Room Almanac

Daniel Cole

Interiors & Small-Space WriterSizing, Layout & Organization

Daniel Cole writes Room Almanac's practical guides to sizing, layout, small spaces, and organization. He focuses on the measurements and everyday constraints behind decisions such as sofa size, furniture spacing, storage capacity, and making limited floor space work harder.

Editorial Policy

Latest from Daniel

A walnut dining table set for four in a room with deep forest green walls, each place with a linen napkin and fork to the left of a white plate, a knife and spoon to the right, and a water glass above the knife, with two lit candles down the middle.

Setting a Table in the Order the Meal Is Eaten

Everyday, three-course, and formal place settings, laid out in the order the meal is eaten.

November 5, 2026 4 min read

A living room with slate gray walls and an oak floor, where one corner of a sand and charcoal flat-woven rug is turned back to show a gray felt rug pad stopping just inside the rug's edge.

Rugs

Rug Pads Cut an Inch Short of the Rug

A rug pad stops about an inch inside the rug's edge. Size, material, thickness, and when a rug…

November 4, 2026 4 min read

A playroom with soft pistachio green walls, a long low white shelf holding wooden toys and woven baskets, a small wooden table with two child chairs, and a striped rug on a pale oak floor.

Playroom Ideas at a Child’s Height

A playroom used from two feet off the floor. Fourteen ideas for shelves, walls, floors, and furniture that…

November 4, 2026 8 min read

A full, evenly shaped artificial Christmas tree with warm white lights and no ornaments, standing against a deep plum wall in a living room in the early evening.

Christmas Decor

Fluffing an Artificial Christmas Tree From the Trunk Out

The order that turns a flat tree from the box into a full one, section by section and…

November 3, 2026 5 min read

A queen oak bed in a mushroom taupe bedroom, made with white sheets folded over an oatmeal linen duvet, a charcoal wool blanket across the foot, and charcoal euro shams, white pillows, and a rust lumbar pillow at the head.

Layer a Bed for Warmth First, Then for Looks

The layers of a made bed in the order they go on, with the sizes that make each…

November 2, 2026 6 min read

A bedroom wall half rolled in lavender paint, with a roller resting in a paint tray and two paint cans on a canvas drop cloth.

Color

How Much Paint a Room Takes, Trim and Second Coat Included

A 12 by 12 foot bedroom with 8 foot ceilings takes about 2 gallons for two coats on…

October 29, 2026 3 min read

An open refrigerator organized shelf by shelf, with jars on the door, leftovers in glass containers, and produce in the drawers, in a kitchen with cream cabinets and a terracotta tile floor.

Fridge Organization for Food That Keeps

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below, condiments on the door, leftovers up top, dairy and eggs in…

October 29, 2026 3 min read

A bathroom with cornflower blue walls above white tile and a white tub, with a white cotton bath mat with a blue stripe lying on the marble floor in front of the tub.

Where the Bath Mat Goes and How Big It Should Be

About 20 x 30 to 21 x 34 inches at a tub, shower, or single sink; a 24…

October 28, 2026 3 min read

An attic bedroom with ochre painted sloping ceilings and low knee walls, a bed centered under the ridge with its head against a white gable wall, a roof window, and wide pine floorboards.

Attic Bedroom Ideas for the Space Under the Roof

Fifteen attic bedroom ideas built around the slope: beds under the ridge or along the knee wall, storage…

October 28, 2026 8 min read

A bedroom with deep ink navy limewashed walls, a queen bed with oatmeal linen bedding, and a caramel leather bench on slim brass legs at its foot, with a folded wool blanket on one end.

The Bench at the Foot of the Bed, Measured From the Mattress

A bench about two thirds to four fifths as long as the mattress is wide, seated a few…

October 27, 2026 5 min read

A laundry room with a white front-loading washer and dryer side by side under a pale ash counter, mint green cabinets above, and a terracotta tile floor with clear space in front.

Organizing & Storage

Washer and Dryer Dimensions and the Clearance Around Them

A side by side pair needs a wall about 57 inches wide and a room about 7 feet…

October 22, 2026 5 min read

A finished basement family room with deep plum walls, a low ceiling with a soffit along one side carrying small lights, a low ochre corduroy sofa, and wall lights washing the walls.

Basement Ideas Under a Low Ceiling

Eighteen basement ideas built around what a basement already has: a low ceiling with ducts, little daylight, a…

October 22, 2026 10 min read