How do the world's sides affect the layout design of an apartment?

When designing a house, consider the orientation of the building and rooms towards the cardinal directions. The correct orientation of the rooms affects how much light is in the apartment or whether the owners will be too hot in the summer.


The thermal comfort in a house or apartment is affected by the location of the plot – its orientation to the cardinal directions is particularly crucial. If possible, plan the driveway to the house from the north or east and conversely, place the private part of the plot more towards the south or west. This will ensure enough light and warmth for the owners in the garden or on the terrace, where they spend most of their time.

Ideal room orientation: living room in the south, bedroom in the east

The main rule when setting up the house is: place the rooms where the owners spend the most time on the southern or southwestern side. This way, you will warm and illuminate the bedroom, living room, or study, and during the heating season, the owners will also save on heating costs for these rooms.

Each cardinal direction is suitable for a different type of room:

North: place the kitchen on the cooler side

The northern side of the house is cooler and darker. Direct sunlight does not shine into northern rooms, and sunlight evenly illuminates the rooms throughout the day. Therefore, it is best to design rooms that do not need much heating on the north side: hallways, staircases, wardrobes, garages, or even bathrooms.

This also applies to the kitchen, which is heated by cooking. However, make an exception if you plan to have an open kitchen connected to the living room.

You can place a separate kitchen facing north or east, where it is cooler. If, on the other hand, the kitchen is connected to the living area, plan it rather to the southwest or west.

South: most light and heat for the living room and children's room

The southern side is the most valuable in the house. It has plenty of light all year round, and even in winter, it is warmed by the sun, allowing owners to save on heating costs.

In addition to the living room, also place children's rooms facing south (or southwest or southeast). The sun shines here until the evening, allowing children to play or do their homework in natural light.

However, keep in mind that rooms on the southern side can often overheat in the summer. Therefore, also design external shading for them. According to Jan Gajdoš, a shading specialist from the Czech company NEVA, for instance, external blinds can cool the interior of the house by up to 10 degrees Celsius.

How much the external blinds cool the house also depends on the color of the slats. In a previous article, we outlined which colors of blinds are the most practical.

East: morning sun in the bedroom

Rooms facing east receive the most light in the morning and during the day, and by evening, the eastern side becomes cooler. This makes it ideal for placing the bedroom, where the apartment residents will appreciate a lower temperature for sleeping. Furthermore, the morning sun will wake them up.

You can also place a home office in the east, as it will have enough light and a pleasant temperature for work.

West: light for dining rooms or children's rooms

The western side is also very sunny. Especially in summer, the sun shines strongly on the west: it is low on the horizon and shines directly into the windows. The west is therefore suitable – like the south – for a living room, a dining area in the living room, a dining room, or a children's room.

If the owners insist on placing the bedroom on the western side, design shading for the room that will make it completely dark even at sunset. NEVA recommends using external Z-90 blinds for such rooms – the robust slats of these blinds fit precisely together and create almost complete darkness when closed.

Another option is to combine several types of shading on one building: "We supplied shading for a house with a pond in the middle of nature: for the living rooms from the southern to the western side of the house, the owners installed external blinds and solar screens. On the northern side, the house has a large roof overhang, so no additional shading was needed. From the east, they placed screen shades on the windows, which provide good shading and are transparent only from the inside to the outside, making them ideal for the children's room and office," describes NEVA's product specialist, Jan Gajdoš.

The arrangement of rooms is also influenced by the surroundings of the house – when designing, consider which side has a nicer view or where trees provide shade.

Before you finally choose the orientation of the rooms, also consider:

• what the view is like from each room – it is possible that the owner will prefer a room on the cooler side of the house if the window facing south overlooks a neighbor's wall,
• what are the habits of the homeowners – if they work night shifts and do not want to be awakened by the first rays of sunlight, the eastern orientation of the bedroom will not please them.

If you have any questions regarding external shading, arrange a consultation directly with the specialists from NEVA – just write to the email architekt@neva.eu.