Sofa Measurement: Why You Should Do It and How to Do It Right
You’ve finally found the perfect sofa. You’re beyond-the-moon happy. The color, shape, and material fit your style sense and existing décor wonderfully.
Happily, you plop your money down and schedule a delivery. Then, you wait anxiously until delivery day arrives.
You’re on pins and needles, and nearly jump out of your skin with excitement when you hear the loud motor of the delivery truck. Two delivery people hop out and lug your prized possession up your walkway.
Suddenly, your heart sinks. The sofa doesn’t fit through your front door. Or, maybe it does, but its size makes it look awkward in your living space.
This is just one reason why it is so important we all learn to measure furniture properly. Doing this can prevent a lot of frustration and heartache.
Read on to find out how to measure your sofa to make sure it fits through the door and in your living space.
Getting the Right Fit – How to Determine the Dimensions of a Sofa
Your ideal sofa is one which not only looks good in the showroom, but fits perfectly into your home and compliments your décor. Here are four important measurements to take.
1. The Height
When measuring the height, you need to measure the sofa at the highest point. This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes after measuring the width it’s easy to just stay where you are to measure the height. Unfortunately, this may not be the highest point, which will leave you with an inaccurate measurement.
2. The Width
You’ll want to measure from arm to arm. The arms typically stick out further than the back or the feet of the couch. If your couch has rolled arms, make sure to take the measuring tape all the way from the widest point of one arm to the widest point of the other.
3. The Depth
The depth of a couch can make it tricky to get into certain doorways. To get an accurate measurement, measure the couch from the side and take the tape from the front edge of the house all the way to the back. If the back leans/reclines a bit, make sure you allow for this.
4. The Oft-Forgotten Diagonal Depth
To measure the diagonal depth, measure from the bottom front of the frame to the top back part of the frame.
The Top Reasons Why You Need to Measure Furniture
First, let’s delve into why measuring is so important.
1. It Needs to Fit Into Your Home
The dimensions of your new sofa are important not only because the piece needs to actually fit into your home, but the couch needs to look right.
Even the prettiest sofa can look subpar if it doesn’t fit in with the dimensions of the room. A small couch in a large room can make your space feel somewhat cold and uninviting.
On the other hand, a couch which is too large can make it difficult to navigate through your room. A tight fit can lead to stubbed toes, losing your balance, and general frustration.
Your sofa should be a source of comfort in your home. To ensure this happens, you need to get a couch which fits. If not you may have to store the additional furniture at a self storage facility.
2. You’ll Save Those Who Deliver Your Sofa a Lot of Hassle
Poor delivery people – they go through a lot sometimes. Not only do they have to carry heavy furniture and appliances, they have to deal with hauling it up stairs and trying to get it through tight spaces.
At times, if a piece of furniture doesn’t fit through a door, they have to lift the piece and try to get it into the house through a window.
When measuring, make sure to measure all doorways and halls the sofa will have to go through. There’s nothing as irritating as getting the sofa in through the front door only to have to take it out again because it won’t fit through a narrower doorway within the home.
Avoid Frustration by Taking Accurate Measurements
Some people think they can “eyeball” the size of their room and pieces of furniture. The problem with this is it’s rarely accurate. And there’s nothing more frustrating to buyers or delivery people than trying to finagle furniture into a doorway, window, or room which just won’t fit.
Save yourself and furniture store employees a lot of time and frustration by taking accurate measurements. Yes, it will take some time and we understand how excited you are to find your perfect sofa.
But taking a few minutes to take those measurements will make your shopping experience so much better. It will also increase your satisfaction on delivery day when a truly perfect sofa is brought to your house!
