Short answer. Start with what you cannot move: the door, the windows, the radiator and the route people take through the room. Keep that route about 90 cm (36 in) wide, then put the sofa on the longest wall that stays out of it. Sit roughly 1 to 2.5 times the screen's diagonal from the TV, away from the glare of a bright window. Choose a rug big enough for at least the front legs of the sofa and chairs. The numbers here are common guidelines, not rules: your room and the way you live come first.
Open-plan kitchen and living roomWill my sofa fit?Standard room sizes
Start with what you cannot move
Mark the door and its swing, the route from the door to the balcony or kitchen (in many flats the living room is also a corridor), the windows and how they open, and the radiators and sockets. What is left is the room you can really furnish; in a small flat that is often one long wall and one corner.
The sofa first
A three-seat sofa is typically 200 to 230 cm (79 to 91 in) wide and 85 to 100 cm (33 to 39 in) deep. The longest unbroken wall is the easiest place; in a bigger or open-plan room it can stand with its back to the dining area, with a walkway behind if people pass; under a window it works if the back stays below the sill and clear of the radiator.
Sofa and TV distance
| Screen | Closer, for 4K (about 1 to 1.5 times) | Classic rule (about 1.5 to 2.5 times) |
|---|---|---|
| 43 in (109 cm) | About 1.1 to 1.6 m (3.5 to 5.5 ft) | About 1.6 to 2.7 m (5.5 to 9 ft) |
| 55 in (140 cm) | About 1.4 to 2.1 m (4.5 to 7 ft) | About 2.1 to 3.5 m (7 to 11.5 ft) |
| 65 in (165 cm) | About 1.7 to 2.5 m (5.5 to 8 ft) | About 2.5 to 4.1 m (8 to 13.5 ft) |
Measure from where your head is when you sit. Put the middle of the screen near seated eye level, often about 1 m (39 in) up, and keep it side-on to a bright window rather than opposite or in front of one.
Walkways, coffee tables and rugs
| What | Common guideline |
|---|---|
| Main route through the room | About 90 cm (36 in); below about 75 cm (30 in) it feels tight |
| A passage you use less | About 60 cm (24 in) |
| Sofa front to coffee table | About 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in) |
| Coffee table length | About half to two thirds of the sofa's width |
| Dining table edge to wall | About 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 in) |
A rug should hold at least the front legs of the sofa and every chair, be at least as wide as the sofa, and leave a border of bare floor; common sizes are about 160 × 230 cm and 200 × 300 cm in Europe, 5 × 8 ft and 8 × 10 ft in the US.
Doors, windows and open plan
A door in a corner leaves the walls free; one in the middle of a long wall splits the room into seating and a desk or table; two doors draw a route between them that the sofa must stay out of. Windows that open inwards sweep into the room. In open plan, give the sofa and the table zones of their own, with a rug, a light for each and about 90 cm behind a sofa that faces away from the kitchen.
Try the layout in 3D
In Flatwalk you place real furniture from real shops at its true size in a 3D plan of your own flat, with its price and a link to the shop. Tap the sofa to move, turn or replace it, walk in from the door at eye level, and measure any gap with the tape measure. Flatwalk does not check these guidelines or the distance to your screen for you, and the plan is only as true as the sizes you give it.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
Lights
Add ceiling lights, lamps and LED strips and see the living room in the evening, when you use it most.
Your flat in its city
Give the address and the street and buildings around you appear in 3D where the map has them.
Sun for your address
See whether the afternoon sun falls on the sofa or the TV wall, by date and hour.
One piece, in your own room
Through the live camera or in a photo of the room, stand a sofa on your own floor at its true size before you buy.
Detail
Doors, windows, radiators and kitchens built piece by piece, so the sofa meets what is really there.
Made for a thumb
Tap the sofa and its choices appear: move it, turn it, replace it with another.
Swipe for more. Every picture is the app itself.
One flat, free
Most people plan one home. For that, Flatwalk costs nothing: no trial clock and no card. Drawing your flat, furniture at its true size, the tape measure, lights, sun and walking are all part of it, and each AI tool gives one free try. A membership is for people who want more flats or more AI.
Questions people ask
How far should a sofa be from the TV? A common rule of thumb is about 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen's diagonal, or about 1 to 1.5 times for a 4K screen. For a 55 in screen that is roughly 1.4 to 3.5 m (4.5 to 11.5 ft).
How much space should I leave between a sofa and a coffee table? About 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in), and about 90 cm (36 in) for the main walkway through the room.
What size rug do I need for a living room? One big enough for at least the front legs of the sofa and chairs, at least as wide as the sofa, with bare floor showing between the rug and the walls.
How do I lay out an open-plan living and dining room? Give each part a zone: a rug for the sofa, a light over the table, and a walkway of about 90 cm (36 in) between them.
Flatwalk lets you lay out your living room with real furniture at its true size in a 3D plan of your own flat, then walk in at eye level, free for one flat. It is launching on Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
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