Where should a cross go in a room?

Every room makes a different case for where a cross should go. In a spare room, the cross can take the best wall. In a bedroom, it has to share with a bed and everyday life. Under a sloping ceiling, height decides almost everything. Where to put a St Andrew's cross depends on the kind of room you have, and each kind asks something different of you. The general principles, such as walking the room, light, colour and the view from the door, are in our guide to choosing a cross for your space.

Three things that apply in any room

• Leave clear floor in front of the cross and on each side, so the partner leading can move around without squeezing past anything.
• Keep the cross clear of the door's swing, radiators, heaters, lamps and anything with a hot surface.
• Think about privacy from outside: windows, gaps in curtains, and how far sound carries.

For the size of any cross you're considering, ask us, so you can check it against the room and ceiling before you order.

A dedicated room

A room given over entirely to scenes is the easiest place for a cross, because nothing else competes for the best position. Even so, a few choices make a difference.

The cross can face the door or sit to one side, depending on how much of it you want seen as the door opens. If the room also holds a bed or other pieces, plan the route between them so nobody has to walk through the open floor around the cross to get from one to another.

Plan the aftercare corner at the same time: a chair, a sofa or a rug and blankets, close enough to the cross that the end of a scene is only a few steps away.

A bedroom shared with a bed

A cross in a bedroom has to coexist with sleep, dressing and ordinary mornings. Two choices matter most.

First, how the cross relates to the bed. A cross facing the bed links the two pieces and turns the whole room towards scenes. A cross at an angle to the bed, or beside it, keeps the bed feeling like a bed. Leave enough floor between them that each can be approached easily, and keep the cross away from the route someone takes to the door at night.

Second, how much the cross is seen. In a bedroom others may glimpse, pick a finish close to the wall colour so the frame settles in. A folding screen can hide a cross when you'd like it to, as long as it has clear space of its own.

A spare room that's also something else

A spare room that doubles as a study, a guest room or a dressing room needs a cross that can live alongside other uses. Put the cross where it won't be in the way of the room's other job, such as the desk or the wardrobe, and where it's not the first thing a guest would see on opening the door.

If guests sometimes stay, decide in advance how you'll handle it. A screen or a lockable door are both options. If you're thinking of taking a cross down between visits, ask us first.

Lofts and sloping ceilings

Rooms in the roof can be wonderful for privacy, but height rules everything. Find the line where the ceiling is high enough for the cross and for a person standing at it with room above, and keep the cross well inside it. Look out for beams, roof windows that open inwards and light fittings above the area in front of the cross.

Check the route in, too. Loft stairs can be narrow and steep, with a tight turn at the top. Every cross ships flat-packed with printed assembly instructions; send us the narrowest door, stair and turn on the way in and we'll check before you order.

Shared walls and neighbours

In a flat or a terraced house, think about what's on the other side of each wall. A cross against a party wall can carry sound into the room next door. An internal wall, or one backed by your own cupboards or bookshelves, is usually quieter. Rugs, heavy curtains and soft furnishings all help a room absorb sound, and our guide to soundproofing a playroom goes further. Any structural work there belongs to a qualified tradesperson.

Windows and privacy

A cross near a window can be seen from outside more easily than you'd think, especially in the evening with lamps on. Choose a position that isn't in direct line with a window, or make sure the curtains or blinds close fully and overlap. Check from outside, after dark, with the lights on, before the first scene.

Living rooms and open-plan spaces

A living room or open-plan space is the hardest place for a cross, because it's seen by everyone who visits and used for so much else. If it's the only option, choose the most enclosed corner, a finish that blends with the wall, and a screen you're happy to leave in place. If you have a bedroom or spare room to use, it will be easier.

The floor beneath it

Hard floors are easy to keep clean but can be cold and slippery underfoot; carpet is warmer but harder to keep fresh. Think about which suits the room before the cross arrives, and about how you'll clean around the frame.

Protect a wooden or delicate floor under the cross itself, too, and check the floor is level where the cross will go before it's assembled.

What the person at the cross will see

It's easy to plan a room around how the cross looks from the door and forget how the room looks from the cross. Stand where your partner would stand and look ahead. A bare wall, a mirror, a window, a lamp in the eyeline, a door that someone could open: each changes how a scene feels. Choose a position where the view ahead is calm and the light falls from the side.

Fixing to a wall

If any piece is going to be fixed to a wall, have a qualified tradesperson assess the wall and fit it. For anything about a particular cross, ask us.

Before you decide

• Have you checked the cross's size against the room and ceiling? If not, ask us.
• Is there clear floor in front and on both sides?
• Is it away from the door's swing, heat sources and lamps?
• Is it out of sight of windows, or can the curtains close fully?
• Have you thought about who else sees the room, and how you'll handle that?
• Is there somewhere comfortable nearby for aftercare?

Once the cross is in place, the next step is the conversation before its first use. Consent is a yes that's freely given, informed, specific, ongoing and withdrawable at any moment, agreed sober for a scene that stays sober. Our guide to a first scene on a cross covers the signals, check-ins and release that upright restraint needs, including a safeword and a non-verbal signal. Either one ends a scene immediately and is never discussed or overridden in the moment.

For the different ways a cross can be used once it's in place, see what a St Andrew's cross is used for. All three of our St Andrew's crosses, Atlas, the X Cross and Pentastar, are made to order in S235 steel, in Obsidian, Oxblood, Gilt, Chalk, Forge Clear or any RAL colour, with a current lead time of 8–14 weeks. We deliver to the UK, US and EU.