Clear numbers help avoid clutter and allow the room to “breathe.” Use these thresholds as a practical reference, then adapt them to your layout.
Sofa ↔ coffee table: 45–60 cm.
This allows you to place items down and pass by without bumping into anything. In more spacious rooms, you can increase this to 60–80 cm.
Main passageways: 60–90 cm.
Towards doors or high-traffic areas, stay close to 90–100 cm if possible.
Behind a sofa detached from the wall (passageway): 60–80 cm.
If it is not a passageway, 30–45 cm is enough just to “detach” the volume.
Between two facing sofas (minimum usable depth):
depth of sofa A + 45–60 cm (coffee table) + depth of sofa B.
Example: two 85 cm deep sofas with a 55 cm coffee table → 85 + 55 + 85 = 225 cm of “usable” space in the center. If you also need a dedicated side passage, add 60–90 cm on one side.
Coffee table height: approximately 40–45 cm, aligned with the seat height (±5 cm).
Coffee table length: approximately 2/3 of the width of the main sofa.
This maintains proportions and accessibility across the entire front.
Rug (anchoring the set):
minimum with the front legs of both sofas on the rug; leave 20–30 cm of free edge from the wall. For frontals, choose a rug that contains the coffee table and seat fronts.
Maximum TV distance:
position the seat at approximately 1.5–2× the diagonal of the screen (in meters).
Example: 55" TV ≈ 140 cm diagonal → comfortable distance 2.1–2.8 m.
TV height: center of screen at ~95–110 cm from the floor, in line with the eyes when seated.
Shoulders and sides close to walls:
leave 5–10 cm of space between the backrest/side and the wall for curtains, sockets, and to avoid marking the paint.
Quick rule for checking a frontal layout
Add the depth of the two sofas + 45–60 cm for the coffee table.
Compare with the actual “free” depth of the room.
If you want a dedicated side passage, add 60–90 cm.
If the numbers don't add up, switch to an L-shape or perpendicular/staggered layout.