How to Use a Sofa as a Banquette

Measure your room, and if you plan on using pieces you already own, measure your sofa and table. Make sure your room is large enough to handle a sizable table, as your table will need to be fairly long in order to accommodate most sofas. Make sure your sofa will fit up to your table. It should not be longer than the table, and its arms should not extend above the tabletop. Loveseats are shorter in length than traditional sofas and may be a better option.

Consider how your banquette will be used. If it will be the main dining location for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a family with children, consider how your sofa will stand up to scrambled eggs, ketchup, chocolate milk and greasy french fries. A sofa with vinyl upholstery may hold up well; another option is a sofa with a washable slipcover. If you are placing your sofa in a formal dining setting that is mainly used by adults only a few times a year, you are probably safe with most any fabric. However, keep in mind that even the most careful adult may tip over a glass of red wine or accidentally allow a few drops of Bearnaise sauce to drip off his fork.

Consider how the sofa and table will look in your room when used together. If you are placing your sofa against a wall, the height of its back is not an issue. However, if you are placing the sofa out in the room, use a low-back sofa, as a high-back sofa will block views, divide the room and make it feel smaller. Most banquettes use a combination of single chairs and a long bench (in this case the sofa), so think about how your chairs will look when worked into the room.

Shop for and purchase a table, sofa and chairs if you don't already own pieces that work together well. Bring along your tape measure, your room's measurements, a wall paint chip, carpet sample and curtain fabric sample, if possible, to help you make the best decisions. Test out the sofa's firmness by sitting on it. Give consideration to how low you sink into it, in the case of softer, plusher sofas. Make sure that, once a table is pulled up to to the sofa, you won't be sitting too low. The more supportive, the better.

Place the table, sofa and chairs in your breakfast room or dining room. Use the room for a few days to test the furniture placement, and rearrange as necessary.