Sofa Measuring Guide
Choosing a brand new sofa for your home can be an exciting addition, but the first thing you have to think about is whether you can fit it in your home without problems. This means taking into consideration the measurements of the sofa against your home’s doorways (at least the ones it will have to pass through), elevators and stairwells.
It’s tough being so excited to bring a sofa home only to realise that it won’t fit through the door at all.
Measuring The Obstructions
Doorway
The first obstruction that you will encounter upon arrival is the door. Measure your door’s size (length and width) as well as immovable obstructions along it.
Learning the measurements of your door (length, width and even diagonal depth) can help you determine whether you will be able to fit your sofa through it. It can also give you an idea on how to do said fitting, as you can adjust the position in order for it to be accommodated by the doorway. Remember, diagonal is a possibility, too.
Hallway
After passing through the door, the next access point that your sofa may encounter is smaller spaces like hallways and vestibules. Because it can be a tight fit in some areas of your house, it’s good to plan the exact route that you will have to take to get to the room you want it in. Here, you have to measure the width of the hallway to see how your sofa could be transported through it.
Stairs
If you’re going to have to bring your sofa through stairwells, it’d be good to determine if it has any twists and turns that will have you pivoting just to get the sofa to fit. Important measurements for stairwells are height, width and depth. Knowing those measurements can help you tell if you can manoeuvre your sofa when necessary.
If your home has multiple stairwells, be sure to check the measurements per stairwell just to be sure. Sometimes, not all stairwells measure the same, even if they’re in the same building.
Elevator
If the stairs are not an option or if you want more convenience, then resort to using the elevator to transport your sofa. Again, you have to determine the height and width of the elevator to see if your sofa will fit in it.
Not only that, you also have to check the maximum weight that it can hold. Sofas can get a bit heavy, especially the bigger ones, so be prepared for the event that the elevator can’t be used.
Measuring Your Sofa
After getting the measurement of the possible obstacles in your home, it’s time to measure the sofa itself to see what you’re looking to accommodate within those spaces. Most manufacturers offer this information, but it wouldn’t hurt to double-check it yourself.
A common fact is that sofas can arrive in a packaging that’s larger than its actual measurements, which means that you might have to take the measurement of the packaging instead. However, you also have the option to choose to remove it from its packaging to help it fit better, but do so at your own risk as you can damage the sofa this way.
Usual Measurements
The dimensions of a sofa are usually measured by Width x Height x Depth (W x H x D). These measurements are of the assembled unit, so if it can be disassembled prior to setting it up at your home, then that’s great. But most sofas come as one big unit, so it’ll still be relevant to do all the measuring to make sure it fits.
Width refers to the total length of the sofa from left to right, height is its measurement from the top of the backrest to the floor and depth is the size of the sofa as measured from front to back.
Other Measurements
Other important measurements that you can get are your sofa’s diagonal depth and height. Like with doorways, diagonal can work when it comes to manoeuvring a sofa into position.
Diagonal depth can be measured by getting the length from a top corner of the armrest up to the opposite corner at the bottom. This can help determine if you can get your sofa through a doorway by angling it.
Diagonal height, on the other hand, will tell you if your sofa can fit through if you make it stand up. Measure this by getting the length from a front corner armrest (left or right) to the opposite back corner.
Measuring Your Room
Lastly, you have to determine the space inside the room that you want to set up the sofa in. Of course, there has to be enough for the sofa to fit, as well as to accommodate the existing furniture and sockets in the room while still allowing you to move around comfortably.
To determine how comfortable you will be with a new sofa’s presence in a room, set up some newspapers on the floor to simulate the amount of space that it will be taking. For added height and depth simulation, use some empty boxes. This way, you will have a feel of how the sofa will be in the room and whether or not you’re okay with this setup.
Positioning your sofa relative to existent furniture like radiators and sockets is also a priority. If you’re blocking any existing sockets, you have to determine how it should remain accessible or whether you need it to be.
Set up extension cords to help you still have access, even when the sofa is in place. As for radiators, consult with your retailer about whether or not it is recommended to back up the sofa against the radiator.
If skirting boards are present in the room, note that it will also influence how much space your sofa can take. Skirting boards may look small, but the reality is, they also take up some floor space and impact how your sofa will fit.
Conclusion
Once you’re all set with the measurements and have determined that the sofa can be comfortably and efficiently brought into your home, then nothing is stopping you from getting it.
Making these important measurements ensures that you don’t run into unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from getting the sofa to fit in your home. After setting it up stress-free and comfortably, all that’s left to do is to enjoy your brand new sofa.