The Length of a Sofa Compared to the Size of a Room

Available Sofa Sizes

• Unless you have a sofa custom-made to suit your dimensions, your choices of sofa sizes are generally limited to the loveseat and the standard three-seat sofa. According to the measurement experts at Dimensions Guide, love seats come in three sizes: 58 inches, 64 inches and 71 inches. Three-seat sofas typically are 76 inches; however, you can also find them in lengths of 85 inches to 100 inches.

Sofa Style and Room Size

• How much seating your sofa will accommodate depends on its style, especially the size of its arms. An 85-inch sofa with stuffed, rolled arms is not going to seat as many people as one with a low-profile or thinner arm. A kidney-shaped sofa, no matter what its length, should float in your room. Sectional sofas come in lengths to fit in almost any size room. For smaller rooms, you might opt for a loveseat and two chairs or two loveseats.

Proportion

• Your sofa is not only an investment, it is also the most dominant piece of furniture in your room. You do not want it to overwhelm the room, but you do want the sofa to anchor it. The length and style of the sofa are just two things to consider. You also want it to work with your ceiling height and other architectural features in the room such as windows and fireplace.

Room Planners

• To take the guesswork out of purchasing the size and style sofa or sofas for your room, use a computerized room planner. Almost every furniture manufacturer offers one on its website. There also are free online room planners for you to position your sofa in your virtual room and determine what size and style of sofa will work best for you.