I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes when buying furniture and accessories. Most of them had to do with choosing something that wasn’t the right scale for my space (the ginormous “Dr. Spock” chair that I bought for the small family room in our first house comes to mind…). Luckily, I’ve since figured out some tried and true tips that make it easy to get it right. So if you’re shopping for your family or living room and wondering how high your end tables should be or how large a rug you should buy, check out these must-have tips! (post contains some affiliate links – disclosure statement available {here})
What size coffee table should I use with my sofa?
- The ideal height for a coffee table is the height of the sofa’s seat cushions or 1-2″ lower
- The perfect length for a coffee table is 2/3 the length of the sofa
- Position the coffee table so that there’s about 16-18″ of space between the sofa and coffee table
Favorite Coffee Tables (use arrows to scroll left and right):
How high should my living room end tables be?
- Side/end tables should ideally be within 2″ of a sofa’s arm height. My personal preference is for them to be 1-2″ lower than the sofa arm.
- Side tables should be no deeper than the depth of the sofa
How tall should a console table be when it’s placed behind a sofa?
- Console tables behind a sofa should be the same height as the back of the sofa or up to 1-3″ lower
How large of a rug should I choose for my room?
- Area rugs should be large enough that at least two legs of each furniture piece are on the rug.
- For rugs that cover most of the room, a good rule of thumb is to leave between 12-18″ of bare floor between the edge of the rug and the walls of the room. For small rooms, you may wish to leave less bare floor while for especially large rooms you may wish to leave more.
And what about hanging art? Those tips are worthy of a post all their own – you’ll find all of my rule of thumb measurements for hanging art {here}.
So do you have any furniture purchase regrets that rival my Dr. Spock chair? Dish it.
So many great tips -I’ve definitely had regrets and lived with living room chairs for 5 years that I didn’t like the minute they brought them in the house…happy Wednesday, Kris!
I lived with my “Dr. Spock” chairs for about that long too – glad it’s not just me 🙂
When I first started blogging six years ago, we had just moved into our house. Our playroom had a large accent wall and I found an idea on a well-known blogger’s page to hang a door on it. Well, my husband being helpful, hung the door one day when I was not home — and for some reason he always hangs prints way too high. So it was too high but it also was a chore to hang and I did not have the heart to ask him to move it.
So I emailed the blogger a photo and thanked her for the idea to hang the door. She responded and asked me if she could feature the door on her blog as a part of a do’s/don’ts post. I said sure — and then she wrote a not very flattering nor nice blog entry about our door. Considering I was brand new and she was a big name, I left it alone but it was sort of mortifying and disheartening.
The good news is a year or so later, we moved the couch to that wall and suddenly the door was at the perfect height. And it taught me a valuable lesson about how to treat commenters/fellow bloggers, regardless of whether they have 10,000 followers or 10.
I can see why you would be hurt by that. Good on you for using it as a learning experience – and ensuring you offered others more respect than you were given 🙂
Oh my gosh Katie, that is terrible and so offensive!! How she possibly could have thought that was right is beyond me!! But I like your take-away and am glad that you are turning that experience into a positive in your life (and in blogging).
Katie, I’m so sorry that you had that experience. How completely rude and short-sighted it was for the blogger to do that to you. I love that you’ve taken the total opposite approach. Bloggers are part of a small community and I couldn’t agree more that whether you’re a new blogger or a seasoned pro, everyone in that community (along with those outside of it like our readers) should be treated respectfully. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Brilliant post!
Thank you – glad you found it helpful!
Great post and very helpful.
Thanks Taylor!
Thanks for the awesowe post. I think I need to measure some things!
We moved into a new home 3 years ago and I never considered the height of the side tables (in relation to the arm of the sofa) in my family room. They are a little too high and we knock our funny bones on them when reaching for a drink or the remote. Not cool!
*awesome
I’ve been there, done that too Tammy! Years ago I had an end table in our living room that was too high and it drove me crazy. The funny thing is that it was a trained interior designer who recommended it to me – I never understood how she got that so wrong!
The only furniture mistake that really stands our for me was buying a desk chair with cheap fabric that wore out too quickly. Desk chairs, if you use they everyday need to be sturdy. Beautiful post.
I wish that I had you to consult with 15+ years ago – I made so, so many furniture mistakes! You’ve obviously done much better than me!
Great tips! I’m still drooling over that awesome star pod that you got!
Thanks Jennifer – my husband doesn’t understand why I’m so enamored by it. Glad you do 🙂
Great round-up Kris! Glad I followed most of these rules without even knowing! I guess these details all boil down to comfort and what really should be comfortable to you right?
You have such a great eye Vel that you probably do all of this naturally without having to get out your tape measure!
Fabulous post and so many wonderful tips. Love the suggestions for hanging art. Too high is one of my pet peeves.
Me too Marty – it drives me nuts when art is hung too high!
Awesome collection of tips, Kris! Love your pretty styling, too!
Thanks Pam – my side table needs some work but my living room is slowly getting there…
Kris your guides are so helpful….thank you for pulling together all these rules of thumb!! And I love your leather ottoman coffee table by the way!
Thanks Lisa – we’ve had it for a while now and were so lucky that it fit our new space well!
I’ve been looking for a coffee table like yours… Where can I find one of good quality? Thanks in advance!
Sorry for the late reply! My coffee table is made by Lee Industries – if you go on their website you can search for local stores that sell their products. I love this shape of ottoman because it works as well at the foot of a bed as it does in a family room.
i SO picked the wrong size rug for my living room and i regret it! where were you then? 😉
Ha! I’ve been there, done that too!
Kris this post is so helpful. To be honest, i bought a Restoration Hardware couch at the outlet before we relocated and it’s too big for our new home. Sad because of the investment. But i learned a few things from that couch. First, I’ll never buy a down couch again (flattens too much) and second, I’ll never buy a piece of furniture for a new home before we’re in it–no matter how great a deal it is.
BTW–i read Katie’s comment and i feel so bad thinking about how she was treated by that ‘big’ blogger. I’m so glad she shared it here so she can continue to get supportive feedback.
xo
Leslie
That’s such a bummer Leslie. I couldn’t agree more about waiting to buy furniture until after you’ve moved in too. I bought a beautiful console a few weeks before we moved to this house thinking that I had the perfect spot for it but then it didn’t work at all and I had to sell it a few weeks after moving in 🙂 So you’ve not alone…
Great tips, Kris. I am constantly measuring things around my house. I can usually tell when something doesn’t look quite right but it’s helpful to know the correct measurements as a guide!
Shelley
Using your eye is definitely the best best, right?! I find these rules most helpful for when I’m shopping for new furniture – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brought things home to try and realized that it was totally the wrong size for my space.
Awesome post! So informative and great examples, Kris. Thanks for breaking it down. By the way, you should turn this into a series: living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc. Would make a great reference guide. Enjoy the holiday weekend, xoxo
Thanks Loi! I’m planning to work my way around the house with more posts!
These posts are always so helpful! I am adding to my design tips Pinterest Board!
Thanks Cindy!
This suggestions are a treasure so thank you. Hoping you can give us your thoughts on appropriate chandelier size based on the size of the dining room and the table. Again, thank you!
Great tips! Exactly what I was taught in design school. I am excited about your idea for the series. I found you from Simple Details, so I am off to check out the rest of your blog.
Those are great tips , especially about the two legs of the couch on the rug . Your living room looks great !
I just found your website and am falling in love!! I am trying to figure out how to put large furniture in a small living room. My husband is 6’6″, so all the furniture I purchase has to “fit” him. We have a large movie sofa (108x40x48) and large man recliner (44x46x54). I am having trouble arranging them to “fit” the room.
Few…I passed with full marks…
What proportions do you suggest when buying a coffee table for a sectional?
Should a side tabe be on the area rug or the wood floor?
I need help asap! 🙁
Thanks!!
Bre Nono
Honestly it depends upon what else is going on in the room – most of the time I prefer for them to be on the rug!