4 Ways to Arrange Your Recliner Sofa

Arranging your furniture properly is an important step for creating a fluid and comfortable living space. If you have a recliner sofa, you have to take into account the size and shape when arranging it. Your reclining sofa will likely be the focal point of the room, so it should sit where it is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

When arranging your recliner sofa, you will need to take into account the room it is in, the available space, and the other items of furniture that also must go in the room. Fortunately, there are several ways to arrange your furniture so that you get the most out of it. Read on to learn four ways to arrange your recliner sofa. 

Organize Your Recliner Sofa to Maximize Function

Consider the room where your recliner sofa will go. Your recliner sofa should fit in well with the room. For example, if the room is large and spacious, you will need a recliner sofa that fits proportionately in the room. However, if your room is quite small, you do not want your recliner sofa to dwarf the room. 

You will need to answer a few questions about the room so you can choose the right recliner sofa arrangement for you. 

• What room will house your recliner sofa?
• How does your family use that room?
• What other focal points exist in the room?

If your sofa is going in a cozy den or a reading area, arrange it in a corner where it will be tucked in and comfortable. If your family will share the recliner sofa for group hangouts or movie nights, arrange it so that there is plenty of open space for people to sit and chat. 

Recliner sofas, just like sofas, come in all kinds of fabrics and styles that enhance the function of a room. Arranging your recliner sofa based on how you want a room to function will save you many headaches. 

Arrange Your Recliner Sofa Around Focal Points

If you arrange your recliner sofa in the main living room, you might have other focal points to take into account. Most living rooms feature a large TV. Others include a fireplace. Your recliner sofa will need to share the focus of the room without causing clutter or distraction. It can also highlight other items in the room.

• Arrange your recliner sofa to highlight the TV. Place your sofa facing the TV, centered and parallel to your TV. Depending on the size of the room, you can arrange your recliner sofa in the middle of the room or back near a wall. 
• Arrange your recliner sofa to highlight the fireplace. Similar to the TV arrangement, you can center your sofa in the room facing the fireplace. If your room is small, you can set the sofa near a wall while still allowing it to face the fireplace. 
• Arrange your recliner to be the focal point in the room. If you want your recliner sofa to be the focal point, arrange it in such a way that your eyes are drawn to it rather than the TV or other components in the room. Arrange the recliner sofa in the center of the room with a rug, coffee table, and side tables surrounding it.

Keep in mind that if you place your recliner sofa near a wall, it needs to have plenty of room to lean backward in the reclined position without hitting the wall. If your recliner sofa is too close to the wall, it will not recline properly. Additionally, reclining into the wall can damage your wall.

Your recliner sofa will likely be the largest piece of furniture in the room. You should not attempt to arrange your recliner sofa in a way that will hide it. This will only look awkward and disjointed. However, you can arrange your recliner sofa so that it does not eat up all of the room’s space and focus. 

Balance Other Furniture Around Your Recliner Sofa

If your recliner sofa is the largest piece of furniture in the room, you should arrange it first before incorporating additional seating. The best way to do this is by centering your recliner sofa and then adding even elements on either side. 

• Place your recliner sofa in the center of the room, facing in the direction of your desired focal point. If you want to incorporate a rug with the recliner sofa, you can put the sofa on top of a large rug or add a rug in front of the sofa. 
• Place a love seat on one side of the recliner sofa to create an “L” shape. Place another love seat, two armchairs, or a chaise lounge on the other side of your recliner sofa to create equal weight on either side of the recliner sofa.
• Place a coffee table in front of the recliner sofa and add side tables on each side. These side tables will be useful for people sitting on the recliner sofa as well as the loveseats or armchairs next to it.

The above arrangement is best suited for a large room where you have multiple types of seating available. Not everyone has two love seats or a loveseat and an armchair, though. If you want to balance furniture around your recliner sofa but you do not have all of the seating mentioned above, that is possible too.

First, choose a recliner sofa designed as a sectional. This will give you extra weight on one side of the recliner sofa. You will need to center your recliner sofa in the room facing your desired focal point. Add a side table to each end of the recliner sofa. Then, add your loveseat or armchair on the side of your recliner sofa opposite the sectional cushion. 

Give Your Recliner Sofa Enough Space

The main selling point of your recliner sofa is that it reclines. When arranging your living space, keep in mind that your recliner sofa will need ample space to recline backward. Recline your sofa all the way back to its lowest position and measure how much distance you need between it and any adjacent walls or decorations. 

However, you need space in between your different items of furniture, as well. Do not stuff your room so full of furniture that you and your family cannot comfortably walk through the area. Cluttered furniture not only looks bad, but it is inconvenient for daily life and it can even present dangerous tripping hazards. 

When you arrange your recliner sofa alongside other seating, allow enough space between each so that people who sit down have enough room to spread out without feeling claustrophobic or stuffy. A good rule when arranging furniture is to allow for at least 18 inches between each item of furniture. 

How Do I Organize My Recliner Sofa?

The best way to organize your recliner sofa is through precise measurement and mapping. It is impossible to accurately imagine your recliner sofa in your room until you actually get it in there. However, with measuring and mapping, you can get a very good idea of how much space your recliner sofa will encompass. 

• Measure your room dimensions before you purchase a recliner sofa so your new piece of furniture fits well in the space.
• Remove all possible furniture items from the room where your recliner sofa will sit. 
• Take accurate measurements of your recliner sofa and use painter’s tape or masking tape to create an outline of your recliner sofa on the floor of the room. This allows you to see exactly how much room your recliner sofa will take up.
• Measure other items of furniture and do the same. You can even pull the tape up and move it around the room to try different layouts until you find the one that you like best. 
• Move your furniture back into the room one item at a time based on the furniture map you created.

Recliner sofas are not as big and bulky as they once were. Now, you can organize your recliner sofa in a room so that it adds to the design and function without swallowing up the space.