Where to Put the Sofa? (Pop Quiz Week!)

How do decorators decide where to put the sofa? It's a Pop Quiz Week question! We’ll walk through some easy steps to help you place your sofa in your room.
The Roominess Channel gives you straightforward steps to an inviting home.
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[@laurabfig]

Great video! My living room will look better because of this!

[@roominesstv]

Thanks Laura!

[@homeandgardendiy6363]

Bite-size, but as good as a full meal. 🙂 Great tips and illustrations, Doug. Thank you!

[@roominesstv]

Thanks again for watching, Cara!

[@homeandgardendiy6363]

Sure thing, Doug. Glad to see you back. Thought maybe something was wrong. Looking forward to the next vid!

[@adelatorre89]

I only have one focal point a huge window adjacent to the entry door and 3 walls. Where do I place my sofa?

[@roominesstv]

Sorry for the delay! If I'm reading you correctly, the home's main entrance comes into the living room on the same wall as the picture window and there are three other blank walls. Assuming the sofa could fit comfortably in any direction, all your options are open except the window wall. So here's a question - do you want to create more of a separation between the entry and the living room? You could do that with your sofa and a sofa table behind it to create a hallway-like effect when you enter the front door. If you don't have enough floorspace to give up for that, I think the most natural position is across from the window, floated out from your wall at least three inches. You can float out more if your floor plan is bigger.
With either of those options, you can create a secondary focal point on the wall adjacent to the picture window, opposite the entry door. Then your sofa is in a position to take in both the window and secondary focal point. That could be art, a bookcase or display shelves, a TV, or some combination of those!

[@joycehall4646]

A question : is it okay to have your sofa facing the kitchen?

[@roominesstv]

Hi Joyce! Sorry I didn't catch your question sooner. With so many open plan spaces these days, it's easy to run into your situation. The best placement for a sofa may very well be facing a kitchen, closet doors, a hallway, or something else that's less than ideal. I would say you're probably fine to face your sofa toward the kitchen.
That said, with your kitchen practically in your living room, try to make the two rooms feel like they belong together. Find places for everything in the kitchen to be put away (ideally nearest to the place that you use it). Then take five minutes every day and put things back where they go. That can make a world of difference! If you have a large decorative accessory (I mean basketball size) that can be on your counter and visible from the living room, it can help your kitchen feel like it's part of your decor, rather than a utility room that's open to the living room. A bouquet of cut flowers on the counter every now and then is delightful!
I hope that helps. Thanks for the comment!