Have you ever been in a room that feels calm and happy? That might have just as much, if not more, to do with the spacing and placement of the furniture than the furniture itself. Having just the right amount of space between the things in your room contributes to the overall comfort and flow.
Finding that ideal placement with your existing furniture and rugs is easy to achieve. Just follow our basic spacing guidelines below.
DISTANCE BETWEEN SOFA AND COFFEE TABLE: 14-18 INCHES
You want the space to be close enough to reach for the remote or set down your drink, but far enough away to allow a little leg room. Follow the same rule for other seating in the room if you want to be able to reach the coffee table.
DISTANCE BETWEEN SEATING AND TV: 1.5 TIMES THE MEASUREMENT OF THE SCREEN
If you have a large living space, this won’t be an issue for you. However, if your living room is on the cozier side of things, then you want to make sure you leave enough space for a comfortable passageway in the room without feeling like you’re walking through a cramped movie theater. Here’s the standard rule of thumb: keep a distance between the TV and seating that is 1.5 times the diagonal measurement of the screen.
DISTANCE BETWEEN SEATING: AT LEAST 30-36″
The ideal seating arrangement encourages intimate conversation while offering enough walking space (and personal space, too) between those seated. The maximum amount of space you want to leave between seating is about 8 to 10 feet.
DISTANCE BETWEEN CHAIRS AND SIDE TABLES: CLOSE ENOUGH TO SET DOWN A DRINK
There’s no hard and fast rule for side tables, because they’re generally smaller and sit much closer to seating than a coffee table. Just be sure any side table is close enough to set down your cup of coffee or a magazine.
DISTANCE BETWEEN AREA RUGS AND THE WALL: 12 – 24 INCHES
If you’ve got a room-sized area rug, leave at least two feet of bare floor around it in a large room and at least 12 inches in a smaller room, so it doesn’t look like you ran out of carpet. For a smaller area rug, make sure it’s large enough to allow at least the front two legs of your furniture to rest on it, but not so large that there’s more than two feet of empty rug beyond the furniture. (If that does happen, you can fill the empty space with a table.)
DISTANCE BETWEEN DINING TABLE AND FURNITURE: 36 INCHES
Ideally, you want to leave enough space between the table and a piece of furniture, such as a buffet or bar cart, to allow enough room for guests to walk behind chairs while others are seated or to open a drawer or cabinet when you need to get an item out.
DISTANCE BETWEEN EDGE OF DINING TABLE AND EDGE OF RUG: 24 INCHES
There’s nothing worse than chair legs catching on the edge of the rug. This is the minimum amount of space that will accommodate chairs to sit on the rug even when pulled away from the table. An easy way to ensure you get the right size rug is to measure your dining room table and add at least 24 inches on each side.
DISTANCE BETWEEN DINING ROOM CHAIRS: 24 INCHES
“Rubbing elbows” is just an expression — not something you actually want to do with your dinner companion. Stick to this general guideline to help create space for every person dining at your table as well as prevent collisions when they’re getting in and out of their chairs.
DISTANCE BETWEEN BED AND BEDSIDE TABLE: 3 INCHES
Leaving just a little space between these two pieces prevents the furniture from looking crowded, yet keeps your bedside table within easy reaching distance of your lamp, alarm clock and tissue box.
DISTANCE BETWEEN EDGE OF BED AND EDGE OF RUG: 12-18 INCHES
Wake up to warmth underfoot with a rug under your bed, but make sure it’s proportional to the size of your bed. It should extend out at least 12 inches for a full- or twin-sized bed and 18 inches for a king- or queen-sized bed. Or, if you’d prefer to flank your bed with a pair of rugs, make sure it covers 75 percent of the space from the end of the bedside table to the foot of the bed (a pair of runners would do the trick).
DISTANCE BETWEEN A BED AND THE WALL OR DRESSER: 24″ INCHES
A bed needs at least two feet of walking space around it to accommodate room to make up your bed (unless you need a good excuse not to) and for opening and closing the drawers of your dresser or doors of a closet. If you have a bench at the foot of your bed, measure 24 inches from the edge of the bench.