Small Meeting Room Design: How to Plan a Space for 2–6 People That Actually Gets Used
Ergolain
2026.11.13
Many offices face the same situation: a large boardroom stands empty half the day, while two colleagues who need a quick discussion look for a free corner in the kitchen or the corridor. With hybrid work, meetings have become smaller, shorter and more frequent, so a small meeting room – or several of them – now often does more for a team than one large conference room.
In this article we look at what to consider when planning a room for 2–6 people: how many such rooms you need, what size of table and room works, which chairs to choose, and how to handle acoustics and lighting.
Why large meeting rooms often stand half-empty
Many offices were planned at a time when meetings took place around one large table with everyone in the room. Today some colleagues join remotely, and often only two or three people are physically present. When two people occupy a large room, other teams have nowhere to go, even though the office has enough space.
Surveys point the same way. In a 2025 survey of 1,000 employees by audio and video equipment maker Jabra, 94% of respondents said they use small rooms for meetings, while a third admitted they have to take conversations to the corridor because there is no suitable space. The conclusion is simple: what is often needed is not more space, but better-planned small rooms.
How many meeting rooms you need, and what kind
There is no single number that suits every office. It depends on how the team works: how many internal meetings take place, how many meetings with clients and how many calls happen remotely. The most practical place to start is observation: for two or three weeks, note how many people actually attend meetings and how long the existing rooms are occupied.
In most cases it turns out that 2–4 seats are enough for most meetings. Then, instead of one large room, it makes sense to create several smaller ones:
- rooms for 2–3 people for short conversations, one-to-one meetings and video calls;
- rooms for 4–6 people for team meetings, project work and client meetings;
- one larger room for company-wide meetings, if they happen regularly.
Single-person acoustic booths serve a different purpose – they are designed for one person’s phone and video calls. We wrote more about them in our article on open-plan office noise. If you are planning an office for hybrid work, the need for meeting rooms is best assessed together with the number of workstations – read more in our article on planning a hybrid office.
Small meeting room size and table dimensions
In a small room every centimetre counts, so meeting room furniture should be chosen not from a catalogue photo but based on the number of people and the room’s dimensions. Recommendations from iba, the German office and workplace industry association, state that each person at a table needs at least 70–80 cm of width and at least 80 cm of free space behind the chair to pull back and stand up comfortably. In small rooms, we recommend leaving about 90–110 cm between the table edge and the wall so that people can walk behind those who are seated.
Guideline dimensions:
- 2–3 people: a round Ø 80–100 cm or rectangular 120 × 80 cm table, a room of about 7–8 m²;
- 4 people: a round Ø 110–120 cm or rectangular 160 × 90 cm table, a room of about 9–11 m²;
- 6 people: a 200–240 × 100 cm table, a room of about 11–14 m².
A round table works well in a small room because everyone can see each other and there is no “head of the table”. If the room will have a screen for video meetings, a rectangular table with its short end facing the screen is a better fit: everyone faces the same direction and the camera can see all participants. You will find tables of various shapes and sizes in the ERGOLAIN meeting tables category.
Meeting room chairs: comfortable even in an hour-long meeting
Meeting room chairs are often chosen for their looks, because it seems people only sit on them briefly. But a project review or a working session can last an hour or longer, so comfort matters here just as much as at a desk.
When choosing, consider a few things:
- Meeting length. For short conversations, light chairs with four legs or a sled base work well. For longer meetings, chairs with a swivel base, an upholstered seat and armrests are more comfortable.
- Space. In a small room a chair should be easy to move, and the armrests should fit under the table. Before buying, check the armrest height and the table frame.
- Interior. The meeting room is often the first space a client sees, so the chairs should match the overall style of the office.
- Care. Choose upholstery that is easy to clean, especially if coffee is often served during meetings.
A few examples of meeting chairs by style and purpose:
You will find all meeting chairs in the meeting chairs category. If you are unsure which would suit your space, ERGOLAIN designers can help you compare several models and choose the right one.
Acoustics and lighting in a small room
In a small room with glass partitions, hard floors and bare walls, sound bounces around and echoes. This tires meeting participants, and during video calls remote colleagues find it harder to understand who is speaking. A few measures help:
- acoustic panels on one or two walls, especially opposite the screen or behind the seated participants;
- an acoustic ceiling if the room is high or enclosed by glass partitions;
- upholstered furniture, a rug and curtains, which also absorb sound.
To keep conversations from being heard outside, the construction of the room itself matters too: well-sealed doors and partitions up to the ceiling. This is worth discussing at the planning stage, while in an existing room acoustic solutions help reduce echo.
Lighting in a small room should be even. For video meetings it is important that light falls on faces from the front or the side, not from behind: if people sit with their backs to a window, the camera shows only their silhouettes. It is better to place the screen on a wall without a window and to control bright daylight with blinds.
Small meeting room layout: where to place it in the office
The location of a meeting room determines how often it will be used. A few principles worth following:
- Place rooms for client meetings close to the entrance or reception, so guests do not have to walk through the whole work area.
- Plan rooms for team meetings next to those teams’ workstations. If the room is at the other end of the office, nobody will use it for short discussions.
- Do not put small rooms next to quiet work zones – even in a well-designed room, some sound reaches the surroundings.
- Spread several small rooms across different parts of the office rather than grouping them in one place.
When planning a new office or refurbishing an existing one, the layout of meeting rooms is best assessed together with the overall floor plan. You can estimate a preliminary furniture budget with the ERGOLAIN calculator.
A small meeting room gets used when it is close by, comfortable to sit in, easy to hear in and simple to join a video call from. It does not take a lot of space – a well-chosen table, comfortable chairs and a few acoustic solutions are enough.
If you are planning to create or rearrange meeting rooms, ERGOLAIN designers can help assess the space and choose tables, chairs and acoustic solutions based on how your team works.
Frequently asked questions
As a guideline, about 9–11 m². A room of this size fits a round Ø 110–120 cm or a rectangular 160 × 90 cm table and leaves about 90 cm of free space behind the chairs.
For conversations of 2–4 people, a round table works well because everyone can see each other. If the room is used for video meetings, a rectangular table with its short end facing the screen is a better choice.
In most cases, yes, especially if the room is small, with glass partitions or hard floors. Even a few acoustic panels on the walls reduce echo and improve sound during video calls.
There is no universal number. Start by looking at how many meetings take place each day and how many people attend them. It is often more practical to have several rooms for 2–6 people and one larger room than several large rooms.
For short conversations, light chairs with four legs or a sled base work well; for longer meetings, chairs with a swivel base, an upholstered seat and armrests. In a small room, make sure the armrests fit under the table.
For short conversations, semi-open zones with acoustic screens or high-back upholstered furniture can work. Confidential conversations and video meetings need an enclosed room or an acoustic pod.
Sources
Jabra (2025). Small rooms matter: hybrid working research. https://jabra.com/thought-leadership/small-rooms
iba – Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt. Communication areas. https://iba.online/knowledge/en/raeume-planen/office-planning/communication-areas
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