Your Guide to Buying a Sofa for Small Spaces

Small sofas can create a fantastic design feature and help you make the most of your home by freeing up valuable floor space and allowing you to add style, comfort and a little bit of luxury to every corner.

Finding the right sofa for your small living room will help to maximise the space and create flexible living areas that work for you and your family. Our guide to buying a sofa for small spaces will help you select the perfect piece for your home.

Why go small?

There are lots of reasons you might want to opt for a smaller sofa. The most common is simply because that’s what will fit in your living room. If your home is bijou, a small sofa will allow you to create a comfortable seating area without totally dominating the space.

This can free up room for other things like dining tables, office areas and social spaces. Another reason to go for a small sofa is that they can allow you to make the most of ‘dead’ areas of floor space. If you have an awkward alcove or small snug, placing a compact sofa in the space can help to make it usable as well as stylish.

Think about your space

When buying a small sofa for your living room, bedroom, hallway or kitchen it’s important to start the process by thinking about the space. Try to work out where a sofa would best fit in the room and how it would affect the layout and usability of the space.

Create the illusion of space

Selecting the right small sofa for your home can actually help to make it feel bigger. Designs that are raised off of the floor by short legs - like our Model 02 and Model 01 sofas - look lighter and less bulky than other sofa options.

As well as creating an illusion of space, having a sofa that’s raised slightly off the floor makes it easier to keep your home clean. Alternatively, you can use your under-sofa area as a handy bit of extra storage space.

Coordinating colour

Although a lot of people opt for light, airy colours when selecting furniture for small homes, in reality, bolder tones can often work better. Bright colours help to create a focal point and tie interior design schemes together.

If you don’t want to opt for a colourful sofa, you could choose a statement armchair to go with your two-seater. This will help to create multiple seating areas in your small space and make the room feel even bigger.

Making an entrance

It’s also important to consider how you’re going to get your new sofa into your house or flat. Large, fully formed sofas can be hard to manoeuvre. As our sofas come in small, light, easy to handle boxes, they’re ideal for people who live above the ground floor or whose front doors are a little on the narrow side.

What is the best style of sofa for small spaces?

When looking at sofa set designs for small living rooms, you’ll see there are a few different options available. From corner sofas to chaise sofas, and ottomans to sofa beds, selecting the right style for your small space will help you get the most from your home.

Corner sofas for small spaces

Corner sofas for small spaces can work exceptionally well. By opting for an L-shape design, you can create large, comfortable seating areas in relatively small rooms. The modular design of our Model 03 allows you to create the perfect corner sofa for your small living room without sacrificing style or comfort.

Chaise sofas

Chaise sofas are another great option for small spaces. If you choose a small space sofa with a chaise, you’ll effectively get a two-seater with an ottoman. The modular design of the Model 03 lets you lengthen either the left or right hand side of the sofa, allowing you to put your feet up while maximising floor space. The ottoman can also be used as an occasional chair, giving friends and family somewhere comfortable to perch when they come to visit.

Modular and sectional sofas

Modular and sectional sofas are designed a little differently from standard furnishings. As the names suggest, these types of sofas come in sections, or modules. This allows you to create the sofa that’s perfect for your small space.

The Swyft Model 03 is a great example of a modular sofa. Simply select the number of seat modules you need before adding an arm module to each end. If you want to transform your straight sofa into a corner sofa, all you need to do is add a corner seat module to your design.

Sofa bed

Investing in a sofa bed is a great way to get even more functionality from your small seating area. Two-seater sofas transform into comfy double beds, perfect for when guests come to stay.

Measure, measure and measure again

If there’s one golden rule for buying a sofa for a small space, it’s measure, measure and then measure again. This is incredibly important when working with limited spaces as even small margins of error can have big consequences.

Our two-seater sofas range in size from 175cm x 60cm for Model 01 and 02 designs to 184cm x 90cm for the Model 03. These dimensions represent the length and depth of the sofas as these are generally the most important measurements when dealing with small spaces.

Use our sofa dimensions and measuring guide to work out exactly how your new sofa will fit in your living space. Finding a sofa that fits perfectly in your small space will help you to create a layout that really works for you.

If you’re ready to start shopping for your new space-saving sofa, explore our range of two-seater sofas to find the perfect piece of furniture for your home.