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Designing around the body: heights, reach, clearance and comfort, for homes that stop working against you.
Rooms should fit
the people in them.
Not the other way around. Yet most homes ask their occupants to stoop at the worktop, perch on the sofa and squint at the screen, and everyone simply adapts until the discomfort becomes invisible.
Numbers, not opinions
Over thirty dimension tables covering worktops, desks, seating, bathrooms, bedrooms and circulation, with the reasoning behind each.
Measured for your household
Six measurements you can take in ten minutes that change what you should specify. Your family is not a percentile table.
The faults nobody names
A worktop set for the wrong person, a sofa too deep, a screen too low. Small, daily and cumulative, and almost all cheap to fix.
A weekend audit
Chapter 11 is an exercise you can run on your own home, sorted into free fixes, small purchases and things only possible at build stage.
- 01What Ergonomics Actually IsAnthropometrics, percentiles, and the rule that follows: clearance for the largest, reach for the smallest.
- 02The Numbers Behind EverythingSix measurements to take of your own household, reach zones, clearances and a full reference table.
- 03Sitting: Chairs, Sofas and SeatingThe four dimensions that decide whether a seat supports you, and why fashionable sofas so often fail.
- 04Working: Desks, Screens and StudiesDesk and screen heights, the laptop problem, and what to do when the desk is a dining table.
- 05The KitchenWorktop height from elbow height, why sinks should be higher, layout, and storage in the right band.
- 06Bathrooms and Personal CareHeights and clearances, light at the mirror, and designing for the whole life of the house.
- 07Sleeping and StorageThe bed and the space around it, wardrobe reach, drawers over cupboards, and bedroom lighting.
- 08Circulation, Stairs and DoorsRoute widths, door clearances, stair consistency and the thresholds that cause falls.
- 09Light, Sound and AirLux levels by task, glare and contrast, reverberation, and how ageing changes what you need.
- 10Designing for Every BodyChildren, older adults, taller, shorter and reduced mobility, and how to make later adaptation cheap.
- 11Auditing Your Own HomeA weekend exercise with a tape measure, and a priority list of fixes from free to build-stage.
A look at how the guide is laid out. Every chapter pairs plain-English guidance with something you can act on, a table, a checklist or a worksheet.
In the guide
In the guide
In the guide
In the guide
In the guide
In the guide
One edition, everywhere
Human bodies are the same wherever you live, so unlike our renovation guides there is no separate UK and EU version. All dimensions are metric and the anthropometric principles apply internationally.
Add to basket using the button at the top of this page. Your download link arrives by email straight after checkout.
What format is it?
A 36-page A4 PDF. You get a download link by email straight after checkout, and you can read it on any device or print it at home.
Is this UK specific?
No. Human bodies are the same everywhere, so this is a single edition. All dimensions are metric, and the anthropometric principles apply internationally.
Is it only useful if I am renovating?
No. Chapter 11 is an audit of an existing home, and most of what it turns up costs nothing to fix. That said, the chapter on build-stage decisions is worth reading before any work, because worktop heights and socket positions cannot be changed cheaply afterwards.
Is this medical advice?
No. It is design guidance. If you have pain, an injury or a specific condition, speak to a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, who can assess you properly and often advise on the same questions.
Want it measured properly?
Studio Akiva is an award-winning London interior design studio. If you would like your space planned around the people who actually use it, book a free fifteen-minute discovery call.
