I see you can import/export layouts. If you have a favorite custom layout, perhaps you could export it and post it here? Then we can download it and import it and try it out.
Thanks!
Duncan
Here are a few that I use that might be useful to other people:
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Big Board: gets rid of everything in the user interface except for the footer bar. It’s meant to be used for working on large freeform corkboards. I don’t use the full screen option myself, but I set it that way for this version as what it takes to fill the screen with window depends on the computer. If you want to change the preset to not be in full screen mode, leave full screen, use Window/Zoom to Fit Screen and then update the layout.
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Half Screen Minimal: another with very little UI. This configuration is one that I use a lot, particularly in projects that are essentially “glorified notepads”. In those I am frequently writing with regards to, or gathering information from, other windows and want Scrivener to take up as little space as possible. I rarely fold out the Binder/Inspector from this layout because it’s too much of a bother having to widen the window just so to make space for the sidebar and all. I just use a “Standard” layout that has a more normal window UI to make that jump.
The second split (hidden) is designed to be used in horizontal mode, and is set up to use Outliner with clicks automatically loading in the bottom split. So it can operate as a bit of a clutch Binder substitute when needed without having to modify the window width.
- Navigator: adjusted to fit the MacBook 12" Retina. All Binder clicks will load in the left editor, and clicks in the left editor will automatically load in the right editor, which uses Scrivenings mode for its view—so in effect it makes Scrivener act more like Outlook or Mail where you click on a major section, then go from there until you find the thing you’re looking for.
I use this in large projects with massive Binders, where it can be easier to only unfold the binder to one or two levels, and leave all deeper outline navigation to the outliner in the left split. The split ratio is set up so that if you open the Inspector the right split is halved to make room for it—it still functions as a usable text editor (albeit narrow on small laptop screen) in that case. With this one I will sometimes remove the Binder and add the Inspector if I intend to work with the latter for a while. Obviously on a bigger screen you can just spread all of this out and leave both open. I do have a 27" version of this layout, but it’s not on my laptop for obvious reasons. 
P.S. I’ve moved your post to the “Scrivener Tips” forum, as you had posted in the wish list, which is for feature suggestions.
Example Layouts for Scrivener.zip (967 KB)
Saw your post. This is exactly what I want to do. How did you accomplish these automatic settings?
Navigator: adjusted to fit the MacBook 12" Retina. All Binder clicks will load in the left editor, and clicks in the left editor will automatically load in the right editor, which uses Scrivenings mode for its view—so in effect it makes Scrivener act more like Outlook or Mail where you click on a major section, then go from there until you find the thing you’re looking for.
The two main settings that make this layout work are:
- The View/Binder Affects/Left Editor Only command (or whichever side you prefer for secondary navigation—you will need to split first to select this command). Now whenever you click in the Binder it will load in the designated side no matter what. Note that in the “Binder” header bar an icon will be placed to indicate this mode and what side it will send clicks to. Some Binder settings as they pertain to navigation are discussed in the user manual PDF, §9.4, Controlling Binder Integration, starting on pg. 102.
- Now click on a folder in the Binder to load a group view, and set the left split to either Corkboard or Outliner. In the footer bar, toggle the icon that looks like an arrow pointing out of a box (two opposing arrows on Windows). Try clicking on something in the list, you should see it loaded in the right-hand pane. That feature is described on pg. 98.
Thank you for sharing your Layouts, but how to import them?
Use the gear menu button in the Layouts panel to manage them. Instructions for using Layouts are in §9.7, pg. 115 of the user manual.
NICE!!! Exactly what I wanted! – THANKS –
Thank you!
Any way to get these working on Windows? 
Windows wants to look for *.scrivlayout files; alas, yours are *.scrlayout files.
Possibly I am missing something obvious.
In this case the differing file extension is a feature. These would be of no use to you, as layouts are extremely specific to the desktop environment, and even if they were redesigned from the ground up to be sufficiently abstracted from the environment, there would be so many little differences (font sizes, button shapes, differing features, etc.) between the two platforms that I doubt it would be worth the effort to do so.
Oh, good point. No problemo.