"Don’t start decorating without an analysis of your space and an accurate floor plan. A floor plan is the easiest way to get a handle on how much space you have, and what that space’s strong and weak points are. To create an accurate floor plan, start by measuring a room: Measure along the baseboard the length of one wall, from one corner of the room to another. For accuracy, measure to the nearest 1/4 inch. Record this number on your rough floor plan and in your notebook. Measure the remaining walls the same way you measured the first. Most rooms have four walls, but if you’re measuring an L-shaped room, you have more to measure. Include every wall in your sketch, especially if you plan to give one part of the room a different flooring or wall covering. Measure the room’s doorways and other entries. Note whether the door opens into or out of the room and indicate the direction (with an arc) on your rough floor plan sketch. Also measure the distances of all openings — doors and open archways — from the ends of the walls so that you can accurately locate these openings on your final plan. "