What Size Grey Corner Sofa Do You Need? A Complete Measuring Guide
Most problems with corner sofas come down to measuring rather than choosing. The colour and the fabric are easy to change your mind about, but a sofa that does not fit is a much bigger headache.
A corner sofa is also harder to measure for than a straight one. It commits two walls instead of one, and its dimensions are listed in a way that catches people out.
Here is a simple guide to getting it right.
Before You Start
You need a tape measure, a pen and paper, and ideally someone to hold the other end.
Write everything down as you go rather than trying to remember it. It also helps to sketch the room roughly, marking the doors, windows, radiator and any chimney breast.
Measure in the same units throughout, and always measure twice.
Measuring Your Living Room
Start with the two walls the corner sofa will sit against.
Measure each one at floor level rather than at waist height. Skirting boards reduce the usable space, and floor level is where the sofa actually sits.
Then take off anything that gets in the way:
- Radiators, which project from the wall and should not be blocked.
- A chimney breast, which shortens the run on either side of it.
- The swing of any door, measured through its full arc.
- Window sills or bay openings, if they come low enough to matter.
- Plug sockets and switches you still need to reach.
What is left is the space you actually have, and it is usually less than the first measurement suggested.
Understanding Sofa Width and Depth
This is where corner sofas differ from straight ones, and it is worth reading twice.
A corner sofa is usually listed with two width measurements, one for each side of the L. Both are measured from the outside corner, which means the corner section is counted in both figures.
So you cannot add the two numbers together to get a total. If you do, you will think the sofa is far bigger than it is.
Depth is the measurement from the front of the seat to the back of the sofa. Check whether the listing gives the overall depth or the seat depth, since they are not the same thing.
Measure to the widest point. That is normally the outside of the arms rather than the seat, and it is the figure that has to fit your wall.
Small and Large Corner Sofas
Corner sofas come in a wide range of sizes, and bigger is not automatically better.
A compact corner sofa suits smaller living rooms and rooms where one of the two walls is short. It still seats more people than a straight sofa of similar size, because no arms interrupt the middle of the run.
A large corner sofa suits open plan rooms and bigger living rooms, where it fills the space properly and gives everyone somewhere comfortable to sit.
Sizes vary between ranges, so compare the listed dimensions on each product rather than relying on descriptions like small or large.
Our corner sofas collection lists the dimensions for each one. If the room is genuinely large, a U shaped sofa seats more again.
Space Around the Sofa
A sofa that fits the walls can still make a room awkward to live in, so plan the space around it too.
Rather than working to a fixed figure, use a few simple checks once you have the shape marked out:
- Can you walk past the front of the sofa without turning sideways?
- Can someone get past while another person is sitting down?
- Can you reach the coffee table from the seat without standing up?
- Does every door still open fully?
- Can you get to the radiator, the sockets and the window?
If any of those fail, the sofa is too big for the room, however well it fits the wall.
Choosing for a Small Living Room
Corner sofas can work well in small rooms, but the measuring needs to be exact.
Look for a compact design with slimmer arms, since wide arms take up width without seating anyone. Keep the shorter return on the wall that has least going on.
Be realistic about the walkway as well. In a small room that route is usually the first thing to disappear.
If the numbers simply do not work, a 4 seater sofa with an armchair often suits a small room better than squeezing in a corner.
Checking Doors and Access
Plenty of sofas that fit the living room never get into it, and this is the step people skip.
Measure the narrowest point on the whole route, including the front door, hallway corners, stair returns, internal doorways and any communal entrance in a flat.
Measure height as well as width, since a sofa can often be turned on its side to get round a bend. Also check the packaged dimensions rather than the assembled size.
Many corner sofas arrive in sections, which helps considerably with tight access. It is worth asking whether a particular one does before ordering.
Left Hand and Right Hand Layouts
A corner sofa has a long side and a shorter return, and the return sits on either the left or the right.
The catch is that retailers do not all describe it the same way. Some mean the corner as you look at the sofa, others as you sit on it, which is the opposite.
Look carefully at the product photograph, and confirm with the retailer if there is any doubt. A corner sofa cannot be turned around to face the other way once it arrives.
Common Measuring Mistakes
- Adding the two side measurements together, which double counts the corner.
- Measuring at waist height rather than at floor level.
- Forgetting to subtract the radiator, skirting or door swing.
- Measuring the seat rather than the widest point.
- Confusing overall depth with seat depth.
- Measuring the room but not the hallway or stairs.
- Checking the assembled size instead of the packaged one.
- Leaving no room to walk around the sofa.
- Ordering the wrong handed version.
Final Thoughts
Measuring for a corner sofa is straightforward once you know what to watch for. Measure both walls at floor level, take off the obstructions, and compare against the listed dimensions rather than the description.
Then mark the shape out on the floor with masking tape and live with it for a day or two. It is the simplest way to catch a problem before the sofa arrives.
Have a look at what is in the Corner Sofas Sale, or browse all our sofa furniture to compare sizes. If grey turns out not to be your colour, a cream sofa is a softer alternative.
Furniture Instore is rated 4.8★ Excellent on Trustpilot, with more than 4,800 reviews. Delivery is free, by a two-person team to the ground floor across England and Wales, typically within 7–10 working days, with ground floor installation included.
