Interiors By Design is a Spanish Black woman-owned design firm led by award-winning designer Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas. The studio provides multifamily space planning as part of its multi-family interior design services, working with developers, owners, and architects on apartment communities and mixed-use projects across Maryland and the greater Washington, DC region. Space planning covers unit layouts, amenity spaces, and the lobbies and corridors that connect them.
What Multifamily Space Planning Covers
Space planning in a multifamily building works at three scales. The first is the unit, where each layout has to fit real furniture and real routines. The second is the shared space, from lobbies and lounges to fitness rooms and courtyards. The third is the path between them: entries, corridors, elevator lobbies, and mail and package areas.
Planning one home serves one household. Planning a building serves many households with different schedules, and the same layout repeats across many units. A small improvement to one unit type repeats on every floor, and so does a small mistake.
If your project is in design or heading into a renovation, you can schedule a consultation to review your plans.
Apartment Layouts That Fit Real Life
Unit layouts decide how residents live every day. A plan can look efficient on paper and still leave no wall for a bed, no place for a dining table, or a sofa that blocks the path to the balcony.
Test-Fit Every Unit Type
Each unit type is tested with real furniture: sofas, dining tables, beds, desks, and storage pieces. Test fits show whether rooms hold the pieces residents actually own, whether circulation stays clear, and where outlets, lighting, and TV walls belong. The goal is units that feel open, with easy movement from the entry to the kitchen and living space.
Storage, Entries, and Work Zones
Small decisions shape daily routines. A spot to drop keys and packages at the entry, closet space near the door, and room for a desk all matter to residents who work from home. Planning these zones early keeps them from being squeezed in after the walls are framed.
Light, Views, and Privacy
Good apartment layouts balance natural light with privacy. Living areas take the best windows, bedrooms sit away from corridors and shared walls where the plan allows, and the path from the entry opens toward light and views.
Amenity Spaces Sized for How Residents Use Them
Amenities attract residents, but only if people use them. Multifamily space planning sizes each amenity for its real use and arranges it so residents can tell at a glance where to gather, where to work, and where to relax.
A clubhouse can hold social seating, a quiet work zone, and a community kitchen at the same time when each zone has its own place. Coworking rooms need power at the seats and acoustic separation from the lounge. Fitness rooms need clear space around equipment, and package rooms need to handle deliveries without crowding the lobby. For the design side of these rooms, see amenity space design.
Lobbies, Corridors, and Wayfinding
Every resident uses the shared circulation, every day. Interiors By Design plans circulation first: clear entry points, open paths, and sight lines that help people find their way without relying on signs alone.
Lobbies work best when arrival, mail and package pickup, and lounge seating each have their own zone, so a busy delivery hour does not take over the space where residents meet. Long corridors feel shorter with a rhythm of lighting and a focal point at the end. Move-in paths need planning too, since furniture has to travel from the loading area to every unit. More on these shared interiors is on the common area design page.
Leasing Offices and Model Units
Multifamily space planning supports leasing as well as living. A leasing office needs a welcome point, a comfortable place to talk, and a clear start to the tour. The tour route should pass the amenities in an order that tells the building’s story.
Model units show prospects how a floor plan lives. Furniture placement demonstrates scale and flow without crowding the room, which helps visitors picture their own routines. Interiors By Design also provides model unit design for leasing.
6 Steps in the Multifamily Space Planning Process
The process moves from the community’s goals to documents a contractor can build from.
1. Learn the Community and the Budget
The work starts with the residents, the budget, the location, and the owner’s goals. These shape every decision that follows, from the furniture in a studio to the size of the fitness room.
2. Review the Architectural Plans
The team reviews the architectural plans for circulation, window placement, structure, and fixed elements such as stairs and shafts that each layout has to work around.
3. Test-Fit Units and Shared Spaces
Furniture layouts test each unit type, amenity, and lobby. Options are compared side by side, so the owner can see the trade-offs before the plan is fixed.
4. Coordinate With the Architect
Findings go back to the architect as specific suggestions, such as shifting a door, moving an outlet, or resizing a closet, while those changes are still inexpensive to make.
5. Document the Plan
Final layouts become floor plans, furniture plans, and, when needed, 3D renderings and construction documentation through the studio’s drafting and drawing services.
6. Carry the Plan Into FF&E and Styling
The approved plan sets the quantities and placements for furniture, fixtures, and equipment, and it guides the final styling of model units and amenities.
Want test fits for your unit types or amenities? Schedule a consultation to walk through your plans.
Accessibility and Code in Multifamily Layouts
Multifamily layouts carry federal accessibility requirements. Under the Fair Housing Act, covered multifamily buildings must include features such as accessible routes into and through units, usable doors, and reinforced bathroom walls for future grab bars. HUD and the Justice Department publish joint guidance on these design and construction requirements, updated in 2026. Leasing offices and other areas open to the public also fall under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
Interiors By Design reviews layouts with these requirements in mind and confirms them with your architect before plans are final. Clearances that work for accessibility often make units feel more open for everyone.
Planning for Turnover and Long-Term Value
A multifamily building changes residents over time, and the plan should expect it. Durable finishes belong where traffic is heaviest, furniture paths should allow easy move-ins and replacements, and flexible amenity rooms can shift from a lounge to a workspace as resident needs change. Planning for change protects the property’s long-term value.
Multi-Family Space Planning by Interiors By Design
At Interiors By Design, space planning is where a community’s comfort and long-term value start. Creative direction comes from Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas, and the full team carries the plan from the first test fit through documentation, FF&E, and styling.
As a Spanish Black woman-owned studio, Interiors By Design brings the same care to every unit and every shared space. This service is part of the studio’s multifamily interior design work, and completed multi-family projects are in the Interiors By Design portfolio. For a general look at the method, read how interior designers plan space for function and flow.
Ready to plan your next community? Schedule a consultation, email inquiry@interiorsbydesignmd.com, or call (301) 933-7723. The team will review your plans, your unit types, and your amenity program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Multifamily Space Planning?
Multifamily space planning is the process of arranging unit layouts, amenity spaces, and circulation in an apartment or mixed-use building. It tests how furniture, routines, and movement fit each space before construction locks the plan in.How Is Multifamily Space Planning Different From Planning a Home?
A home is planned for one household. A multifamily building is planned for many households at once, with layouts that repeat across floors, shared spaces that serve everyone, and leasing goals that shape the design. Durability and accessibility requirements also carry more weight.When Should an Interior Designer Join a Multifamily Project?
As early as possible, while the architectural plans can still change. Early test fits can shift doors, outlets, and closets at little cost. Space planning can still improve a project later, including renovations of existing buildings.What Does Space Planning Deliver?
Depending on scope, deliverables can include unit and amenity furniture plans, floor plans, 3D renderings, and construction documentation that the architect and contractor can build from.Do You Work With Our Architect?
Yes. Interiors By Design works alongside multifamily developers and their architects, sharing test fits and suggestions so the interior plan and the architecture develop together.