Coffee Table Size Calculator: Length, Depth and Height
Enter the length of your sofa, its seat height and the floor space in front of it, and this calculator gives the coffee table length, depth and height that suit it, and where to put it. Check the depth as carefully as the length: a table can be the right length for the sofa and still block the route through the room.
Your sofa and your floor space
For a corner sofa, enter the length of the side the table faces. Seat height is from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. Space in front is from the front edge of the seat to whatever stands opposite: a media unit, an armchair, a fireplace hearth or a wall.
How the calculator works
For length it uses the most common rule of thumb: a rectangular or oval coffee table of about two thirds the length of the sofa, and no shorter than about half. That leaves a clear stretch at each end so the table looks in proportion and people at either end can still reach it. A round or square table has no long side, so it aims for about half the sofa length, between 60 and 120 cm.
For depth it starts from the space in front of the sofa. It keeps 45 cm between the front of the seat and the table, inside the 40 to 50 cm range usually recommended for legroom while leaving the table within reach. On the far side it keeps 75 cm for a main walkway, 45 cm for an armchair or a route that is only used now and then, and 30 cm in front of a media unit so the doors and drawers still open. Whatever is left is the deepest table that fits. If that falls short, it checks again with 40 cm of legroom and the far gap cut to 60, 40 or 25 cm, and tells you the result is tight.
For height it aims for a table top level with the seat cushions or up to 5 cm below them, which is the range most often quoted. A low table under a high seat means stooping for a cup; a table higher than the seat looks bulky from across the room.
These are working rules rather than regulations. Mark the size on the floor with masking tape or a flattened cardboard box, sit down and walk past it before you order.
Before you buy
- Check the clear height under the table if you want to slide a footstool or storage baskets underneath.
- Round off the corners in a tight room. An oval or round table of the same footprint is easier to walk past, and kinder to shins in a home with small children.
- Size the rug with the table. Our rug size calculator works out a rug that sits under the front legs of the sofa and frames the table.
- Planning the whole room? See small living room design ideas and our guide to living room interior design, and set a spend with the furniture budget calculator.
The Folio
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