1. You've got a period terrace
How do you fit enough seating into a small room that has a fireplace and a bay window taking up wall space? Choose a corner sofa in a classic style.
Camelot corner sofa, double unit from £1699, Furniture Village
Put the elements together:
- Choose a classic style to suit an older property, with a low, flat back that will sit flush against a wall and not block light from the window.
- Go for white painted furniture, simple pieces streamline a space without absorbing light.
- A large overmantel mirror will make the room feel bigger and brighter.
- Chosse simple accessories. Go for basic glass vases and ceramics, plain lamps and untrimmed cushions.
- Small wall art will make a cramped room feel even smaller, so scale up with an oversized canvas like this one.
- Pick a traditional pattern.
Mix florals that share the same two or three-colour palette.
Use pretty vintage-look florals and lashings of cream for an uplifting scheme. Small living rooms can be overwhelmed by sofas, so choose a space efficient corner design rather than trying to squeeze in a cpouple of two-seaters for a layout that's easier to walk around.
2. You've got an open plan flat
In an open-plan space, create areas that feel connected but are clearly defined. This compact but characterful sofa shape marks out a boundary, with no curves to blur the lines.
For similar sofa try Miss Daisy medium sofa in Teal, £1596, Sofa Workshop
Put the elements together:
- Choose a low-arm club sofa. This square, squat design is space-efficient but able to hold its own visually.
- Try futuristic furniture and make a subtle statement with high-gloss white, handle-free, streamlined pieces.
- By picking vibrant shades you can use colour to mark boundaries. Choose harmonious hues that are side by side on the colour wheel.
- Lots of pure white on woodwork and floors will make the colour pop.
- Combine with contemporary pattern.
Choose from retro florals, stripes, geometrics and bright toiles.
Bright blues and citrus shades, teamed with delicate leaf motifs will create a fresh scheme. A classic, low-profile sofa with flat sides and back preserves the visual flow between spaces, but its strong, square outline can define a seating area.
3. You've got a new build
In a room with no original features and no fireplace or feature window to arrange furniture around, you need a sofa that can set the scene.
Langham Place sofa, from £1699, Furniture Village
Put the elements together:
- Go grand with a Chesterfield-style design that wouldn't look out of place in a stately home.
- Create a rough-luxe contrast by offseting the fancy sofa style with tough metal, raw wood and leather.
- Keep a palette of muted colours. Go with a mix of sophisticated grey, mushroom and taupe.
- Choose contemporary patterns such as geometrics, ikat and typeface prints that will look sharp.
- Supersize accessories.
Think size, not quantity: an oversized table lamp, a big framed print, a giant glass jar.
Stay calm and cool with layers of grey-toned neutrals and natural materials and textures.
Make the sofa the focus of the room: choose a space-gobbling design with scroll arms and back, and reinforce its status by symmetrically positioning a rug, coffee table, console and large picture in front of behind it to frame it visually.
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