What Size Sofa for a Small Living Room
In a small living room the sofa is the largest thing you will buy, so its size decides how the whole room feels. A sofa that is 30 cm too long can block a door or leave no place for a side table. One that is too deep can take the space you need to walk.
The good news is that choosing the size is mostly simple arithmetic. This guide gives you the rules, shows them on real room sizes, and ends with a free way to test your own room.
Start with the wall, not the sofa
Pick the wall the sofa will stand against and measure it at floor level. Then subtract everything that also needs that wall:
- the swing of a door, which is as wide as the door itself
- a walkway of at least 60 cm if people pass at the end of the sofa
- a side table or floor lamp, usually 40 to 50 cm
What is left is the longest sofa that wall can take. If you have not measured the room yet, follow our guide on how to measure a room for a sofa first.
Three numbers that matter
Length
Leave some wall free on both sides. A sofa that runs from corner to corner makes a small room look crowded, and you lose the place for a lamp or a side table. As a guide, the sofa should take no more than about two thirds to three quarters of the wall.
Depth
Depth is the number people forget, and in a small room it matters more than length. A deep sofa of 105 to 110 cm is very comfortable, but it comes that far into the room. Add the space to the coffee table and the table itself, and you can see how much floor is left.
Space in front
Keep 40 to 45 cm between the sofa and the coffee table, and at least 60 cm wherever people walk through the room.
Worked examples
These examples use a 3 seater sofa of 252 by 110 cm, the size of the sofa in our Avorio Sofa Set, and a coffee table of 121 by 70 cm.
| Room | Sofa wall | Left on the wall | What works |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 by 350 cm | 300 cm | 48 cm | One 3 seater, no armchair. Use a small coffee table or two side tables. |
| 350 by 400 cm | 350 cm | 98 cm | One 3 seater with a side table, coffee table in front, TV unit opposite. |
| 400 by 450 cm | 400 cm | 148 cm | One 3 seater and one armchair, or a compact corner sofa. |
Now check the depth in the 350 by 400 cm room. The sofa stands against one wall and the TV unit against the opposite wall, 400 cm away:
- sofa depth: 110 cm
- space to the coffee table: 45 cm
- coffee table: 70 cm
- TV unit: 50 cm
That is 275 cm in total, so 125 cm stays free between the coffee table and the TV unit. It is enough to walk comfortably. In the 300 by 350 cm room the same pieces leave 75 cm, which still works but feels closer, so a smaller coffee table is the better choice there.
3 seater, two sofas or a corner sofa?
One 3 seater sofa
The safest choice for a small room. It needs one wall, it leaves the middle of the room open, and you can add an armchair later if there is space. See our 3 seater sofas.
A 3 seater with an armchair
An armchair adds a seat without the length of a second sofa. It needs about 90 by 90 cm of floor plus room to walk around it, so it suits rooms of around 400 by 450 cm and larger.
A corner sofa
A corner sofa uses a corner that often stays empty, and it seats more people than a straight sofa on the same floor area. Check both sides: each side needs its own wall length, and neither side should cross a door or a balcony door.
A full sofa set
A set of two 3 seaters and an armchair needs a larger room. As a guide, plan for about 5 by 6 metres or more, so that the door and the walkways stay clear.
Small changes that make a small room feel larger
- Choose a sofa on visible legs. Seeing the floor under it makes the room look more open.
- Keep the sofa a few centimetres off the wall if you have curtains behind it.
- Use one larger sofa instead of several small pieces. Fewer pieces look calmer.
- Pick a coffee table that is about half to two thirds of the sofa length.
- Do not block the window. Daylight does more for a small room than any piece of furniture.
Test it in your own room
Every room has its own door, window and TV wall, so the surest way is to try the sofa in a plan of your room. Fit My Room is our free online room planner:
- Open a sofa on asbarfurniture.com and press “Will it fit in my room?”
- Type the width and the length of your room in centimetres.
- Place the door, the window and the TV where they are in your room.
- The sofa appears in its real size. Move it and turn it, and the plan marks any piece that needs checking.
- Add a coffee table or a TV unit, see the total price, and send the plan on WhatsApp.
Fit My Room shows a floor plan seen from above and checks the space inside the room. It does not check your entrance or lift. If the way in is narrow, send us the sizes on WhatsApp before you order.
See the sofas
All Asbar sofas are made in Turkey with solid beech frames, come ready-made with a 2 year warranty, and are delivered free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. Every product page shows the exact dimensions. You can also sit on them at our showroom on Al Wahda Street, Sharjah.
