Prayer Room Design Ideas
Many people struggle with prayer - not because they do not care, but because they are deeply distracted. Our world is full of noise, notifications, and constant demands for attention. While we can pray anytime, anywhere, it can be difficult to find a quiet place to also feel the freedom to move around, kneel, or express your heart to God. In the past, chapels were often open day and night and people could go in at any time to sit in silence, light a candle, or pray for a few quiet minutes - but this is not true in the modern world we live in. So how can we still offer the gift of a place to focus and pray in our modern context?
One simple and powerful answer is to create a prayer room. A prayer room is a space set aside for people to pray that is designed to eliminate distractions and give them tools to help them focus as they pray. You can create a permanent prayer room by using an extra room in your space, or convert a room to be a place of prayer as needed. It can be open once a month, once a week, or during certain blocks of time when the building is open. Any time is better than none, and will be a huge gift to those you are leading - and transform your community!
In this blog we will share ideas of how to set up a prayer room, along with furniture and layout recommendations from IKEA.
Things to Consider When Setting Up a Prayer Room
What makes a prayer room unique? It does three things:
1. Helps people focus
2. Provides prompts to help them pray
3. Connects them to community
You can do these in a variety of ways through the design of the room. If it is a small room, you can add some comfortable seating, dim lighting and quiet music to help them focus. You can hang some prayer stations up on the wall to help give them ideas of what to pray about, and then give a space to share prayer requests or testimonies to help them connect to community.
If it is a larger room, you could consider adding a few more elements, such as musical instruments, prayer stations with an activity at each one for more engagement, an area for children, and art station, and bookshelves with more resources.
Prayer Room Layout Ideas
When thinking about layout, imagine the room more like a library or reading room than a classroom. People should feel free to move, linger, and pray at their own pace.
Small Prayer Room
A small prayer room designed for two to four people can be incredibly effective. A bulletin board (I love this one from Amazon!) with rotating prayer stations provides structure without crowding the space. A small bookshelf with Bibles and prayer guides invites reflection, while comfortable seating and quiet background music help the room feel calm and welcoming.
Watch this video to see a walkthrough of the room and get ideas
Go here for a free IKEA room template and shopping list of the items in the room
Click “Remix” to customize the layout for your space and add recommended items to your cart.
Medium Prayer Room
A medium-sized prayer room allows for more variety. Prayer stations can be placed around the room with tables, bulletin boards, and simple supplies for guided prayer. Creating distinct areas for prayer stations, an art corner, a children’s area, space to kneel and space to play music helps the space serve a wider range of people. If designed well, the room can give space for 10-20 people to be in the room at the same time - making it ideal for more corporate times of prayer.
Watch this video to see a walkthrough of the room and get set up ideas.
Go here for a free IKEA template and shopping list of the items in the room
Click “Remix” to customize the layout for your space and add recommended items to your cart.
Large Prayer Room
A large prayer room, such as a converted sanctuary or multi-purpose space is perfect if you want to have 50-100 people praying in the space at the same time. This can easily be accomplished by just setting up tables in an existing space, providing quiet music and dim lighting. Most of our prayer stations include robust directions and print-ready stations with supply lists to transform any space into a beautiful time of prayer.
Facilitating the Prayer Space
Once the room is set up, think about how people will actually use it. Some communities choose to keep the prayer room open during set hours so anyone can come and pray on their own. This works especially well for small rooms and weekday drop-in prayer.
Others designate specific times when multiple people are invited to pray in the space together. This can be helpful in medium or larger rooms and allows people to experience prayer as both personal and shared. One great model is to open up the prayer once a month for a few hours at a time and invite people to come and pray in that space when it is open. This allows people to feel a sense of community while also having the freedom to pray in their own way.
You can also create a temporary prayer room. Any room can become a prayer space by setting up tables, prayer stations, and simple prompts for a season, a retreat, or a special event.
No matter how you facilitate it, the goal is the same. Create a space that removes pressure, reduces distraction, and helps people practice prayer in a way that feels approachable and life-giving.
Check out our prayer stations, which are a great resource to add to your room, as well as our free guide on creating a kids corner in your prayer room - and if you would like help thinking through how to design or facilitate your prayer room, we offer complimentary advice and would love to help. Simply fill out the form and share with us a bit more about your space, needs and desire, and we would love to help!
