Concept Sketches · 8 scenes
Floor sofas for small apartments, sized to the wall you have
In a small room, the sofa is the largest thing you own. Eight real walls, from 50 to 96 in, and what each one taught about arms, backrests and the seat left over.
SaveThe quick answer
A floor sofa for a small apartment is sized from the wall with the other furniture already in place, then narrowed from the standard 78.7 in (200 cm). Widths from 50 to 74 in have been made. The arms and backrests keep their size, so a 65 in sofa seats 45 x 25 in. Leave a few inches of clearance, and expect 2 to 3 compressed rolls.
The wall decides, and the seat gives
A 50 in floor sofa can arrive with almost no seat. The arms and backrests keep their full size when the width shrinks, and in a narrow room they take what is left.
That is the first thing to know about a floor sofa for a small apartment. The standard modular floor sofa is 78.7 in (200 cm) wide and 39 in (100 cm) deep, and a note on the order narrows it. Widths from 50 to 74 in have been made.
Height is a feeling. The 65 in sofa below sits 13.5 in (34 cm) off the floor, and a small living room looks taller around it. The seat height calculator compares that with the chair you use now.
Measure with the bookcase and the door swing in place. One buyer in the US asked for 98 in (249 cm), measured again, and changed to 89 in (226 cm).
What does your wall measure with everything else standing?
Eight walls, narrowest first
01A past project
A 50 in floor sofa where the arms took the seat
A buyer in the US ordered the floor sofa at a custom 50 in (127 cm) width for a narrow wall. It arrived with full-size L-shaped arms and backrests, and almost no seat was left between them. Backrest height could not come down, because it holds up the person leaning on it. The workshop made thinner backrests instead.
The takeaway: When you narrow a floor sofa, ask how much seat remains after the arms and backrests, not only the outside width.
02A past project
A 65 in brick corduroy sofa, built exactly to measure
A buyer in the US first asked for 66.9 x 39.4 x 27.6 in, then settled on 65 in (165 cm) wide, 35 in (89 cm) deep and 27.6 in (70 cm) tall, with a 45 x 25 in (114 x 64 cm) seat 13.5 in (34 cm) off the floor. It was made in brick corduroy and arrived exactly to measure.
The takeaway: Give the outside size, the seat size and the seat height as three separate numbers.
03A past project
68 in after a move across the city
A buyer in the US, moving with little van space, ordered a corduroy teddy sofa shortened to 68 x 39 in (173 x 99 cm) and asked the workshop to hold it until she had moved in. On arrival the frame joints would not seat, even with a mallet; the L-shaped connectors seemed about 1/2 in (13 mm) too long. A new hardware set fit.
The takeaway: A shortened sofa needs matching frame bars; assemble the frame first, before you unroll the cushions.
04A past project
A 68 in velvet sofa for a room that also sleeps
A buyer in the US planned a small room around one piece that could seat by day and open out for sleeping. It was made in water-green poly-cotton velvet, shortened from 39 x 79 in to 39 x 68 in (99 x 173 cm), with the backrests scaled down to match. A note on the order held shipping until the room was ready.
The takeaway: When the sofa gets shorter, the backrests should too, or they crowd the seat.
05A past project
A 72 in wall in a weekend apartment
A buyer in the US wanted two modular ottomans side by side on a 72 in (183 cm) wall in a small weekend apartment. The plan became one full ottoman plus a second cut to the width that remained, with a straight backrest instead of an L. With a toddler around, a water-repellent outdoor fabric was suggested.
The takeaway: In a small room, a straight backrest keeps the ends open and the layout easy to change.
06A past project
72 in beside a support post
A buyer messaged the workshop with 77 to 78 in (196 to 198 cm) of wall before a support post, and a worry about returns if the sofa did not fit. The workshop asked for the measurements first. A 70 to 72 in sofa would leave comfortable clearance, so the standard sofa was made 72 in (183 cm) long.
The takeaway: Leave a few inches of clearance; shortening a sofa before it is made is easier than returning one.
07A past project
A 73 in French floor set in a 77.5 in nook
A buyer in the US wanted a French-style floor set in rust velvet for a wall nook 77.5 in (197 cm) long. The standard 25 in depth felt too narrow, so the base became 30 x 73 x 4 in (76 x 185 x 10 cm). The layout was confirmed on a marked-up photo, and the workshop promised to stay close to 73 in.
The takeaway: Leave at least 2 in for handmade tolerance, and mark length and width on a photo of the space.
08A past project
One continuous 96 in seat in bone corduroy
A couple in the US wanted one 96 in (244 cm) couch instead of two 48 in (122 cm) pieces, so the workshop made it with a single continuous seat cushion in bone corduroy. On unrolling, one corner cover had a stain and one had an off-color patch underneath. After photos, a new backrest cover and a new non-slip base part were sent.
The takeaway: Check every cover, underside included, on the day you unroll it.
What bends and what holds on a floor sofa
Most of a floor sofa can be resized. The parts that cannot are the ones that decide how much seat a small room gets. The floor sofa buying Pattern covers height and space.
| Part | Can change | Stays fixed |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Narrowed to 50 to 74 in; lengthened to about 82 in (210 cm) | The arms keep their full size |
| Depth | 39 in (100 cm) down to 33 in (84 cm) | 27 in (69 cm) is too shallow once the backrests go on |
| Seat mattress | Fabric and color | Thickness, about 6.5 in (17 cm) per layer |
| Backrests | Scaled to a shorter sofa, or made thinner | Height, because it holds up your back |
| Ottoman | Narrowed to 39 x 31 in (99 x 79 cm), or cut to fill a wall | 39 x 39 in (99 x 99 cm) as standard |
| Time | A custom size adds time; ask how much | Transit after dispatch; ask for it in writing |
Up the stairs, into the package room
A floor sofa travels small: vacuum-compressed roll packs of about 12 x 12 x 45 to 50 in (30 x 30 x 110 to 120 cm), usually 2 to 3 of them plus a small box of metal bars. Narrow stairs and a 26 in (65 cm) doorway are fine.
The parcels travel separately, each with its own tracking. A buyer in the US, in a building with a shared package room, got the frame box first and the two cushion boxes several days later. Check the package room more than once.
Unwrap every piece the day it comes. Most fill out in 24 to 36 hours, reach their photographed shape in 36 to 48, and are fully firm in 3 to 5 days. That same buyer found one base mattress and one backrest still low after a weekend lying flat, and replacements went out. The first 72 hours Pattern has the rest.
On hardwood, a rug or grip mat stops the slide, and felt pads under the metal support bars protect the boards. Use every connector bar in the box; support bars and assembly covers the frame.
A small room asks for less. Less width, less height, less to carry. What stays is the seat.
A narrowed floor sofa keeps its full-size arms and backrests, so a 65 in sofa seats only 45 in wide. Measure the seat, not only the wall.
Hana
Small-room questions
- A common question
Our wall is short. Can the floor sofa be made narrower?
The workshop's answerYes. Order the standard sofa and write your size in the order note or personalization box, and it is adjusted before it ships. Widths of 50, 60, 64, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72 and 74 in have been made, and a 33 in (84 cm) depth instead of 39 in (99 cm). Smaller sizes have been priced the same as the standard one, and the production time for a resized sofa comes with the quote. The arms and backrests stay standard, so they take seat space: a 65 in (165 cm) build had a 45 x 25 in (114 x 64 cm) seat.
- A common question
Can the L-shaped floor sofa be made to fit the two walls in my living room?
The workshop's answerYes, within limits. Each section is 39 in (100 cm) deep, so a custom L is built from two sofas resized to your runs; a 90 x 65 in space used one 65 in and one 51 in sofa. The long side of the corner version goes up to about 94 in (239 cm). Seat depth cannot drop too far: 27 in (69 cm) is too narrow once the backrests are on. A custom L took about 7 days to make, plus 3 to 5 days in transit.
- A common question
I live up a narrow staircase. How big are the sofa boxes, and will they fit?
The workshop's answerThey will. The sofa is vacuum-compressed into rolls, so a 26 in (65 cm) doorway or a narrow staircase is fine. A modular sofa roll is about 12 x 12 x 45 to 50 in (30 x 30 x 110 to 120 cm), and a typical order is 2 to 3 rolls plus a small box of metal bars. A sleeper sofa ships as 3 packages of 43 x 10 x 10 in. The rolls fit in a regular car.
- A common question
The sofa came out of the box flat and smaller than the photos. Is that normal?
The workshop's answerYes. Seats and backrests are vacuum-compressed and roll-packed, so they look flat and folded at first. Unwrap every piece. Most fill out in 24 to 36 hours, reach the photographed shape in about 36 to 48 hours, and are fully firm after 3 to 5 days, occasionally a week. Shaking the cushions helps, and you can sit on the sofa while it expands. If a piece is still flat after another 4 to 5 days, photograph it and ask the workshop about a replacement insert.
Have it made
Have an idea like this made — ask Hana’s workshop
Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — Hana
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
Questions buyers ask next
How deep is a floor sofa, and can it be shallower?
Each section is 39 in (100 cm) deep. A 33 in (84 cm) depth has been made for a tight room, but 27 in (69 cm) is too shallow once the backrests are fitted; one buyer was offered a narrower sofa plus an ottoman instead.
Can a floor sofa double as a bed in a studio apartment?
The floor cushions are firm enough to sleep on. A twin-size floor bed is about 38 x 75 in (97 x 191 cm), and someone 5 ft 9 in was pointed to a 30 x 73 in (76 x 185 cm) set. A 6 or 8 in (15 or 20 cm) thickness sits higher off the floor. See floor sofa bed sizes.
What foam is inside a floor sofa seat?
A medium-hard, high-density cold foam, most often quoted as 28 density (T28, ILD 42). It softens slightly with use. The backrests are filled with shredded foam or silicone-ball fiber and feel softer than the seat.
Will a floor sofa slide on a hardwood floor?
It can. Light foam on a smooth floor moves when someone sits, and bare metal bars can scratch wood. Put a rug or grip mat underneath, use every connector bar supplied, and fit felt pads or fabric under the bars.
