A Guide to Fitting Your Sofa Through a Door

When buying a new sofa, it can be very tempting to choose the biggest piece of furniture you can find. As a place where we spend the majority of our evenings, not only will a generous sofa give you plenty of room to spread out and relax, it will also create a fantastic statement piece in your living room. This can help to really make the space feel like your own and give you the interior you’ve always dreamed of.

But, you may encounter a few problems with getting a large sofa into your living room. Narrow doorways, steep stairs and winding halls often make manoeuvring big pieces of furniture a challenge. In some cases, it can be all but impossible to get the sofa up the stairs, through the door, along the hall and into position, which will only end in disappointment and extra hassle.

To help ensure that you’re able to get your new sofa into its proper place, we’re taking a look at how to measure your sofa and how to choose a sofa that’s guaranteed to fit. Plus, we’ve got some extra tips from the experts about the best types of sofas to choose for smaller spaces and how to get rid of an old sofa.

How to get a sofa through a door

If your sofa arrives fully formed, the first challenge you’ll face is getting the sofa through the door. In most cases, you’ll have to move the sofa through the doorway horizontally. If you try getting it through the door vertically, you risk basking the end on your door frame and damaging either the sofa, your home, or both. Try not to panic, however, as there are several things you can try to get the sofa through.

If possible, try to rope in a few strong friends to help with the heavy lifting. As you may need to turn the sofa on its side to get it through the door, the more helping hands you have, the better.

Photo credits: Left, Middle, Right

1. Remove the Cushions

We’d recommend, firstly, removing all the cushions and other extraneous items from the sofa. This will help not only with the weight but may make it slightly smaller too. If you can, we’d also suggest removing the legs as this is one of the biggest problems people have when getting a sofa through a door without damaging the frame.

2. Clear any Furniture Blocking the Space

Clear any furniture that may be blocking the door, such as coat racks, shoe rails, pictures, mirrors, side tables and even door stops, so you make use of all the space without bashing into anything.

3. Remove the Door

If you still can’t get the sofa through, it may be time to remove the door itself. Interior doors are often lightweight and easy to remove. Simply tap out the hinge pins, then shift the door sideways to take it off the hinges. This will instantly free up some extra inches that may be just enough to fit the sofa through. If need be, you can also remove the hinges too which will free another ½ an inch of width.

4. Move it Diagonally

If these methods still fail, try to move the sofa inside at a diagonal angle. Once the sofa is tilted at a 45-degree angle, the first mover should be able to manoeuvre it around the door and its handles. Make sure you communicate well with each other and continuously tilt and twist the sofa, using small movements, until it’s inside. This often requires a lot of strength and patience since a lot of back and forth is needed.

5. Hire some Help

Occasionally sofa delivery companies will also offer their assembly services (although usually at an extra charge) so, if you feel it’ll be too difficult for you to move the sofa inside yourself, you can always hire some help. This way, you can sit back and watch as they do all the work for you!

How to Calculate if Your Sofa Will Fit Through the Door

The best way to calculate whether or not your sofa will fit through your door is to measure the door - along with the hallway and any stairs or lift you may need to navigate - and then check these measurements against the height and width of your sofa. Once you have the sofa dimensions and the measurements of the room, all that’s left to do is place the sofa in the already measured spot and adjust it to your liking.

Want to avoid the hassle of man-handling a sofa into place? Invest in one of our contemporary flat-packed sofa designs such as, curvaceous sofas, mid century sofas, or modular sofas. We also have flat-packed sofa beds, Chesterfield sofas, classic style sofas, and retro sofas. There really is a flat pack sofa style for every home.

If you’re unlucky enough not to have your very own Swyft sofa (remember, they can be delivered in as little as 24 hours), then here are some tips on how to handle these obstacles:

1. Measure the couch dimensions.
2. Measure everything the couch has to pass through or by (all door openings, hallways, ceiling clearance, radiators, bookcases, etc. that might get in the way of the sofa).
3. Apply couch measurements to house measurements using advanced geometry and physics to determine the rotation and elevation needed to get said sofa through narrow openings.
4. Take off all doors and hinges where the sofa is too wide to pass through.
5. Put your calculations into action and huff and puff while you rotate, angle and pivot to get that sofa through the impossibly narrow doorway, steep steps or tight corner.
6. If it won’t fit in one piece, take off removable parts such as arms, legs.
7. If it still won’t fit, try chopping it in half and then stitching it back together once in place.
8. If you can’t fit it, no matter what, here are the UK’s best removals companies.

And here’s how to do it if you do have a Swyft sofa or armchair:

1. Choose your sofa.
2. Your sofa will be delivered to your door within 48 hours and will arrive packaged in 2-3 boxes.
3. Move each box (you don’t even need help, they are so light) to the desired location.
4. Unpack each box.
5. Click the sofa together.
6. Enjoy!

Learn just how easy it is to assemble a flat pack sofa in 7 simple steps.

Will my sofa fit up the stairs?

Stairs are another major challenge when getting a sofa into place. If you live in a flat or want a sofa or sofa bed for an upstairs bedroom, it’s important to check you’ll be able to get the sofa into position. A flat-pack Swyft sofa is probably your best option. Light and easy to lift, our flat pack designs will fit up any staircase.

If you’ve decided to go for a pre-made sofa, find out how wide and how long it is and then measure the narrowest point of your staircase, making sure to take any handrails or light fittings into account. If your stairs are wider than the height of your sofa, the piece should fit.

Will my sofa fit in the lift?

A lift is a much easier alternative to stairs, especially if you live higher than the first floor. If the ceiling of your lift is higher than the length of your sofa, it should fit when standing on its end. Make sure you put cardboard or a rug on the floor of the lift to prevent scratches to your sofa.

How to get my sofa through the hallway?

If you have a good ceiling height in your home, standing the sofa on its end will help you to manoeuvre it around corners and along narrow hallways. However, it’s still a good idea to check your hallway is wider than the widest part of the sofa before you order. This will make it a lot easier to get it into place.

Can you Buy Sofas for Narrow Doorways?

If your home has particularly narrow doorways, or you know you want an extra-large sofa in your living room, it’s a good idea to opt for flat pack furnishings. Our contemporary flat-packed fabric sofas are designed to fit through any door. Once in position, they can be assembled in moments, giving you the sofa you want in the place you need it.

When buying a fully-formed sofa, you can never be 100% sure it’s going to fit through your doors, up your stairs or along your hallway. Luckily, there are a few styles of sofa that are perfectly suited to squeezing into small spaces. Here are some of our favourites:

1. Flat-Pack Sofas

Flat-pack sofas are arguably the best option for anyone worried about getting a new sofa into their living room. Flat-pack sofas come in a number of easily manoeuvrable boxes and so can be carried up stairs, through doors and along the narrowest of hallways without a problem. Once in place, flat-pack sofas can be assembled in moments to give you a beautiful, stress-free centrepiece for your living room.

2. Sectional and Modular Sofas

Sectional and modular sofas are another good option for people concerned about fitting a new sofa into their home. Like flat pack sofas, sectional and modular designs will arrive in a number of different pieces. This means you don’t have to worry about getting your new sofa stuck halfway up the stairs or squeezing it through any narrow doorways.

3. Narrow Sofas

If you have your heart set on a premade sofa, you may be able to find a narrow design that will fit easily into your home. However, while a narrow sofa may be less of a challenge to get into place, it will probably be a lot less comfortable to relax on. If you want something that’s manoeuvrable as well as comfortable, a modular, sectional, or flat-pack design may be a better option.

How to Get Rid of an Old Sofa

Looking for a way to get rid of your old sofa to make room for your new one? Exclusively for Swyft customers, we’ve partnered with Clearabee to provide an affordable and environmentally-friendly sofa removal service so you can remove your old sofa easily and sustainably.

To use this service, simply book the collection and choose which items you want to dispose of, either a sofa, corner sofa or armchair. Then, group the items together to make it easy for Clearabee to collect. We recommend leaving the items outside if possible so the team can pick them up quickly and without disturbing you.

Currently on the hunt for the perfect sofa? Read our guide to buying a sofa for smaller spaces.

If you’re looking for the ideal accessory to pair with your brand new Swyft sofa, browse our range of minimalist style coffee and side tables.