LEGO MOC Interior Tutorial: Floors, Walls, Furniture, Lighting
The short version first: an interior MOC lives or dies on proportion and modularity. Convert at roughly one stud to 25 cm, keep the ceiling at 7–8 studs and the room depth at 12–16 studs, and build on modular floor plates with removable walls. That gets you a complete minifigure-scale room you can keep reworking, and it takes about 90 minutes. Here is the process broken into three steps.
Step 1: Set the Room Proportions and Ceiling Height
Settle the scale before you place a single brick. A minifigure stands about 4.5 studs tall, so a ceiling height of 7–8 studs works best: go higher and the room reads as hollow, go lower and the figure can barely get through the door. Plan the footprint at 12–16 studs deep and 10–14 studs wide. That leaves roughly four studs of walking space once a 2x4-stud bed or sofa is standing in the room.
Enclose the space with bricks laid studs facing outward, and lock the corners with 1x1 corner bricks so the walls stay square. Leave a door opening 2 studs wide and a window opening of 2x2 studs — enough clearance for a minifigure to pass and for light to reach inside.
Step 2: Floors, Walls and Furniture Modules
Start the floor with 2x4 and 2x6 plates laid edge to edge as a base. Keep the stud direction consistent and press every plate down fully, then work in 1x1 accent pieces in a contrasting colour as a pattern at the doorway and under the window — an all-one-colour floor looks lifeless.
On the inner face of the walls, run horizontal grooved pieces as a skirting board. Build pictures and windows as separate modules that lift straight out, so you can swap them whenever you like. Furniture follows a "one piece per 30 minutes" rule: a small round table from a 2x2 round plate on a 2x4 plate, a sofa from curved pieces plus cushion pieces, a bed frame finished off with 1x1 pillow pieces. Every item should be able to come out on its own, which makes cleaning and later remodelling easy.
Step 3: Lighting, Soft Furnishings and Final Detailing
Lighting does most of the atmosphere work. Sink 1x1 light bricks into the ceiling as the main source — one covers an area of about 4x4 studs — and use a transparent shade with a small LED inside as a table lamp accent. Aim for two or three light sources splitting the room into zones rather than a single lamp that throws one large shadow.
Keep the soft furnishings sparse: no more than three items on the walls and no more than five objects on the floor, or the scene turns crowded. Finish with a door frame, curtains and a rug. A full interior like this comes to about 350 pieces and costs 80–150 RMB, most of it ordinary plates and bricks. Build from your own stock and the outlay is close to zero, with light bricks and a handful of special curved pieces making up the real spend. Finished rooms are welcome on brickplan.cn, where you can compare layouts with other builders.
FAQ
Q: How do I get the proportions right for a brick-built interior?
A: Convert at roughly one stud to 25 cm. A ceiling of 7–8 studs and a footprint 12–16 studs deep suits minifigure scale; a room that is too tall or too narrow destroys the sense of realism. Sketch the outline on a baseplate before you start building.
Q: How do I lay floor plates so they sit flat?
A: Lay 2x4 and 2x6 plates over the whole base first, keep the stud direction consistent and press each one down fully. Add 1x1 accent pieces in a few local spots for pattern, then run a flat plate over the finished floor to even out the seams.
Q: How should I arrange lighting in a brick interior?
A: Sink 1x1 light bricks into the ceiling as the main source, which covers about a 4x4-stud area. Use a transparent shade with a small LED inside for a desk lamp accent, and split the room across two or three light sources so you don't get one lamp casting a huge shadow.
Q: How many parts and how much money does an interior MOC need?
A: A standard room runs about 350 pieces at 80–150 RMB, and most of those are generic plates and bricks. Building from your own parts stock costs almost nothing; the real money goes on light bricks and a few special curved pieces.