A sofa that does not fit the room is a disappointment. A sofa that does not fit the route to the room is a return, a collection and a wait. The second happens far more often, and every part of it is avoidable with a tape measure and ten minutes.
It matters more here than at a shop with its own delivery fleet. Large pieces are delivered to your doorstep at a time agreed in advance, and room-of-choice placement is an extra service rather than the default — which is part of why the prices are what they are. So the route from the front door to the room is yours to plan, and these five measurements are how you plan it.
The five measurements
One: the narrowest doorway on the route, measured between the frames with the door open — and if the door can come off its hinges, measure again without it, which often gains 4cm.
Two: the doorway's diagonal. A sofa goes through a door on its side more often than upright, and the diagonal of the opening is bigger than its width. Measure corner to corner.
Three: the hallway width at its tightest point, including the radiator, and the height of the ceiling where the stairs turn.
Four: the stairwell turn. Stand at the bottom and measure from the inside corner of the turn to the wall opposite. This is where sofas stop.
Five: the sofa itself, in three dimensions plus its own diagonal — the depth measured corner to corner across the frame, which is the number that has to clear the door.
The sofas, measured
The three-seaters are the ones to check carefully. The Wadborough 3 Seater Sofa in Neutral is 228cm long, 102cm deep and 68cm high. The Himbleton Green 3 Seater Sofa is 218 × 88 × 82cm. The Candover Neutral Upholstered Sofa is 210.5 × 98 × 84.5cm.
Note which number is the problem. Length rarely stops a sofa: it goes down a hallway lengthways. Depth does. A 102cm-deep sofa turned on its side needs an opening that clears 102cm on the diagonal, and a standard UK internal door is 76cm wide by 198cm tall — a diagonal of about 212cm, which clears it, and a 90-degree turn in a 90cm hallway which may not.
If the route will not take a three-seater
Two armchairs seat as many people as a small sofa, go through anything, and can be placed apart. The Mickleton Cream Chenille Armchair is 76 × 66 × 79cm, the Kington Grey Club Chair 70 × 62 × 81cm, the Zephra White Armchair 79 × 67 × 78cm and the Vellis Blue Wingback Armchair 76 × 84 × 101cm. All four clear a standard doorway without turning.
It is also worth measuring for what the room needs rather than what the room can hold. Leave 40cm to 45cm between the sofa and the coffee table, and 75cm for a walkway behind it. A 228cm sofa in a 3.5m room is generous; in a 3m room it is the room's only feature.
Seating without the bulk
The Rutland Rectangular Bench is 160cm long, 40cm deep and 45cm high, which seats two or three at a pinch and slides against a wall or under a window when it is not needed. In a small sitting room, or at the end of a bed, it is the piece that adds seating without adding a sofa — and it goes up any staircase in the country.
