With all the thought that goes into decorating a room, you’d think people would be more imaginative in positioning their sofas.
Once you learn a few basics about scale and creating a traffic pattern, the rest is easy.
“You don’t want to cut the room up in such a way that it makes the room too small,” cautioned Nancy Smith, owner of Saratoga Signature Interiors in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “Don’t move the sofa out into the room, just for the sake of moving it away from the wall. In doing so, you may create a snug `hallway’ effect behind it for your traffic pattern. Plus, the back of the sofa would look undressed.”
Smith said the proportion of a room is very important.
For example, in a small space with a fireplace, two perpendicular sofas will shorten the room. By contrast, if you have a large living room, you can bring the sofa out perpendicular to a wall and create a seating area, then create another conversation or dining area at the other end.
To compensate for a bland room without architectural appointments or a focal point, position the sofa on the diagonal in a corner. A screen or plants behind it make an attractive backdrop.
But when it comes to decorating, we all have our personal likes and dislikes–and so do designers.
“I prefer not to put things in a room on a diagonal,” said interior designer Rosemary Burgher, owner of Empire Antiques & Design in Latham, N.Y. “If the room is large enough, I like to create several conversation areas or place the sofa in the middle of the room and flank it with a coffee table and two club chairs to break it up. However, if you have a beautiful rug with a center medallion, you may not want to cover it up.”
A rectangular room always is easier to work with than a square room, according to Smith.
“It’s hard to design something dramatic if the room is square,” Smith said. “You seem to end up with a boxy effect. This is where you might want to place the sofa on an angle.”
What’s in back
Once you move a sofa away from the wall, you’ll need to dress up the back. Burgher suggested placing two chairs and a small table behind the sofa to create another conversation area.
“Floating upholstered pieces in a room, rather than placing them around the perimeter, is much more eye-catching,” said Patricia Demento, co-owner of Moose Creek Ltd. in Albany, N.Y. “But it all depends on your traffic pattern.”
Since you only need 30 to 36 inches to move around between furniture, Demento suggested moving the sofa away from the wall and placing a console table (also known as a sofa table) behind it.
For decades, designers have dressed up the back of a sofa with a sleek Parsons table, known for its straight lines. It can be made of wood or chrome, upholstered in suede or some other fabric, such as a leopard print.
Place small footstools under the table to pull out as occasional seating for large gatherings.
A table-style desk is also very attractive behind a sofa, Burgher added. “It’s very functional.”
Two sofas
The designers noted that if the room is large, you can place two sofas back to back or with a Parsons table between them.
Some manufacturers make back-to-back sofas that share one back to eliminate the double thickness, Demento said. The parts are detachable to make the double piece of furniture small enough to move.
When you place sofas back to back, you can create separate areas according to tasks or activities.
“One side can be for conversation, the other for a grouping with a game table,” Demento said. “Or you can have one side as the entertainment area with a baby grand piano or home entertainment center. Just remember that you really need sufficient space for this to work effectively.”
