One underappreciated part of putting together a look for your home is getting the right amount of space between furniture. Too little space and your room will feel cramped. Too much, and the room feels awkward.
Different kinds of furniture will have their own space needs, especially if they have drawers you need to pull out. Also, you’ll need to adjust that space based on the size of the room. You want your walkways somewhat sized to the room they are in.
This article is intended to show you the basics of how much space you’ll want between pieces of furniture. By the end of it, you should have a better understanding of this underappreciated interior design issue.
In This Article We'll Discuss
How Much Space Do You Need for a Walkway Between Furniture?
A good rule of thumb is that you’ll want about two feet of space for your walkways between furniture. There are some adjustments you’ll want to make depending on the needs for your particular piece of furniture or the size of the room, but two feet is a good rule of thumb.
In addition, you’ll want to make adjustments depending on the size of the room. Also, some furniture will need extra space so that you can comfortably pull out drawers. Other pieces of furniture, like a chair at a table, will need less space.
Additionally, you should leave at least an inch of space between the back of furniture and the wall. This will help prevent the two from rubbing against each other and causing damage.
How Much Space Do You Need to Walk Around a Table?
In general, you’ll want approximately two feet of space around your furniture so that people can walk around the room. One piece of furniture that doesn’t follow that rule is a table at which people sit. In those cases, you’ll want space not only to walk around the table but also for the people seated at the table.
A good rule is to provide an extra foot of space behind the chairs so that people can comfortably move their chairs around while they’re seated. Therefore, you should leave three feet of space between the edge of a table and any walls the table is near.
How Much Space Do You Need Around a Dresser?
Two feet is a good amount of space to leave so you can comfortably walk around furniture. However, you may wonder if you need to leave more space around a dresser to make room for the drawers.
But, the truth is that two feet is a good amount of space to leave around a dresser. You might need to adjust if your drawers are extra-large, but if they are normal size, two feet should be plenty of space.
How Much Space Do You Need Around a Sofa?
When deciding how much space to leave around your sofa, you’ll want to keep in mind that sofas are among the biggest pieces of furniture in your home. It won’t just be a matter of getting around it comfortably, this decision will also have a visual effect.
Too little space around couches will make the entire room look uneven and cramped. Since there are so many different designs and sizes of sofas, you’ll need to use trial and error to get the sofa space looking right.
How Much Space Between a Sofa and a Loveseat?
If you have a sofa and a loveseat in the same room, chances are they are near each other. In fact, they might even share a table. If that’s the case, there are two measurements you’ll need to take.
First, you’ll want at least 22 inches between the two pieces of furniture. If you have the space, 24 inches is a good rule of thumb for all walkways around furniture. Or, if you have a coffee table in between the two, you’ll need at least a foot of space between the pieces of furniture and the coffee table.
How Much Space Do You Need Around a Coffee Table?
Coffee tables are a bit different when it comes to furniture. You’ll want to leave the usual amount of space to walk around it if you’re not using it. But, if you’re sitting on the sofa with the coffee table in front of you, two feet is too much for comfortable use.
Depending on the shape and design of your sofa, you should leave between 12 and 18 inches of space. The more slouch a sofa has, the closer it should be to the coffee table. The more upright it keeps you, the closer it should be.
How Much Space Do You Need Around an Accent Chair?
Accent chairs are useful pieces of furniture for pulling a room together. However, you don’t want them to draw too much attention. So, it’s important to know how to space them correctly.
Use the two-foot rule when creating walkway space around accent chairs. But, if you have two of them next to each other, expand that to 42 inches. That will provide enough space between the two for a small table they can share.
How Much Space Should You Have Between Furniture in a Small vs Medium vs Large Room?
The two-foot rule exists not to accommodate the size of a room, but to provide an adult person enough space to comfortably move through a room. So, the two-foot rule should be followed regardless of whether the room is large or small.
Of course, you might need to adjust it a little depending on the size of your room. However, an even more important aspect is if the walkway in question is a major entrance to important places like front doors or the stairs.
Conclusion
Getting the right amount of space around a piece of furniture is a delicate balancing act. If there’s too little space, your room will seem cramped and uncomfortable. If there’s too much space, your furniture will look lost and small.
Ideally, most furniture will require about two feet of space around it. That figure will differ depending on the size of your room and the particular kind of furniture, but that’s a good rough estimate of how much space you’ll want.
We hope you feel better informed about how to figure out how much space you need between pieces of furniture in your home. If you do, feel free to leave a comment letting us know. You can also share this article on your social media networks.