Small spaces can be tricky to furnish, and seating is often the biggest challenge.
Whether you’ve got a small living room, kids’ room, reading nook, gaming room, or garden room/summer house in mind, our guide to the best seating for small spaces is here to help you find the perfect option for your needs.
Considering Your Space
The 2:3 interior design rule is a great way to visualise where your room contents should be positioned, and how much space you have to play with.
Divide your space into two areas, the first taking up around 2/3's (where your sofas/main seating, furniture and dining tables should be), and a second area (where smaller items should be positioned) taking up the remaining third of the room.
Finding the right seating for small spaces requires you to first consider what other furniture pieces will join your seating in the largest 2/3's of the room. Otherwise, how will you know if, for example, squeezing a 2-seater sofa into your tiny living room would be overkill, or whether a loveseat or dual armchair set-up would be more suitable. Don’t skip the 2:3 rule.
Expanding Your Space
Now you have a plan of what will go where, we recommend next considering how to expand your space, and what role your seating could play in the overall room design.
- Pull furniture away from the walls
- Use light colours and neutral tones to create the illusion of a greater sense of space. (Should your seating provide a splash of colour?)
- Draw the eye upwards to create the illusion of height via vertical shelving, dynamic curtains, vertical panelling, statement-sized standard lamps etc.
- When choosing furniture or seating for small spaces, be conscious of size, and choose smaller pieces that feel proportionate to the space.
Exploring Seating for Small Spaces
2-Seater Sofas
Excellent options for small living rooms, if space allows. Be sure to explore sofa alternatives such as bean bag sofas, which are offered in a greater range of sizes, shapes, fabrics and colours than traditional sofas.
Love-seats
Perfect for couples looking for compact, cosy seating for small living rooms, reading spaces and garden rooms. Love seats seat two, with a smaller footprint than a typical small 2-seater sofa, making them excellent seating for small spaces.
Armchairs
"Armchairs" is a hugely broad category, spanning an enormous range of designs, offering near endless aesthetic options. From a classic silhouette, to tub models, womb chairs, Barcelona models and beyond, armchairs could help you make a big visual statement.
So, if space in your sitting room is in short supply, or you’re trying to make more of your layout, perhaps a double armchair option is the way to go. There’s also nothing like an armchair for a reading space or cosy garden room/summer house setup.
Bean Bags
When it comes to finding seating for small spaces, don't overlook bean bag options. As market-leading UK manufacturers of bean bag furniture, we offer a wide range of chairs and sofa models, in a huge range of shapes/designs, materials, colours, and sizes.
We offer 3 to 5 different size options for each of our models, to enable you tailor your bespoke seating to your room, and most exacting aesthetic tastes. Though, unlike traditional furniture, bean bag seating can be squished into the smallest of nooks, and larger models can be broken down into smaller interliners to aid access to hard to access spaces.
Thinking of a shapeless traditional bean bag, or a kids-only product? Think again. Our range of chair and sofa models are made by hand, to order, in Nottingham UK. We make bespoke furniture, not novelty items.
Benches & Loungers
For longer yet narrow spaces, options like upholstered bench chairs and chez lounges can be a great comfortable option. Be sure to also check out alternative options, like our bean bag sofa beds and lounger models.
Floor Cushions
Another often missed category when looking for seating for small spaces, floor cushions can be a wonderfully comfortable option for children's play rooms, reading rooms, yoga/meditating spaces and beyond.
Gaming Chairs
The market is full of gaming chairs, each claiming to be the most ergonomic and comfortable options. However, if your gaming space is in a communal area, if it's shared with others, if style is especially important, or if you’re looking for a single versatile gaming-centric seating option, alternatives like our bean bag gaming chairs can be a worthy, more comfortable and attractive option.
Supreme comfort doesn't mean less support. Bean bag gaming chairs mould to your body and support its natural contours and the curvature of your spine, to support your back, neck, shoulders, and prevent musculoskeletal pain and injuries.
Good luck! We hope we’ve helped you to approach finding the perfect seating option for your small space. Remember, don’t skip bean bag options, and contact our friendly team if you have any questions about a bespoke chair or sofa for your room.
