Sofa + 1 chair An 11×12 living room fits an 84 in sofa, a coffee table, a TV and one armchair in one layout, with the sofa on an 11 ft wall. Two chairs fit with a 60 in loveseat (two layouts) or a 68 in apartment sofa (one layout).
An 11×12 room is 132 square feet: two 11 ft walls (132 in) and two 12 ft walls (144 in). One foot wider than a 10×12, and that foot moves the TV. The sofa can now sit under the window on a 12 ft wall with the TV across the room’s width: sofa, coffee table, a 24 in pass in front of the TV and the console take 121 in of the 132 in.
Add an armchair to an 84 in sofa, though, and the only layout left puts the sofa back on an 11 ft wall. We tested every combination in the living room layout planner: four sofa sizes, zero to two armchairs, three walkway settings, with and without a TV.
What fits in an 11×12 living room
| Seating | Sofa + table + TV | + 1 chair | + 2 chairs | Minimum setting | Roomy setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loveseat 60 × 34 in | Fits | Fits | Fits | + 2 chairs | + 1 chair |
| Apartment sofa 68 × 34 in | Fits | Fits | Fits | + 2 chairs | + 1 chair |
| Sofa 84 × 37 in | Fits | Fits | No | + 1 chair | + 1 chair |
| Sectional 96 × 65 in | Fits | No | No | + 1 chair | No chairs |
Solved with 30 in walkways and a 16 in gap to the coffee table unless a column says otherwise (minimum: 24 in paths and 14 in; roomy: 36 in and 18 in), and the TV on the wall the sofa faces. A 32 in door near a corner of one side wall, a 60 in window centered on the other, 32×32 armchairs and a 60×16 TV console. With a TV, a sectional takes one chair, at its open end.
Doors and windows move the answer more than a few inches of wall do. Enter yours in the living room layout planner and it tests every layout against the same rules as this page.
Three layouts that work in an 11×12
Layout A: Sofa on an 11 ft wall, chair at one end
All checks pass
- 9 ft 10 in from the sofa to the screen
- 46 in between the coffee table and the TV
- Wall beside the sofa: 13 in and 35 in
- 16 in sofa to coffee table, 30 in paths from the door
Best for: a full-size sofa plus a reading chair.
The trade-off: the chair takes the open end, and only 13 in of wall is left past the sofa’s other arm.
Layout B: Loveseat with a chair at each end
All checks pass
- 9 ft 10 in from the sofa to the screen
- 53 in between the coffee table and the TV
- Wall beside the sofa: 36 in and 36 in
- 16 in sofa to coffee table, 30 in paths from the door
Best for: four people: two on the loveseat, one in each chair, all within easy talking distance.
The trade-off: a loveseat seats two. If the sofa is where everyone sits, Layout A is the better trade.
Layout C: Apartment sofa under the window
All checks pass
- 8 ft 10 in from the sofa to the screen
- 39 in between the coffee table and the TV
- Wall beside the sofa: 38 in and 38 in
- 16 in sofa to coffee table, 30 in paths from the door
Best for: sitting closer to the TV: 8 ft 10 in from the screen instead of 9 ft 10 in.
The trade-off: the TV shares a wall with the door, so people walk in beside the screen.
One chair or two?
An 84 in sofa with an armchair at each end needs 152 in side to side: 84 in of sofa, two 32 in chairs and a little air between them. Neither wall of an 11×12 is that long, so the full-size sofa takes one chair. A 68 in apartment sofa with two chairs fits under the window; a 60 in loveseat with two chairs fits on an 11 ft wall or under the window.
At the roomy setting (36 in paths), two chairs don’t fit with any sofa. One chair still does, with any of the three sofas.
Can a sectional fit in an 11×12 living room?
On its own, yes: a 96 in sectional with a 65 in chaise fits at least three ways at 30 in paths, on either 11 ft wall or under the window. A sectional plus an armchair only fits at the minimum setting (24 in paths, 14 in to the coffee table), under the window.
Where the TV goes, and how big
From the sofa to the screen is about 9 ft 10 in. A 65 in TV fills about 27° of your view from there; Filling 30° of your view takes a 73 in screen, and THX’s 40° a 99 in one.
Under the window (Layout C) you sit closer, about 8 ft 10 in, and a 65 in TV fills about 30°. If those suggested sizes sound big, they are: they assume the screen should fill your view. The TV Size Calculator shows the angle for any size.
What changes the answer: doors and a second doorway
- Door in the middle of a 12 ft wall: the sofa and TV fit two ways, but an armchair only fits with a loveseat or an apartment sofa.
- Door near a corner of an 11 ft wall: an 84 in sofa with one chair fits two ways.
- A second 36 in doorway in the far corner, on the top 11 ft wall: an 84 in sofa fits once, without a chair. A loveseat still takes one chair.
A second doorway needs a clear path from the first one. The planner keeps one open when you add it.
The clearances we checked
These are the numbers behind every verdict on this page. Each has three settings, minimum, standard and roomy; the layouts above use standard.
The sofa-to-table gap stays in the 14 to 18 in range every guide we checked gives; armchairs keep the same gap to the end of the table. The walkway is checked on a floor grid, so a layout fails if any seat or the TV can only be reached by squeezing past furniture.
- Wall to wall in two places: rooms are rarely perfectly square.
- Every doorway, which way each door swings, and where people walk through.
- Window widths and sill heights, and any radiator or vent below them.
- Where the TV outlet and cable come in.
- Your sofa’s outside size, arms included, and the chaise length on a sectional.
- The way in: hallway, stairs and doors the sofa has to pass. Will It Fit Through? checks them.
Questions
What size sofa fits an 11×12 living room?
An 84 in sofa fits with a TV and one chair. For two chairs, go shorter: in our tests a 68 in apartment sofa and a 60 in loveseat both take two.
Where should the TV go in an 11×12 living room?
On the 11 ft wall across from the sofa for the most layouts. Under-the-window layouts put it on the 12 ft wall with the door.
Will two armchairs fit with my sofa?
Only with a shorter sofa: in our tests a 68 in apartment sofa or a 60 in loveseat. Two chairs add about 68 in side to side, and the longest wall is 144 in.
Sources
- How to Get Your Furniture Arrangement Right (Houzz)
- A guide to living room clearances, measurements and spacing (Homes & Gardens)
- How to space furniture in your room (Ballard Designs)
- Sofa dimensions: how to choose the right size (Wayfair)
- How to Choose the Right TV Size for Your Room (LG): screen size = viewing distance ÷ 1.2, for a 40° view
- What size TV should I buy for my living room? (THX): screen size = viewing distance × 0.835, the same 40°
- EG 18-1994: Design of Effective Cine Theaters (SMPTE, withdrawn in 2003): a picture filling about 30° of the farthest seat’s view, where the common 30° comes from
- The Armchair Buying Guide: Standard Dimensions & Types (Castlery)