50 m
- 75 cm on both sides and at the foot of the bed
- At least 60 cm in front of the wardrobe
- Living room at least 12 m², shortest side at least 3.00 m
- Space in front of doors and windows kept clear
The plans and dimensions in this post are layout ideas. A building permit, structural design or construction project requires a design by, and approval from, a licensed architect and engineer; ask your municipality about the details of the regulations.