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The Open-Plan Living Space Price Index 2026
August 24, 2026

The Open-Plan Living Space Price Index 2026

Furniture in Fashion's Open-Plan Living Space Price Index 2026 concludes that furnishing an open plan home costs more than furnishing the same floor area divided into rooms, for structural rather than decorative reasons. The report identifies three cost concentrations: the scale premium required for furniture to hold its proportions in a large undivided volume, the storage that open plan architecture removes and furniture must replace, and the finish consistency demanded when every piece sits in a single sightline. It sets out the controlling lever for each zone, from extending dining tables that keep the everyday footprint small to consolidating storage into fewer wide units that double as zone boundaries. The index analyses cost structure rather than price levels and contains no monetary figures, as no verifiable published dataset covers UK open plan furnishing costs. The report is published as an editorial reference for journalists covering UK interiors and household spending....

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The Corner Sofa Buying Behaviour Survey 2026
August 23, 2026

The Corner Sofa Buying Behaviour Survey 2026

Corner sofas are bought for seating capacity and regretted for orientation, according to a new editorial analysis from Furniture in Fashion. The 2026 report identifies handing, the left or right position of the chaise return, as the decision that most determines long term satisfaction, and notes that the trade convention describing it is widely misread because it is expressed from the perspective of someone sitting on the sofa rather than standing in front of it. The analysis also finds that corner units frequently suit small UK living rooms better than buyers expect, because they occupy corner floor that a straight sofa and armchair arrangement leaves as dead circulation space, particularly in terraced homes with chimney breast alcoves. Where corner sofas divide open plan kitchen diners, the report recommends low backs, finished rear panels and 90cm of clearance on all open sides, and identifies the return dimension rather than overall width as the measurement most rooms fail....

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Do Rugs Go under Dining Tables?
August 20, 2026

Do Rugs Go under Dining Tables?

Rugs do belong under dining tables in most rooms, though the arrangement only works when the size and pile are right. This guide sets out the case for and against honestly, covering sound absorption, floor protection and zoning on one side, and cleaning, space constraints and existing carpet on the other. It gives specific rug dimensions for four, six and eight seater tables, explains why 60cm to 75cm of overhang is the figure that decides everything, and covers which materials survive dining conditions. There is also practical detail on rug pads, chair foot design, and alternatives if your room cannot take a rug....

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How Much Room for Dining Chairs?
August 20, 2026

How Much Room for Dining Chairs?

Allow 90cm to 100cm between the dining table edge and the nearest wall so people can pull out a chair, stand up and walk behind someone seated. Where nobody needs to pass behind, 75cm is workable. Alongside that, plan 60cm of table edge per person and 30cm of clear floor directly behind each chair. This guide shows how to mark out your room with masking tape to find the largest table it will genuinely take, gives room requirements for four, six and eight seater tables, and covers the tactics that make tight UK dining rooms and open plan kitchen diners work properly....

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How Large Should a Rug Be under a Dining Table?
August 19, 2026

How Large Should a Rug Be under a Dining Table?

Sizing a rug for a dining table is one of the easiest things to get wrong and one of the easiest to get right once you know the rule. This guide explains why 60cm to 75cm of overhang on every side is the figure that matters, gives specific rug dimensions for four, six and eight seater tables, and covers round and oval shapes. It also looks at which pile heights and materials survive dining conditions, how to position the rug within the room, why a rug pad is worth adding, and how the rug works alongside the table and pendant light to complete a dining area....

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How Do You Put Dining Table in Living Room?
August 19, 2026

How Do You Put Dining Table in Living Room?

Fitting a dining table into a living room works best when the table has a defined zone of its own, usually at the end nearest the kitchen or beside a window. This guide covers how to choose that position, then how to separate it from the seating area using a rug, a pendant light or a low sideboard rather than physical barriers. We explain how table shape changes circulation in a shared room, why round and oval tops suit busy family spaces, and how much clearance to leave behind chairs and around door swings. There is advice on keeping both zones visually related through a shared palette and balanced scale, plus storage strategies that stop the table becoming the room's dumping ground in daily use. There is guidance for awkward layouts too, including L shaped rooms, through lounges, bay windows and long narrow spaces where the position of the table decides whether the room feels open or crowded....

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How Much Space for a 6 Person Dining Table?
August 19, 2026

How Much Space for a 6 Person Dining Table?

Getting the space right for a six person dining table is mostly about clearance rather than the table itself. This guide sets out the measurements that matter, explains why 90cm around the table is the figure to work to, and shows how that changes on sides used only for seating. It compares rectangular, round and oval footprints, offers practical solutions for smaller UK rooms including benches and narrower tops, and covers extending tables for households that need six places only occasionally. There is also guidance on zoning a dining area in an open plan room and allowing for sideboards before you commit to a table size....

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How Far Should Dining Table Be from Wall?
August 19, 2026

How Far Should Dining Table Be from Wall?

A dining table should sit 90cm to 100cm from a wall where people are seated and walking past, dropping to 75cm only where nobody needs to pass behind the chairs. This guide breaks the figure down into chair depth, the distance a chair travels when someone sits down, and the width needed to walk behind an occupied seat. It covers the real world obstacles that reduce that gap, including radiators, skirting boards, sockets, window sills and inward opening doors, and explains why radiators deserve particular attention. There is guidance on tables placed deliberately against a wall, bench and banquette seating, drop leaf formats, clearances for sideboards, sofas and kitchen islands, and when an off centre table works better, plus a short FAQ....

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How Much Room Around a Dining Table?
August 18, 2026

How Much Room Around a Dining Table?

Allow around 100cm of clear space on every side of a dining table, reducing to 75cm only where nobody needs to walk past. This guide breaks that figure down into chair depth, the distance a chair travels when someone sits, and the width a person needs to pass behind an occupied seat. It explains why different sides of the same table need different clearances, gives worked room sizes for common table dimensions, and lists the fixed obstacles that quietly reduce usable space, including radiators, door swings and bay windows. There is guidance on how chair style and benches change the numbers, how to handle open plan layouts with sofas and kitchen islands, and a simple masking tape test to run before buying, plus a short FAQ....

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How Much Room Around a Dining Table?
August 18, 2026

How Much Room Around a Dining Table?

Allow around 100cm of clear space on every side of a dining table, reducing to 75cm only where nobody needs to walk past. This guide breaks that figure down into chair depth, the distance a chair travels when someone sits, and the width a person needs to pass behind an occupied seat. It explains why different sides of the same table need different clearances, gives worked room sizes for common table dimensions, and lists the fixed obstacles that quietly reduce usable space, including radiators, door swings and bay windows. There is guidance on how chair style and benches change the numbers, how to handle open plan layouts with sofas and kitchen islands, and a simple masking tape test to run before buying, plus a short FAQ....

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