The purpose of the present study is to describe the design of four physical mathematical classroom environments focusing on grades 1-3, their function during a mathematic lesson and the teachers' purposes with the design. The study is based on three data collection methods, which are: photography, observations and teacher interviews. The different methods for data collection made it possible to set teachers' visions in relation to practice. The result of the study indicates that the teacher's purposes and the practical function are not always in accordance with previous research, in that communicative function in connection with table furnishing does not have to assume that tables are placed in groups. Furthermore, the study shows that tables placed in rows can create opportunities for students to interact and collaborate, depending on the teacher's leadership. The result of the study also indicates that mathematical posters has proved to be used most in the classrooms with a lot of posters, even though research shows that the students' concentration deteriorates in an environment with a lot of impressions. Based on those facts and the results of the study, we make the cunclusion that mathematical posters fulfill a larger function if students are allowed to participate in their design, and whether they are used in connection with introduction of new work areas in mathematics. The aim of the study is to contribute to a richer description of how physical classrom environments can be organized and designed in mathematics classroom in grades 1-3.