Different Ways on How to Arrange Two Sofas in a Living Room

Last Updated on January 18, 2023

You can easily arrange living room furniture to bring out the best features in your room! It takes clever strategic placement of the sofas in your living room to enhance the space and features such as a fireplace or an elegant coffee table. Knowing how to position the sofas in your living room will also optimise the space available so that your room does not look sparse or overcrowded.

With this article, you can achieve a practical look, a cosy and comfortable aesthetic, or a relaxed, airy dynamic vibe by arranging the sofas differently. If you aim for the perfect living room, here are some tips on your space style.

Why Should You Have Two Sofas?

You may be wondering why you need two sofas.

More than one sofa allows a dynamic set-up that enables easier expression. The living room furniture arrangement can say a lot about the homeowner, and with two couches, you are open to more methods of expression.

Another reason to have two sofas is that one is not enough! If you have a pet, they love to snuggle on the couch. However, if you are trying to squeeze yourself, a pet (or multiple!), a partner, a child or lots of children onto one sofa, you may need more room.

Two sofas create space for entertaining guests or allow household members to stretch out and relax. The extra seating will ensure that there is always enough space for everyone.

This article will help you see how many couches your living room will need to create a stylish space.

How to Arrange Two Sofas in a Living Room – Different Methods

Whether you have matching couches or two different sofas made of various fabrics, arranging them to give the room more dimension and flaunt your interior design skills is important.

Here are some arrangement ideas that you can use to accentuate the room layout.

Method 1: The Conversational

This first type of arrangement is ideal if you find yourself entertaining guests regularly. If you are the chatty and conversational type, having your two sofas opposite each other is probably your best bet. In this way, you can chat easily without facing away from each other because the positioning is very direct.

You should place the two sofas facing at least three feet between them to achieve this style. You could further enhance the space by placing a rug or a coffee table or having both of these in between the two couches. The symmetry of this style helps to create a uniform and neat sofa arrangement.

Having identical sofas would be a good idea with this type of arrangement. This would enhance the symmetry in both shape and colour.

The Conversational Method works well if you have a large living room because the two sofas would create a focal point to attract attention. As sofas are usually presentable features, it is nice to showcase them. Also, you can open up the space around the room’s edges with a large living room by placing the two couches centrally and away from the walls. This will make the room feel less sparse and more comfortable.

If you have a fireplace, you could place the two sofas facing each other on either side of the fireplace to bring the living room’s focus to this exceptional feature. The fireplace can be a great focal point and excellent at creating a homey atmosphere. So why not add a few blankets to your sofas to further enhance the atmosphere?

Method 2: The Right-Angle, or the L-Shape

This next type of sofa layout is excellent for making your seating area appear cosy and intimate. The L-shaped furniture layout could be placed against one of the walls or further into the living room to maximise the space’s use.

If you have large parties, the sofas in the living room may need to be placed at a right angle to have more floor space in the centre. If you arrange the two couches, you can use the wide-open space for dancing or entertaining during a party. Alternatively, you could use the open space created to position an area rug. The positioning of the two couches around the rug would bring the focal point to concentrate on the wonderful accessory. Add end tables to sharpen the corners of the design.

Also, if you have a TV in your living room, placing the two sofas in the L-shaped arrangement allows all seating points a good line of sight to the TV. If you often have movie nights on your flat screen, the L-sectional sofa style will be one of the best options.

In a small living room, you might place these two couches close together so that the arms of the couches are almost touching. This can generate a cosy, intimate effect. Alternatively, if you have a large living space, then you might want to place the two couches at a wide angle. You could even have three couches shaped in U if you have lots of room, increasing intimacy further.

Method 3: The Back-To-Back Stance

You should only use this sofa arrangement if you have a huge living space to fill. The Back-to-Back Stance will work very effectively in grand, tall-ceiling rooms. This layout works by having the two couches facing opposite ways – or in other words, back-to-back.

After placing the sofas facing opposite ways, pull them out slightly to create a gap in the middle. Place a thin accent table in between and add a grand floral display on the table. This will produce an impressive central feature to your living room. You could even add two lamps or two smaller bouquets at opposite ends of the accent table.

If you have more space than the average household, this is a fantastic way to use the living room size to its potential. Optionally, you could add more couches or armchairs, chaise longues, massage chairs, or pouffes to either side of the arrangement to create two separate living spaces.

Method 4: The Flexible

We are changing it from the usual two identical sofas for this style. Instead, this style features two different couches made of different materials. This could mean having a leather sofa, microfiber sofa, or even suede sofa! You don’t always need matching sofas to pull off an expertly designed living room.

As long as you have complementary colours, two different sofas in a living room should work well. The idea of this arrangement is to generate a nest-like appearance, so it pairs well with lots of blankets and cushions. You could add footstools and a long-haired rug, too. A fireplace is an excellent feature to finalise the homey atmosphere.

With this design, you can place the two different sofas at a wide-angle or varying angle; you could have one couch face an accessory, such as a TV or a fireplace, and then the other couch at a diagonal shelter the space. Arrange additional chairs to eventually make a circular or U-shaped arrangement with the seating layout.

Ensure flexibility with this arrangement by placing chairs and the two sofas in easily movable positions. That way, you can arrange the room according to function. If you are having a party, you can move the seating to the room’s edges. If it is movie night, you can move the seating to a tighter formation. This is what we call the flexible approach.

How to Arrange Two Sofas in a Living Room – Some Tips

Now, the sofas in your living room can be placed in different ways, as this article has shown. However, the accessories around the living room are important with the two couches. Here are some tips for arranging them in your living room.

The Rug

An area rug is a perfect addition to your living room. The floor is instantly elevated with a cosy feel that you can resist dipping your feet into.

We recommend using rugs in large spaces. If you have a very large rug, all the chairs and sofas in your living room should be positioned on top of the rug. Try to keep them all on the rug without any legs poking off the edge.

Alternatively, you could also opt for spreading the furniture out so that the sofas are half on the rug and half off. This style enables the room to feel more open and airy.

The bottom line, having a rug is especially effective in a square-shaped living room. The square corners will produce a uniform, symmetrical layout, especially if you have a sofa facing the other.

The Wall

If you place your sofas close to a wall, you should leave at least 10 centimetres of space. This will protect your sofas and walls from being marked by any movement when you use the sofa.

Some living rooms achieve an open design by moving the couches further from the wall. You can section the room by having one sofa against the wall and the other creating a divide in the space: this is another version of the L-shaped arrangement.

Happy Designing!

Are you excited to redesign and rearrange your living room?

Your perfect living room is now ready to happen. Living rooms can be quite tricky to design, especially with all the ways you can do it. Hopefully, this article has helped you decide on a way that would suit your living room best by confirming ideas you already had or giving you new ones to think about!

Do you have other ideas on how to arrange two sofas in a living room you want to share? We would like to know your thoughts! Share your comments below.