A new sofa should be something you look forward to, not something you worry about wedging in the hallway. A few careful measurements now can save a lot of stress on delivery day.
This guide walks you through:
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Checking your room and walkways
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Comparing sofa sizes to your space
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Making sure the sofa will get through doors and up the stairs
It is written with real UK homes in mind – terraces, semis, new-builds and flats – and with the way we size and describe sofas at Shawcross.
You just need a tape measure, a roll of masking tape, and ten minutes.
What you will need
Before you start measuring, it helps to get everything in one place. You are going to be moving between rooms, doors and stairs, and it is surprisingly easy to forget a number or lose track of which doorway was which. A tiny bit of prep now means you only have to do this once and you can refer back to it whenever you are looking at a new sofa.
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Tape measure (at least 5 metres is helpful)
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Notepad or phone for your measurements
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Pencil or pen
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Masking tape or painter’s tape
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A helper if your stairs are tight
You do not need fancy floor plans. A rough sketch and clear numbers are enough.
Step 1: Choose where the sofa will go
Start with the room, not the sofa.
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Decide which wall or area the sofa will sit against (or float in, if it is an open-plan space).
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Mark fixed features: doors, radiators, fireplaces, alcoves, windows, plug sockets.
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Think about what the sofa will face – usually a TV, a fireplace, or an open-plan kitchen.
If you are replacing an existing sofa, note what you liked and disliked about its size. If it always felt too big for the room or blocked the door, use that as a guide to go smaller or choose a different layout.
Step 2: Measure your room and walkways
Now you can work out how much sofa your room can comfortably take.
Measure:
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Length and width of the room
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Length of the wall (or space) where the sofa will sit
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Distance from the front of the sofa position to whatever is opposite (TV unit, coffee table, wall)
As a rule of thumb:
Use masking tape to “draw” the sofa on the floor:
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Take a likely sofa width and depth from a Shawcross product page (or a size you think you want).
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Tape out a rectangle on the floor to match those dimensions.
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Walk around it as if the sofa were already in place.
If you are constantly stepping onto the tape, the sofa is probably too big. If the taped rectangle feels lost in the room, you may have space for a larger sofa or an extra chair or footstool.
Step 3: Check sofa dimensions against your space
On a Shawcross sofa page you will usually see:
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Width – side to side
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Depth – front to back, including cushions
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Height – floor to top of the back
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Seat depth and height – useful for comfort and how the sofa sits visually in the room
Note down:
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Width (W)
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Depth (D)
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Height (H)
Compare W and D with your taped-out rectangle.
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If they are the same or slightly smaller, the footprint should work.
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If the sofa you like is larger, re-tape to that size and live with it for a day or two if you can – it is easier to adjust tape than a real sofa.
This is also a good moment to think about how you sit. Taller people often prefer a deeper seat; if your room is small, a slimmer arm and a slightly shallower seat can make the space feel less crowded.
Step 4: Measure doorways and halls for access
Once you are happy the sofa works in the room, you need to make sure it can actually get there.
Measure the full route the delivery team will take, starting outside and ending in the room:
Front door
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Clear width of the opening (between the stops, not the outer frame)
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Height of the opening if your door is unusually low
Internal doors and hallways
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Clear width of every doorway on the route
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Narrowest point of any hallway
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Distance from your front door to the first turn, then to the next door
Compare these with your sofa:
If the product page shows packed dimensions, use those – the protective wrapping adds a little extra.
If anything feels marginal, note it down. This is exactly the kind of detail we can help you think through before you order.
Stairs, lifts and tight turns
Even when a sofa fits the room beautifully, stairs and corners can still catch people out. This is especially true in typical UK homes – Victorian terraces with dog-leg staircases, 1930s semis with narrow halls, and new-build flats with tight communal areas. Taking a few careful measurements here is often the difference between a smooth delivery and a frustrating near miss.
For stairs, measure:
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Stair width at the narrowest point
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Height from the stair tread to the ceiling directly above (important on tight turns)
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Any features that stick out, such as handrails, newel posts or low bulkheads
A simple way to think about it:
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The stair width should be at least as wide as the sofa depth or height when carried.
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At the corner, there needs to be enough ceiling height for the sofa to “swing” round without getting wedged.
For lifts, if you have one:
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Measure the clear width, depth and height of the lift cabin
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Check there is space to turn the sofa in and out of the lift at each floor
If your stairs are narrow or have a very low ceiling at the turn, a quick sketch and a couple of photos emailed to us are often enough for us to say “yes, that looks fine” or “let’s look at a different design or a modular option”.
Corner sofas, chaise ends and sofa beds
Corner sofas, chaise ends and sofa beds give you more from the same footprint, but they also ask a little more thought. You are not just choosing a size; you are choosing how people will move around the room, where they will put their feet up and, in the case of sofa beds, where someone will actually sleep. Spending an extra five minutes checking these layouts against your measurements is well worth it.
Corner and chaise sofas
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Check the full footprint – both lengths of the L-shape, not just the longest side
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Make sure you are clear on whether it is left-hand or right-hand facing and that this matches your room
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Look at how the sofa is delivered – many corner sofas arrive in sections, which can be easier to get up stairs and through doorways
Sofa beds
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Check the footprint when the sofa is closed and when the bed is fully open
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Make sure there is space for the bed to extend and for someone to get in and out comfortably
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If it will be used regularly, think about where pillows and bedding will be stored too
If you are unsure how a particular Shawcross sofa will behave in your space, ask. We would rather help you choose the right layout now than struggle with the wrong one on delivery day.
When to ask Shawcross for a second opinion
Measuring can feel a bit abstract when you are doing it on your own. If you reach any of these points, it is a good time to talk to us:
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Your door or stair measurements are very close to the sofa’s depth or height
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You are choosing between two sizes and are not sure which will overpower the room
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You have an awkward hallway or loft conversion and are not sure how realistic it is
You can call us on 0161 222 0360 or email shawcrossfurniture@gmail.com with your measurements and, if possible, a couple of photos of the tightest spots. We look at this kind of thing all the time and can usually give you a clear steer quite quickly.
