Choosing a Sofa for a Rented Living Room: Size, Shape and Placement

Furnishing a rented living room means working around decisions somebody else made, from radiator positions and aerial sockets to a carpet you would never have chosen, and the sofa has to cope with all of it. This guide explains how to map the fixed constraints of a rental before you shop, why two seaters and small modular designs almost always outperform a full three seater, and how to size a sofa so the room still has space for a table, a lamp and a comfortable route through. We cover the access measurements that people forget, including diagonal depth, stair landings and lift capacity, and give placement approaches for narrow, square and open plan rooms. There is practical advice on protecting floors and paintwork during a tenancy, choosing neutral hard wearing fabrics that suit the next property, and adding lighting and flexible tables that make the space feel genuinely yours....