Fit tools
Living Room Solver
Enter your room, doors, window, sofa, chairs and TV. Get the layouts that pass every clearance check, with the viewing distance and the TV size each one suits.
Loading the Living Room Solver…
How it checks
Every layout is tested, not guessed
01 — Fit
Inside the room, no overlaps
Every piece sits inside your walls without touching another piece, the door’s swing or the landing in front of a second doorway.
02 — Use
Room to sit and watch
Knee room between the sofa and coffee table, seats close enough to talk, and the TV centered across from the sofa and clear of the window.
03 — Move
A path that connects
A walking route from the door reaches the seats, every chair, the TV and any second doorway at the width you pick.
This is a planning model, not a guarantee. Measure your real room, and check what it doesn’t model: outlets and cable runs, radiators, side tables and lamps.
How to use it
- Enter the room’s inside size, wall to wall. Width is the top and bottom walls on the plan; length is the side walls.
- Place the door and the window by where they start along their wall. Add a second doorway if the room opens to a hall or kitchen.
- Pick your sofa and chairs, then edit the sizes to match what you own or plan to buy.
- Choose a clearance level. Standard (30″ paths) suits most homes; Minimum is for very small rooms; Roomy for wheelchairs, walkers or busy households.
- Compare the layouts. Each card shows the distance from your seat to the TV, the gap between the coffee table and the TV, and the space past each end of the sofa.
Want to see finished plans first? The Living Room Layout Library has solved layouts for seven common sizes, from 10×12 to 12×15, worked out with this same solver.
The numbers behind it
These are the rules every layout has to pass. Nothing is relaxed silently: if a room fails, the solver says which check failed and tests changes that would fix it.
| Check | Minimum · Standard · Roomy | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Walkways from the door | 24″ · 30″ · 36″ | Houzz gives 30–48″ for main routes and 24″ for minor ones; Homes & Gardens gives 30–36″, or 24″ in tight rooms. |
| Sofa to coffee table | 14″ · 16″ · 18″ | Houzz, Homes & Gardens and Ballard Designs all give 14–18″. |
| Seats close enough to talk | Within 8′ | Houzz: seats no more than 8 feet apart. |
| Sofa against a wall | 4″ gap | Homes & Gardens: 3–5″ behind the sofa. |
| Sofa floated off a wall | A walkway behind it | The path behind gets the same width as the other walkways. |
| Door swing | Kept clear | A square as wide as the door stays free of furniture. |
How it arranges the furniture
- The TV goes on the wall the sofa faces, centered on the sofa. It can shift up to 18″ to stay on the wall, and the layout card says when it does.
- The coffee table sits centered in front of the sofa. With a sectional, it tucks in beside the chaise.
- Armchairs face the coffee table from its ends. With the TV turned off, chairs can also sit across from the sofa.
- The TV console never covers a window. A screen in front of glass fights glare and blocks the light.
- Viewing distance is measured from your head, about 18″ in front of the sofa back, to a screen about 4″ off the wall.
Starting sizes
| Piece | Starting size | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Loveseat | 60×34 | Most are 52–66″ long (Wayfair) |
| Apartment sofa | 68×34 | Under 70″ long (Wayfair) |
| Sofa | 84×37 | 71–86″ long; 84″ is the most common (Wayfair) |
| Sectional | 96″ with a 32×65 chaise | A chaise is 60–72″ long (Wayfair) |
| Armchair | 32×32 | 26–40″ wide and deep (Castlery) |
| Coffee table | 48×24 with a sofa | About two-thirds the sofa’s length (Wayfair) |
| TV console | 60×16 | Change it to match yours |
The TV size it suggests
Each layout lists the standard TV sizes that fill 30–40° of your view from the sofa. SMPTE suggests about 30° for everyday viewing; THX about 40° for movies. From 10′ away, 30° takes a 74″ screen, so the suggestions run large. A smaller TV is fine: it just fills less of your view. For a closer look, use the TV Size Calculator.
What it doesn’t check
- Side tables, lamps, rugs, plants and floor speakers.
- Outlets, cable runs and where the TV can be mounted.
- Radiators, vents, fireplaces and window sill heights.
- Which side the door is hinged on. It assumes the door swings fully into the room.
- Two sofas facing each other. For that layout, see two sofas facing each other.
Questions people ask
Why does it suggest such a big TV?
The 30–40° range comes from SMPTE and THX, and it assumes you want the screen to fill your view. In a 12′ room you sit about 10′ from the screen, and 30° from there is a 74″ screen. Many people choose smaller, and that works; the picture just looks smaller from the sofa.
Can I plan an open-plan living area?
Yes. Enter the living zone as if it had walls, then add the main walkway as a second doorway on its open side. The solver will keep a path from the door to it.
Why won’t it put the TV in front of my window?
A screen in front of glass fights glare in the day and blocks the light. If your only TV wall has a window, mount the TV beside it, or turn the TV off in the solver to see seating layouts on their own.
Does it save my room?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Use “Print this plan” to keep a copy.
Sources
- How to Get Your Furniture Arrangement Right (Houzz)
- A guide to living room clearances, measurements and spacing (Homes & Gardens)
- How to space furniture in your room (Ballard Designs)
- Sofa dimensions: how to choose the right size (Wayfair)
- How to measure for a sectional (Wayfair)
- Coffee table size guide (Wayfair)
- Guide to choosing the perfect armchair (Castlery)
- Optimum HDTV viewing distance (Wikipedia, citing SMPTE and THX)
Fix My Room
Still stuck? Send us your room.
Share your measurements and the furniture you want to fit. Some rooms get solved right here as new layout guides.