Fit tools
Living Room Layout Library
Solved layouts for seven common living room sizes, from 10×12 to 12×15. Pick your size to see which sofa, chairs and TV fit, with every clearance checked.
10×12 living room
120 sq ft. An 84″ sofa, TV and one chair, in one layout.
11×12 living room
132 sq ft. A sofa and one chair, or a loveseat with two.
11×13 living room
143 sq ft. A sofa and chair two ways; a sectional and chair once.
12×12 living room
144 sq ft. A sofa and chair three ways; two chairs need a shorter sofa.
12×14 living room
168 sq ft. The smallest for an 84″ sofa, two chairs and a TV at 30″ paths.
12×15 living room
180 sq ft. A sectional with an armchair, three ways.
13×13 living room
169 sq ft. A sofa and two chairs two ways; a sectional and chair three.
Short answer
12×14 for a sofa and two chairs With 30″ walkways and the TV across from the sofa, an 84″ sofa, a coffee table and one armchair fit from 10×12 up. Two armchairs with that sofa start at 12×14. A 96″ sectional fits every size on its own, and with an armchair from 11×13, except in a 12×12.
10×12
sofa, TV and one chair
12×14
sofa, TV and two chairs
11×13
sectional, TV and a chair
Every layout in the library was solved by the engine behind our Living Room Solver. For each room size we tried four sofas, from a 60″ loveseat to a 96″ sectional, with zero to two armchairs, at three clearance settings, with and without a TV, plus different door, window and second-doorway positions. More than 1,000 combinations in all. Each page shows the layouts that pass and what changes the answer.
What fits, size by size
| Room | Sq ft | Sofa + TV | + 1 chair | + 2 chairs | Sectional + chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10×12 | 120 | Fits | Fits | No | Minimum only |
| 11×12 | 132 | Fits | Fits | Apartment sofa | Minimum only |
| 11×13 | 143 | Fits | Fits | Apartment sofa | Fits |
| 12×12 | 144 | Fits | Fits | Apartment sofa | Minimum only |
| 12×14 | 168 | Fits | Fits | Fits | Fits |
| 12×15 | 180 | Fits | Fits | Fits | Fits |
| 13×13 | 169 | Fits | Fits | Fits | Fits |
How to use the library
- Find your size. Rooms are rarely exact; if yours is 11′ 4″ × 12′ 9″, read the 11×12 page and expect a little more room.
- Check the doors. Each page says what changed when we moved the door or added a second doorway. A second doorway usually costs a chair.
- Solve your exact room. Different doors, windows or furniture? The Living Room Solver takes your measurements and checks the same clearances.
The clearances we checked
These are the numbers behind every verdict on this page. Each has three settings, minimum, standard and roomy; the layouts above use standard.
24″ · 30″ · 36″
Walkways from the door
14″ · 16″ · 18″
Sofa to coffee table
24″
In front of the TV
8 ft
Seats close enough to talk
full arc
Door swing, kept clear
The sofa-to-table gap stays in the 14–18″ range every guide we checked gives; armchairs keep the same gap to the end of the table. The walkway is checked on a floor grid, so a layout fails if any seat or the TV can only be reached by squeezing past furniture.
Measure this first
- Wall to wall in two places: rooms are rarely perfectly square.
- Every doorway, which way each door swings, and where people walk through.
- Window widths and sill heights, and any radiator or vent below them.
- Where the TV outlet and cable come in.
- Your sofa’s outside size, arms included, and the chaise length on a sectional.
- The way in: hallway, stairs and doors the sofa has to pass. Will It Fit Through? checks them.
Questions people ask
What’s the smallest living room for a sofa, a chair and a TV?
In our tests, 10×12: one layout, with an 84″ sofa on a 10′ wall, the TV on the other and the chair at the sofa’s open end.
What size living room fits a sofa and two armchairs?
With an 84″ sofa, a TV and 30″ walkways, 12×14 is the smallest we tested, then 13×13 and 12×15. With a 68″ apartment sofa or a 60″ loveseat, 11×12 works. At the minimum setting, an 11×13 also takes the 84″ sofa and two chairs.
Will a sectional fit in a small living room?
On its own, a 96″ sectional with a 65″ chaise fits every size here, from 10×12 up. With an armchair too, 11×13 and larger, except 12×12, where the chair comes up about an inch short at the standard setting.
How big a TV for a small living room?
From the sofa in most of these layouts you sit 8′ 10″ to 10′ 10″ from the screen. SMPTE’s 30° everyday target takes a 65–80″ TV at those distances. A smaller TV works; it fills less of your view. The TV Size Calculator shows the angle for yours.
Solve your exact room
The Living Room Solver takes your room, doors, window, sofa, chairs and TV, and finds the layouts that pass every clearance check.
Related: Bedroom Layout Library · Layouts for sectionals · Rug Size Calculator · TV Size Calculator
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)
- Optimum HDTV viewing distance (Wikipedia, citing SMPTE and THX)
- How to measure for a sectional (Wayfair)
- Guide to choosing the perfect armchair (Castlery)