Reception Area Layout
A reception area layout has three jobs: greet visitors, give staff somewhere to work and keep the way into the office clear. This example puts a reception desk, a staff chair and visitor seating into one room you can change.
Example: counter and waiting area
Furniture in this layout
- 1 × Reception desk: 2.00 m × 0.80 m (6′ 7″ × 2′ 7″)
- 1 × Task chair: 0.60 m × 0.60 m (2′ × 2′)
- 1 × Sofa: 2.10 m × 0.90 m (6′ 11″ × 2′ 11″)
- 1 × Coffee table: 1.10 m × 0.60 m (3′ 7″ × 2′)
- 1 × Armchair: 0.85 m × 0.85 m (2′ 9″ × 2′ 9″)
Room sizes are measured between wall center lines, the way the editor measures rooms. Open the layout to move, resize or add anything.
How the example is arranged
The 2.0 m (6′ 7″) reception desk faces into the room with a task chair behind it, so whoever sits there sees everyone who comes in. The waiting area is a sofa, an armchair and a low table on the opposite side, close enough to the desk for a conversation but out of the walking route.
There is roughly 0.85 m (2′ 9″) between the front of the desk and the low table. Add your entrance on the side wall and check that the route from the door to the counter and on into the office stays open.
The parts of a reception
Arrival
The space inside the entrance where people stop, look around and maybe wait. Keep it free of furniture.
Counter
The example uses the office library's 2.0 × 0.8 m (6′ 7″ × 2′ 7″) reception desk, the one the Reception preset places, with a raised counter on the visitor side. Resize it, or set two at right angles for an L-shaped desk.
Staff side
Room for a chair, storage and someone getting up, without blocking a door behind.
Waiting seats
A sofa, armchairs and a low table, placed so visitors are not sitting in the walking route.
Onward route
The path from reception into the offices, ideally visible from the counter.
Planning a reception in the editor
Start at the entrance
Place the entrance door first, then a dimension line across the arrival space to keep it clear.
Place the counter
Put the desk where it faces the entrance, with a chair and storage behind it, or select the room and furnish it with the Reception preset: a reception desk, a task chair and up to four visitor chairs.
Add seating
Add a sofa, armchair and coffee table away from the main route.
Check the door and the route
The office checks flag furniture in front of a door or in its swing. Then use walk mode in 3D to come in through the door and see what a visitor sees first.
When this layout helps
A reception in a small office
Fit a counter and two or three visitor seats into the space by the entrance without blocking the way in.
Moving the counter
Try the counter facing the door, beside it or across a corner, and compare the routes with the measure tool.
A shared front desk
Plan one reception for several teams or a coworking space, with the onward route to each area.
Related layouts
- Office template with a receptionA 4 × 3 m (13′ 1″ × 9′ 10″) reception with a counter and a sofa next to the open workspace.
- Meeting room next to receptionPlan the room where visitors are taken for meetings.
- Room size calculatorArea and perimeter of a room from its width and length, in feet and meters.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the example reception?
4.5 × 4.6 m (14′ 9″ × 15′ 1″) between wall center lines, or 20.7 m² (223 sq ft). The template office has a smaller 4 × 3 m (13′ 1″ × 9′ 10″) reception if space is tight.
Is there a reception desk in the furniture library?
Yes. The office library has a 2.0 × 0.8 m (6′ 7″ × 2′ 7″) reception desk. Set its width and depth to your own desk, and use two at right angles for an L-shaped desk.
How big should a reception area be?
It depends on the desk, how many visitors wait at once and the route through it. The editor's Reception preset recommends a clear area of 3.2 × 3.7 m (10′ 6″ × 12′ 2″) inside the walls for a desk, a staff chair and visitor chairs, and warns when a room is smaller.
Can I plan a reception that is part of an open area?
Yes. Rooms are found from enclosing walls, so a reception without walls is furniture placed in the larger space. Add a text label to name the area.