Living Room Furniture for Every Layout
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A living room is planned around two things: where people sit and where everything gets put away. Get those right and the room works; get the sofa 30cm too long and you spend ten years edging past it.
Sofas and seating
Measure the wall, then take 20cm off each end — a sofa that fills its wall exactly reads as too big for the room. Most UK living rooms land on a three seater around 200–210cm with a two seater or an armchair facing it.
Browse sofas, corner sofas, recliner sofas and armchairs. For an extra seat that does not take a permanent footprint, see accent and occasional chairs.
Corner sofas in a smaller room
A corner sofa seats more people per square metre than two separate sofas, but it fixes the layout permanently. In a room under about 3.5m wide, check the walkway that is left between the corner and the opposite wall before anything else.
Coffee tables and side tables
A coffee table should be roughly two thirds the length of the sofa and the same height as the seat cushion or slightly lower. Leave 40cm between the table and the sofa so people can get past without turning sideways.
See coffee tables, side tables, nest of tables and console tables, all grouped under living room tables.
Living room storage
Storage is the difference between a tidy room and a room that is tidied constantly. A sideboard or TV unit with closed doors absorbs the remote controls, chargers and games that otherwise live on the surfaces.
See sideboards, TV units and bookcases and shelving units.
Finishing the room
A living room rug should sit under at least the front legs of every seat, otherwise the furniture looks like it is floating around it. Living room lighting works best in layers — a ceiling light for the room, a floor lamp for reading, a table lamp for the evening.
Living room furniture FAQs
What size sofa fits a living room?
Measure the wall and subtract 20cm at each end. That usually gives a three seater of 200–210cm in a standard UK living room, with a two seater or armchair opposite.
How much space should be left between a sofa and a coffee table?
About 40cm. Less than that and people turn sideways to get past; much more and you cannot reach a cup from the seat.
Should a rug go under the sofa?
At least the front legs of every piece of seating should sit on the rug. If the rug is too small to manage that, the room reads as a set of islands rather than one space.
Can I see living room furniture before ordering?
Some sofas are on the floor in Enniskillen and some are ordered in, so ring ahead to check. Sitting on one is the only reliable way to judge seat depth and cushion firmness, so it is worth the call before you travel.
How long will living room furniture take to arrive?
Two to three weeks is usual for furniture. Anything with a different lead time says so on its own product page.
Is sofa assembly included?
Yes. Assembly and removal of the packaging are free on every sofa except sofa beds. On other furniture, assembly can be added when you order, at a cost shown on the product page.