Two Sofas Facing Each Other: The Distance Between Them and the Room You Need
Short answer
Fits Two small sofas (72×34″) can face each other in a room about 10′ × 11′. That leaves 16″ between each sofa and a 24″-deep coffee table, and a 30″ path at one end. The sofa fronts end up 56″ apart, well inside the 8′ Houzz suggests as the most between seats. If people need to walk behind one sofa, the 30″ walkway replaces that sofa’s 4″ wall gap, so add 26″: 158″, or 13′ 2″.
56″
between sofa fronts
10′ × 11′
smallest room, 72″ sofas
16″
sofa to coffee table
Facing sofas are the best arrangement for conversation, and the hardest one to squeeze into a small room. The trouble is the depth: two sofas plus a coffee table plus the space to reach it add up fast.
So here’s the arithmetic instead. Every number below comes from the sofa sizes you’re likely to buy, the 14–18″ gap Houzz recommends between a sofa and a coffee table (our Living Room Solver uses the same range), and a 30–36″ walking path.
Contents
How much room two facing sofas need
Measure two things: the wall the sofas run along, and the distance across the room between the sofa walls.
| Two of these | Wall along the sofas | Across, sofas against walls | Across, walkway behind one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sofas 84×36 | 132″ (11′) | 136″ (11′ 4″) | 162″ (13′ 6″) |
| Small sofas 72×34 | 120″ (10′) | 132″ (11′) | 158″ (13′ 2″) |
| Loveseats 60×34 | 108″ (9′) | 132″ (11′) | 158″ (13′ 2″) |
Notice that the loveseats save width but not depth. What sets the depth is the sofas’ depth and the coffee table, so a shallow sofa (32″ instead of 38″) saves more space than a shorter one.
Layouts for two sofas in a small living room
Classic face-off
Fits 10′ × 11′
- 56″ between the sofa fronts: 16″ + a 24″ table + 16″
- 30″ path at the door end
- 18″ at the far end for a TV console or lamp: 30 + 72 + 18 = 120″ of wall
- The two seats farthest apart, at opposite ends on the diagonal, are about 74″ apart (√(48² + 56²)), inside the 8′ conversation limit
Best for: conversation and entertaining, and rooms where the TV isn’t the main event.
The trade-off: a TV on the end wall is seen from the side. Both sofas also need a wall, so the room has to be at least 11′ across.
Face-off with a walkway behind one sofa
Needs 13′ 2″ across
- 30″ walkway behind one sofa; 36″ if two people pass often
- Sofas centered on the wall, with 24″ at each end
- Same 56″ between the sofa fronts: 4 + 34 + 56 + 34 + 30 = 158″ across
- The door opens into the walkway, not the seating
Best for: living rooms people walk through, to a kitchen, a balcony or a hallway.
The trade-off: it costs 26″ of depth compared with the classic face-off. If you don’t have it, route the path around the end of the sofas instead.
Sofa and loveseat at a right angle
Fits 10′ × 11′
- 16″ from both sofas to a 36×24″ table
- A lamp table fills the corner, so no seat is blocked: 8 + 26″ lamp table + 8 + 72″ sofa + 6 = 120″ along the top
- 30″ path along the open side: 4 + 34″ sofa + 4 + 60″ loveseat + 30 = 132″ down the side
- Leaves one wall free for a TV both sofas can see
Best for: square-ish rooms, and households that watch TV as much as they talk.
The trade-off: it isn’t smaller than facing sofas: the corner table takes the space you’d expect to save. Use a loveseat on the short leg, not a second full sofa.
Two loveseats facing are the narrowest version: 108″ (9′) of wall, with the same 11′ across. They seat four instead of five or six, which is often all a small room can serve anyway.
Can two sofas face each other in a 10×10 living room?
Only with slim pieces. Across a 10-foot room you have 120″. Two 34″-deep loveseats pushed right against the walls, an 18″-deep coffee table or ottoman and 14″ gaps add up to 114″, which fits. Standard sofas don’t: two 36″ sofas and a 24″ table with 16″ gaps need 128″ before you leave any space behind them.
If that’s too tight, swap one sofa for armchairs. We ran a 10×10 with a 30″ door in a corner through our Living Room Solver. A 60″ loveseat, a 36×20″ coffee table and two 28×30″ armchairs, one across the table and one at its end, pass at minimum and standard clearances: 4 + 34 + 16 + 20 + 16 + 30 = 120″ from wall to wall. Two armchairs side by side across from the sofa don’t fit at any setting, and with a 68″ apartment sofa and one armchair there’s room for a TV too. The right-angle layout needs 132″ down one side, so it doesn’t fit a 10×10.
Where the TV goes
Facing sofas put the TV on the end wall, where everyone sees it at an angle. If you watch a lot, check the distance. Our TV Size Calculator sizes a screen to fill 30–40° of your view, which puts a 55″ TV 66–89″ (5½–7½′) away. In the 10′ × 11′ plan the farthest seat is about 76″ from an end-wall TV (62″ along the room and 44″ across), which suits a 47–63″ screen; the near seats are closer still, and everyone watches turned sideways. The right-angle layout puts the TV in front of the sofa instead.
The clearances we checked
These are the numbers behind every layout on this page. Where two values are shown, the first is the minimum and the second is the roomier choice.
14–18″
Sofa to coffee table
30″ · 36″
Walkway, minimum and comfortable
8′ max
Between seats, for easy conversation (Houzz)
3–5″
Sofa back to the wall
30–40°
Of your view filled by the TV
Measure this first
- Both sofas’ depth, front to back, including cushions.
- The distance between the two walls the sofas will sit against.
- Where people walk through the room, and where the doors swing.
- Your coffee table’s depth, not just its length.
Questions people ask
How far apart should two sofas facing each other be?
Front to front, about 48–66″: 14–18″ from each sofa to the coffee table, plus the table’s depth. With a 24″-deep table and 16″ gaps that’s 56″. Much closer and knees touch the table; much farther and you can’t reach your drink.
How big a room do two sofas facing each other need?
About 10′ × 11′ for two 72″ sofas 34″ deep: 30 + 72 + 18 = 120″ along the sofas and 4 + 34 + 16 + 24 + 16 + 34 + 4 = 132″ across. Two 84″ sofas need 11′ × 11′ 4″. Add 26″ across for a walkway behind one sofa.
Do the two sofas have to match?
No. A sofa facing a loveseat works well and saves width. Keep the seat heights and depths similar so the two sides feel equal.
What size coffee table works between two sofas?
Its depth matters most. A 20–24″-deep table keeps the sofas close; a 30″ table adds 6–10″ to the room depth you need.
Can I put two sofas back to back instead?
In an open-plan room, yes: back to back they split a living area from a dining or work area. Leave 30″ or more on any side people walk.
Try a sofa and armchairs
The Living Room Solver places a sofa, coffee table, up to two armchairs and a TV in your room, keeps the paths to the door clear and draws up to three layouts that pass.
Related: Dividing a small living and dining room · Arranging furniture around a bay window · Sectional layouts for small living rooms · 11×12, 11×13 and 12×14 living room layouts
Sources
- A guide to living room clearances, measurements and spacing (Homes & Gardens)
- How to plan the perfect living room layout (Homes & Gardens)
- How to space furniture in your room (Ballard Designs)
- Sofa dimensions: how to choose the right size (Wayfair)
- How to get your furniture arrangement right (Houzz): seats no more than 8′ apart, 14–18″ to the coffee table
- TV size and viewing distance (our calculator, using SMPTE’s 30° and THX’s 40° viewing angles)