Getting Home Traffic Under Control

Home traffic is often one of the last things a homeowner considers when designing their home. After all, it's a lot more fun choosing colors, wallpapers, patterns and fabrics. But design isn't the only thing that makes up a home. It's just as important to arrange your space so that you can move comfortably around it. That's why it helps to start with a good floor plan designed to optimize foot traffic from room to room.

Planning for foot traffic should start in the busiest part of the home, which is usually the kitchen. The last thing you want is a cramped space where you keep bumping into the counter or furniture, or worse, crashing into other people. Arrange it so that your workspace is set apart from the rest of the kitchen, particularly the fridge, snack cabinets, and other commonly accessed points.

For the living room, you want a mostly open space to keep it warm and inviting. Most designers recommend an arrangement where most of the furniture is against the wall, and the middle of the room is mostly bare floor or covered with a rug. That way, none of the furnishings are in the way of foot traffic, and people can move in and out of the room as they please. Make sure there's a clear path to the front door and adjoining rooms, if any.

If you have a large bathroom, plan it so that the toilet and shower enclosure are within a few feet of each other. This keeps most of the traffic within a certain area, so the rest of the room remains dry. For small baths, consider space-saving options such as sliding cabinet doors, wall-mounted storage, and under-sink shelves.

Hallways should be kept free from fixtures as much as possible. Most homes are designed so that hallway doors open inward, except for closets. Try moving hallway closets closer to the end so you don't block traffic when you're reaching in. If the hallway is pretty tight, consider using sliding doors for the rooms-it saves swing space and adds a bit of space to the corridor.