Make a chart of your home traffic patterns to uncover problems and hazardous conditions

Improve the safety and efficiency of your home by analyzing the traffic flow

Have you ever taken time to notice the home traffic patterns in the various rooms in your house?

When I was younger, if traffic patterns had been mentioned, I would have immediately thought of street lights and highway signs. Now that I have owned several homes, home traffic patterns and traffic flow is in the foremost of my mind when looking at possible furniture arrangements and decorating ideas.

One of the first homes I lived in had a bathroom with 3 doors! What were they thinking? Or were they thinking at all?

Another had a living room right smack dab in the center of the house. There was not one room you could walk to without going through the center of the living room. We never could relax in that room and be sure there would be no interruptions from people coming and going.

One had a kitchen where the traffic had to travel between the stove and the sink. It was the only way in and out of this room. I can't tell you how closely I came to burning family members with hot food, with a traffic flow as ridiculous as this one.

You may have some situations that resemble traffic pileups more than straight pathways, or maybe hazardous conditions like the previous example. Once you recognize and analyze how people travel through a room, then you can begin to develop a floor plan that suits this traffic flow of movement.

How to Look at Home Traffic Patterns

These charts are courtesy of Maxwell Gillinghma-Ryan, author of "Apartment Therapy"

Home traffic patterns, or traffic flow as it is sometimes called, can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your home. It can affect the atmosphere and energy of your home. It can also affect the safety and comfort of the family.

Study the charts above to see how good traffic flow affects the look and feel of a room.

It's worth taking extra time to achieve interesting traffic patterns when planning your furniture arrangement.

Take time to read and think about the situations below

Home Traffic Patterns when Entertaining

• How to guests travel to the living room when you are entertaining?
• Do they have to go through private areas of your home?
• How do they get to the powder room?
• Is the kitchen handy for serving food and drinks to your guests when you are entertaining?

Children and Home Traffic Patterns

• When you children come home from school do they go directly to their room?
• Do they head for the living room or family room?
• Do they bring home friends to swim in the pool?
• Do they have to go through the entire house to use the bathroom, dripping water all the way?

Home Traffic Patterns After Work

• Do you or your spouse come home from work and head directly to the master bedroom for a shower?
• Do you head for your home office or study to drop off work?
• Do you go directly to the living room to relax with a drink and watch TV?

What is the Traffic Flow in the Kitchen

• Can the cook prepare a meal without worrying about constantly walking into someone going by?
• If people can eat in their rooms or living areas, can they get there without leaving a Hansel and Gretel trail through the entire house?
• If you spend a lot of time grilling outside on the patio, is it convenient to the inside food prep area?
• Do you have to walk through to the other end of the house to reach the outdoor grill?
• Can you bring the groceries right in from the outside without having to go through the living room?

Many of these patterns you will find are set in cement and just can't be adjusted. If it is in your budget and there are traffic patterns that really are bothersome, they can be adjusted by adding or removing doors to get a traffic flow that is convenient.

A solution can be as simple as arranging your furniture to make traffic go where you prefer

Exercise - Make a Home Traffic Patterns Flow Chart

The first thing to do is make a floor plan of your home. This does not have to be a detailed blueprint, but only a floor chart showing the positions of the rooms and all the doors leading in and out.

Print out this page. With these questions in hand, go from room to room analyzing your home traffic patterns. Take notes

Once this is done, mark your home traffic patterns to see how people travel from room to room. Use different colored pencils to mark different paths. Check the traffic flow diagrams above for reference on how your charts should look.

The first chart should be done with just the floor plan. You will be using this traffic blueprint to arrange your furniture for the most convenient flow from room to room. In our next exercise, you will make new charts using the addition of your furniture. So, with your traffic flow completed, we will now turn our attention to Furniture Arrangement