How do I measure the gap between two offset pieces of furniture?

Hold the tape from the nearest corner of one to the nearest corner of the other. If they are 3 in apart one way and 4 in the other, the gap is 5 in.

Why does the narrowest point matter more than the average?

Because a person can’t squeeze through one spot and widen again — the whole route is limited by its tightest gap.

Should I measure to the furniture top or its base?

To whichever sticks out further at the height you walk past it. Splayed legs, arms, and cushions often reach further than the top.

How wide should the measured path be?

About 36 in (91 cm) is a common comfortable figure and about 30 in (76 cm) a tight one. They are planning guides, not code.

Do doorways count as part of the walking path?

Measure them, but judge them separately: interior doorways are often narrower than a comfortable walkway, which is normal. The walkway figure is for the room.

Illustration of two offset pieces of furniture with the corner-to-corner gap between them drawn as a diagonal line

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How to Measure Clear Walking Paths in a Room

The width of a walking path is set by its narrowest point, and that point is often a corner-to-corner squeeze between two offset pieces of furniture that a tape laid square across the room would miss. Measuring a path means following it.

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Measure the narrowest point, not the widest

Walk the route you care about, from the doorway to wherever you are going, and note each place it narrows: between a sofa and a wall, between two chairs, past a table corner. The route is only as wide as the tightest of those, however generous the rest is.

Offset pieces: measure the diagonal

When two pieces are offset, the gap between them runs from one corner to the other. If one corner is 3 in across and 4 in along from the other, the gap is 5 in — the straight line between corners, not either of the two square measurements. Measure it directly with the tape held corner to corner.

Gaps that seal a route

A route is blocked when a chain of furniture and walls, each gap in the chain narrower than the walkway, runs from one side of the route to the other. Find the chain with the widest of its narrow gaps — that widest-of-the-narrowest gap is the route’s true width.

A measuring routine

Sketch the room and mark the doorways and the route.
Measure each piece’s size and its distance from two walls.
At every place the route narrows, measure straight across, corner to corner where pieces are offset.
Record the smallest of those as the route’s width.
Check it against the walkway you want.

Things to include

Door swings, which close a route while open.
Furniture legs and feet that stick out past the top.
Rugs with thick edges that catch feet, and cables across the floor.

Measuring a Walking Path FAQ

How do I measure the gap between two offset pieces of furniture?: Hold the tape from the nearest corner of one to the nearest corner of the other. If they are 3 in apart one way and 4 in the other, the gap is 5 in.
Why does the narrowest point matter more than the average?: Because a person can’t squeeze through one spot and widen again — the whole route is limited by its tightest gap.
Should I measure to the furniture top or its base?: To whichever sticks out further at the height you walk past it. Splayed legs, arms, and cushions often reach further than the top.
How wide should the measured path be?: About 36 in (91 cm) is a common comfortable figure and about 30 in (76 cm) a tight one. They are planning guides, not code.
Do doorways count as part of the walking path?: Measure them, but judge them separately: interior doorways are often narrower than a comfortable walkway, which is normal. The walkway figure is for the room.