Overview
Furnishing advice: How to place your upholstered furniture optimally in the room
Which upholstered furniture is ideal for my living room? This question is particularly difficult to answer for many. While stylistic and color aspects depend on personal taste, there are some basic rules to follow when it comes to the interaction between the available floor space, size and shape of the upholstered furniture and the respective room situation. Those who know these can furnish themselves well even without professional advice.
3-seater, 2-seater and armchair
The classic combination
In the classic combination of 3-seater, 2-seater and armchair, it is advisable to place the 3-seater on the wider and the 2-seater on the narrower side of the room. For a visually light effect and comfortable accessibility of the room, it is also recommended to place the narrowest element of the combination, that is, the armchair, on the side facing the door of the room. Thus, the passageways remain free. Ideally, the three-seater is directly opposite the TV.
If your living room is square, a combination of two 3-seaters (if the room is larger than this example) or two 2-seaters (if the room is smaller than this example) plus armchairs will fit the floor plan harmoniously.
2 seater, 2 seater and armchair
Less is sometimes more
If you prefer to arrange all seats facing the door in the room, you should choose a second 2-seater instead of a 3-seater in our example room. This way, the shorter north wall is not visually overloaded and the distance between the 2-seater standing on the narrow side and the windows behind it remains large enough. This is especially important if you want to buy upholstered furniture with high backrests for seating comfort. This is because high-backed chairs adjust the window more the closer they are placed in front of it. If there is not enough space to create generous distance from the window, you should do without high-back chairs and instead choose upholstered furniture with adjustable back height.
If you combine the upholstered furniture as above, there will still be enough space for some selected decorative objects and small furniture. For example, how about a tall cabinet or a display case in which you can store books or dishes. Alternatively, the wall can of course remain free. Here is then a beautiful framed picture or even a wine rack for the wall.
3-seater, armchair and stool with storage function
Create space for a dining place
If there is no dining room available and the kitchen is also too small to accommodate a dining place in it, the best solution for this example room would be a combination of 3-seater, armchair and stool. This will create enough space in the living room for a dining place. To make yourself comfortable in front of the TV, the extra large stool can be moved to the sofa to put your legs up. Especially clever: If you choose a stool with an additional shelf, it can also serve as a coffee table. Alternatively, small side tables could be placed to the right and left of the 3-seater.
The upholstered corner
The classic in Germany’s most common living room
The advertising agency Jung von Matt has conducted numerous studies and “designed” Germany’s most common living room. The upholstered corner, also called a living landscape in a large version, is still the classic among sofas. Mostly upholstered corners stand in a room corner, but can also be placed freely in the room – provided you have a very spacious living area.
In average or cramped spaces, however, upholstered corners are actually best placed in a corner of the room – and in comparison to 2 or 3-seater sofas placed across the corner, they offer the advantage that the entire room can be used for sitting and relaxing and no “blind spot” is created. Since upholstered elements are available in a variety of shapes, it is often possible to include the window area in the room planning without the windows appearing blocked: This is made possible by the “open” elements that have no backrest, i.e. ottomans and longchairs.
Upholstered corner with long chair and free standing armchairs
Longchairs, unlike ottomans, do not have a shortened backrest on the side, but only a flat armrest, so from the side they look like an armchair with an extended seat. Therefore, for this example room, a long chair would be particularly suitable if an upholstered corner is to be placed next to the door of the room. When you enter the room, this creates an open, unobstructed view of the room even when you choose an upholstered piece with high backrests, which invites you to feel comfortable. Two armchairs provide additional seating and only slightly obscure the windows behind them.
Book recommendations for interior design advice
- mvg Verlag
- Homebody: Der Guide für ein Zuhause, das Sie niemals mehr verlassen möchten
- ABIS-BUCH
- Koslowsky, Lilly (Author)
- Lewis, Amber (Author)
- Libelle, Lisa (Author)
Last updated on 2025-05-19 at 14:23. The stated price may have increased since the last update. The actual price of the product as it stood on the seller's website at the time of purchase is decisive for the sale. Real-time updating of the above prices is not technically possible. * = Affiliate links. Images from Amazon PA-API.
