One sofa that fits the room beats three small pieces.
The sofa sets the scale for everything else, so it gets chosen first.
Length
| Room | Sofa |
|---|---|
| Small, under 180 sq ft | One 72 to 84″ sofa and a pair of small chairs |
| Most living rooms | 84 to 96″, with two chairs facing it |
| Large, over 300 sq ft | Two sofas facing each other, or a sectional |
Depth
A classic or luxe depth is the one you sink into. A petite depth earns its place when a deeper sofa would leave less than a 36-inch walkway.
Off the wall
Leave 3 to 5 inches behind a sofa on a wall, and 6 to 12 inches in a medium or large room. Pulled in and grouped around the coffee table, seating makes a room for talking, not a row against the walls.
On the rug
At least a third of the sofa's depth rests on the rug, with the front legs of every seat on it.
Blank Space picks the sofa first, in the deepest cut your room allows, then fits the chairs, table and walkways around it.