Door swing direction and hinge side
Two questions, one diagram. Which side hinges. Which way it swings. Get them right; Smart Flow Check does the rest.
Every hinged door comes with two decisions: which side the hinges are on, and which way the door swings. They sound trivial; they aren't. Get them wrong and you reach for the handle on the wrong side every day, the door swings into furniture every other time you open it, and Smart Flow Check checks the wrong zone.
In this guide
- 1
Hinge side (the 'hand' of the door)
Stand on the side you push the door open from (the side you approach with the door closed). If the hinges are on your left, it's a left-hand door. On your right, right-hand door. The handle is always opposite the hinges.
- 2
Swing direction (in vs out)
Swing in = the door opens into the room you're entering. Standard for almost every interior door (bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, offices). Swing out = the door opens away from the room you're entering. Used for: exterior doors in some jurisdictions, very small bathrooms (saves interior floor), egress doors (escape direction).
- 3
How to choose hinge side
Convention: Hinges go on the wall closer to the nearest perpendicular wall. When fully open, the door lies flat against that wall — out of the way. Light switch rule: The light switch is almost always on the latch side of the door, near the door, on the interior wall. If the hand is wrong, you reach across the doorway in the dark every time.
- 4
In Room Sketch 3D
Select any hinged door. The Inspector shows: - Hinge side: Left / Right toggle - Swing direction: Inward / Outward toggle - Show swing arc: visibility of the arc The arc updates live; Smart Flow Check uses it as the no-furniture zone.
Tips
Walk through the open door mentally
Picture the door open. Where does it lie? Against which wall? Is the light switch on the side your hand naturally reaches?
Egress doors must swing outward
Building code: any door in an egress path must swing in the direction of escape. Front doors, basement-stair doors at top, fire doors.
Common confusions
Hand wrong because you imagined the wrong side
Convention is 'stand outside the door, facing it'. Imagining from inside the room flips the answer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell if a door is left-hand or right-hand?
Stand on the side you push the door open from. Hinges on your left = left-hand. Hinges on your right = right-hand. Handle is always opposite the hinges.
Should doors swing inward or outward?
Convention: inward, into the smaller more private space. Exceptions: exterior doors (security), very small bathrooms (floor area), egress doors (direction of escape).
How do I change the hinge side in Room Sketch 3D?
Select the door. Inspector → Hinge side toggle (Left/Right). The door re-renders with hinges on the new side; Smart Flow Check updates the swing arc automatically.
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