How to Measure Your Room for a Corner Sofa

Every week I talk to someone who has already ordered a sofa before measuring properly. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes the sofa arrives and something is not quite right. A door is too narrow, the shorter section sticks out further than expected, there is not enough room to walk around.

Measuring for a corner sofa takes about ten minutes. It is worth doing properly.

Here is exactly what I ask customers to check before we confirm an order.

What you need

A tape measure. Your phone to take notes or a pen and paper. Ideally a second person to hold the other end of the tape, though you can manage alone.

That is it.

Step 1: Measure both walls

Stand in the corner where the sofa will go. Measure the wall going left and the wall going right. Write both numbers down.

A corner sofa has two sections. The longer section runs along one wall, the shorter section along the other. You need to know both wall lengths before you can choose a sofa that fits properly.

Most Irish living rooms have a longer wall of 300 to 400cm and a shorter wall of 200 to 300cm. The most popular sofas we sell have a longer section of around 280 to 300cm and a shorter section of around 180 to 210cm, which fits comfortably in most rooms with space to spare.

If your walls are shorter than this, you are looking at a compact corner sofa. If they are longer, you have more options.

Step 2: Check your walking space

Measure the distance from the wall where the sofa will go to the nearest obstacle across from it. This might be a TV unit, a fireplace, another sofa, or just the opposite wall.

Subtract the depth of the sofa you are considering from this number. The result is how much floor space you will have in front of the sofa.

You need at least 90cm. This is enough to walk past comfortably without turning sideways. 75cm is possible but it will feel tight. Less than that and the room will not function well day to day.

The depth measurement on a product listing refers to the shorter section, measured from the back of the sofa to the front of the chaise. Most of our sofas are between 160cm and 210cm deep.

Step 3: Left-hand or right-hand

Once you know where the sofa is going, decide which side you want the longer section on.

Stand facing the corner where the sofa will sit. If you want the longer section going to your left, you need a left-hand configuration. If you want it going to your right, that is right-hand.

This is a decision you need to make before ordering because most sofas are manufactured in one configuration and cannot be changed afterwards. If you send me a photo of the room I can tell you which way I would go.

Step 4: Check the delivery route

This is the step people forget most often.

Measure your front door width. Measure your hallway width at the narrowest point. Measure any corners between the front door and the room where the sofa is going.

Our sofas are delivered in sections and assembled on site, so you do not need to get the whole sofa through the door in one piece. But each section still needs to fit through. The minimum you need at every point is around 75cm of clear width.

If you have a narrow hallway or a tight staircase, message me before ordering. I can check the individual section dimensions for the specific model you are considering.

The numbers to have ready

Before you contact us or place an order, have these four measurements ready:

The length of wall 1 (where the longer section will go), the length of wall 2 (where the shorter section will go), the floor space between the sofa and the nearest obstacle across from it, and the narrowest point of your delivery route.

With those four numbers I can tell you exactly what will fit and recommend the right model and configuration for your room.

Send them to me on WhatsApp or through the contact form. I reply within a few hours and I will give you a straight answer rather than a list of options to figure out yourself.