Small lounge with a corner sofa: our furnishing tips

There's no reason why you can't put a corner sofa in a smaller lounge, providing you position it in the corner of your room and against a wall. It will be a big hit with your friends who can sink into this comfortable yet stylish piece of furniture.

Where to position your corner sofa

If your lounge is small, your corner sofa will not be able to take pride of place in the middle of the room as this will obstruct the space for circulating around it. There are countless different options for adding this key piece to a small lounge. If you fancy a change, try altering the position of your various ornaments, baskets and lighting. This would be a better idea, rather than trying to find a new position for your sofa which could result in making the room impractical and less sociable.

Against the wall or in a corner

The traditional positioning for a corner sofa is always a winner as it doesn't cut off the room. It involves placing the sofa alongside two walls, following the shape of your lounge. This avoids partitioning the room and making it feel smaller. Your corner sofa will have a more cosy and inviting feel. This does not apply as much for a backless daybed, as its lower profile will reduce the partitioning effect in a room. If your corner sofa is also a sofa bed, consider how big it will be opened out when choosing how to position it.

In the centre of the room to define the space

Although it would appear more obvious to position your sofa against a wall, placing it in the centre of the room is also popular. One of the advantages is that it makes it easier to set up an office space in the corner, using a space-saving piece of furniture such as a console table for example. This layout only works provided there is enough room for people to circulate around. If you go for this option, choose wall shelves rather than free-standing furniture to save even more floor space and make the lounge appear light and airy as well as bigger.

Factors to take into account in a small lounge

As well as the size of your lounge, it is also important to consider the light and the position of the windows or fireplace, for example, which could have an impact on the best position for your sofa. You may wish to make sure you enjoy the best view from your lounge, or you may prefer to position it with its back to the window to bring in more light, or maybe you want to be closer to the roaring fire during long winter nights. The position of your TV may also depend on where you place your sofa; for small lounges, wall combination units work best for adding a TV to a room without making it appear cluttered.

The size of your corner sofa

Depending on the size and layout of your lounge, choose from various different sizes and shapes (corner sofa or straight 2-seater or 3-seater sofa). It's always tempting to go for a big sofa that comfortably seats as many people as possible. But be careful: in a small lounge, consider smaller pieces such as armchairs or footstools that could be used as occasional seating and are really practical for putting away when not needed and creating more space for everyday use.

The layout of your room

If you have an open-plan lounge combined with a dining room or office, you may need to consider positioning your sofa differently. You sofa could be used as an ingenious and stylish way to divide the space, by placing it with its back to your office or dining room, for example. If you have an alcove in your room, this will almost certainly be the best position for your sofa. In this case, you will need to find a sofa that fits in the space, perhaps going for a modular corner sofa such as the ones in the Gautier collection.

Finally, choose the colour of your sofa carefully; its effect will be different depending on your interior decor and the colours you choose for your walls and floors. The more unusual and eye-catching its colour, the more it will stand out in your lounge; whereas a sofa in the same colour as the rest of your room will tend to melt into the space with a more subtle effect, making the room appear bigger. You may also want to consider matching your curtains with your sofa and the rest of your furniture to create continuity and a more cosy, homely feel.