A Designer's Guide to Choosing the Right Sofa for Your Space

Rip & Tan: What’s your approach to choosing a sofa for a space? What are the elements that you always consider?

Linnea Schooley: Scale, shape, and functionality are always key.

Rip & Tan: How does the room’s layout impact the sofa you choose? How do windows, walls, and other facets come into play?

Linnea Schooley: Take into account what you want the main focal points of a room to be. How do you want people to gather? Whether it’s a fireplace, a television, a beautiful piece of art, or a window, make sure every seat has a view and is catered to the way you aim to use the space.

I also think it’s important to think about how you want the room to flow. Keep in mind points of entry as well as how pieces of furniture will relate to each other.

Rip & Tan: What are the proponents of a sectional? How about a classic sofa paired with accent chairs?

Linnea Schooley: As a general rule of thumb, sectionals are great for more casual seating areas where everyone will want to face the same direction for the most part (i.e. toward the TV), and classic sofas paired with accent chairs are great for conversational areas where you will want people to face one another.

As a designer, I always will prefer a sofa with accent chairs because you can create more interest with different pieces, but sometimes you just need a big cozy sectional to binge bad TV on.

Rip & Tan: How does scale come into play?

Linnea Schooley: If you’re able to tape out your furniture before ordering, that is ideal because scale is a huge factor in making your home feel cozy and well-designed. When the scale is off, it can throw off the whole room.

Give yourself enough space for a decent walkway in the main entry points of the seating area. In- between furniture in the seating area (i.e. between coffee table and sofa), you should have around 18” – 22”.

Rip & Tan: What are a few of your favorite sofa materials? Why? 

Linnea Schooley: Linen is always my #1 go-to, especially for sofas with a more relaxed slipcover look. Nothing drapes like linen, plus it’s so versatile and easy to care for.

If you have a more polished upholstered sofa in a formal living room, mohairs and boucles can be fun textures to add to the mix!

Rip & Tan: Do you have any tips for finding the right furniture arrangement for your space? Do you have any guidelines for where a sectional sofa should sit? 

Linnea Schooley: Think about how you want people to move through your space. If you have a sectional, you want to have the chaise side on the opposite side of where you would enter the seating area so it doesn’t block off the room.

I never like to have furniture pushed up against walls, there should always be some room for pieces to breathe.

Rip & Tan: While our Harbor Sofa is casual and effortless, the Miramar Sofa gives a more formal feel. Any tips for deciding which one is right for your space?

Linnea Schooley: Both of our sofas are so versatile and can be used in most spaces, but there are a couple of questions I would ask in determining which is best for you. 

1. Is this going to be your lounging for hours, watching movie marathons sofa, or your more formal cocktails and conversations sofa? If the former, I would go with the Harbor because it’s slightly more casual and has back cushions for that extra couch potato support. 

2. What are the shapes of the other pieces of furniture in the room? The Miramar has a curved arm, so I would pair it with chairs that are a little more structured. And visa versa with the Harbor sofa, if your chairs are quite rectangular, it might be nice to switch up your sofa with the beautifully curved arm of the Miramar.