Skip to main content

21OAK may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Need a new sofa for your small apartment? Here’s what you should consider

Tips for adding an apartment-size sofa to your small space

If you’re looking for apartment-size sofas, trust us: There are options. Even if you have a tiny living room or live in a studio apartment, you can still find a couch that you love.

Gone are the days when apartment dwellers need to sacrifice style, quality, and comfortable seating capacity due to limited space. Furniture manufacturers and retailers have responded with a variety of small, comfy sofas that make the most of your square footage.

Choosing couches for small apartments, and decorating limited spaces in general, can be challenging, but with a little imagination and some unique space-saving solutions, you can create a cozy and inviting home you’ll love living in.

autumn living room decor pillows on sofa

Regular sofa vs. apartment-size sofa

Although some apartment dwellers may opt for loveseats, a loveseat generally has just two seat cushions, while apartment-size sofas have three. A standard-size three-seat sofa usually measures about 35 inches deep by 84 inches wide. While apartment-size sofa dimensions can vary, most measure between 68 and 80 inches wide, with a few-inch reduction in depth. 

Couches for small spaces: It’s all about proportions

When thinking about decorating any space, it’s important to consider the scale of the room. While you might love the look of that overstuffed full-size sofa, it very well may overwhelm your less-than-roomy living space. On the flip side, if you eventually move to a bigger space, your apartment-size couch may look just as lost and out of place. The trick is to find a small, comfy couch that still works within the space you have. By paying careful attention to the scale of the room and the furniture and accents within it, you will achieve the best possible decorating result. 

Many apartment-size sofas offer more scaled-back proportions in all aspects of design:

  • Comfortable cushions rather than overstuffed cushions.
  • Simple wood or metal frames rather than ornate or bulky frames.
  • Clean-line sleek legs that show flooring beneath versus upholstered-to-the-floor designs or heavy wood feet.
reclining sofa sectional with usb port and other tech enhancements

Sectionals

We love the look and design possibilities of sectionals, particularly in smaller spaces. Even a sectional with just three pieces can offer ample seating without overcrowding the room. With the versatile L-shape of a sectional, not only can you offer comfortable seating for your family and guests, but it can actually help to define the room’s layout, which can be particularly helpful when trying to decorate a one-room studio apartment. Plus, the natural L-shape design offers more space for other furnishings and accessories while still providing the maximum number of seats your living space can accommodate.

For even more customizable versatility, consider a reversible sectional. The three-piece modular design includes two standard seating cushions and a lounge section that can be arranged on either the right or left side of the sofa, depending on your room’s layout requirements. The built-in lounge cushion invites reading, TV viewing, and (most likely) a lot of napping.

Sleeper sofas

When living in smaller spaces, and even more so in a studio apartment, having furniture that offers double function is key. The standard sleeper sofa has a bed that folds out from beneath the cushions. While standard sleeper sofas can easily fold out to a queen-size bed, usually apartment-size sleeper sofas turn into full-size beds. 

Many of the new sleeper sectionals have cushions that come apart and can be rearranged to create cozy, and surprisingly comfortable, sleeping nooks. If your smaller home or apartment doesn’t have a spare room for guests, these fold-out sectionals are an ideal solution for visitors. If you want to take some time to weigh over your options, check out the best types of sleeper sofas for living rooms

Futons

What are also known as convertible couches, futons convert almost effortlessly from couch to bed. They’re great for overnight guests or for studio apartments where the living room and bedroom are combined. They also work well as extra seating in an office or den that can quickly convert to a bed, turning an office into a guest room in minutes!

Pink couch against a pink and green wall

The versatility of apartment-size sofas  

While we’ve focused on the practicality of apartment couches for smaller-size living rooms, there are other uses for these pint-size furnishings. While you may have room for a standard sofa in your living or family room, you may wish to add an apartment couch to your master bedroom for a nice reading or TV-watching nook. Or, you might want to feature a small sofa in a child’s room, nursery, playroom, or home office. 

Couches for small spaces don’t have to be thought of as simply transitional furnishings. Choose carefully, and your apartment-size sofa can provide years of stylish seating even after you’ve upsized your living space.  

Editors' Recommendations

Kim Renta
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kim has written for Bloomingdales, Movado, and various e-commerce wine sites. When she's not writing about wine and…
It’s official: Study says this is the most stressful IKEA furniture to assemble
Have you been stressed out by this Ikea furniture yet?
ikea shopping tips to save money sign

If you love everything there is to love about IKEA (the prices, the selection, the tasty meatballs) but wince when it comes to their RTA (ready-to-assemble), flatpack furniture pieces, and the often confusing, wordless instructions that come with them, know you're not alone. It can be overwhelming to say the least, especially if you don't consider yourself handy.

If you're looking to avoid that frustration, hotukdeals created the Flat-Pack Stress Index — basically, they got 100 participants to assemble flatpack furniture and tracked their heart rate and heart rate variance to see how much they stressed and exerted themselves putting together some of IKEA's most popular furniture items. Which IKEA furniture is the most stressful to put together? Here's what they found.

Read more
Unique housewarming gift ideas that you’ll want to keep for yourself
You'll love these housewarming gifts for the new homeowner in your life
Housewarming image

Typical housewarming gift ideas range the gamut from kitchen utensils to bath towels and cozy blankets — and while those are all great ideas for a new home, you may want to consider giving something a bit more surprising and unique. If you’re so over giving pots and pans as housewarming gifts, we have some awesome alternative ideas for you. Here are a few unique housewarming gift ideas that you may want to keep for yourself. 

Remote-controlled essential oil diffuser
For the zen new homeowner in your life, why not buy them a high-tech essential oil diffuser? These are ideal for enhancing the scent of any room in the house without the mess of a candle or incense. Plus, there are different kinds of diffusers to choose from. You can go with a small, simple one or one with lights, remote control features, and a speaker all in one. This is such a cool gift that you’ll likely be itching to buy one of your own.
Digital photo frame
A digital photo frame can be a nice addition to a new homeowner’s kitchen ledge, living room coffee table, or entryway end table. With this piece of tech, they can program multiple photos on the frame and display them as a slideshow. As far as offbeat gifts go, it’s a pretty simple one that any homeowner could use and enjoy for years to come.

Read more
Gallery wall ideas to completely transform any blank, boring space in your home
Consider these gallery wall ideas to set your home apart from the rest
Gallery wall above bed with black and white frames and small mirror

cGallery walls have been around for some time. They are a great way to take up space on a large wall, and they are much more interesting than one single piece of art. But if you aren't careful, gallery walls can look a bit basic and too uniform.

The point of a gallery wall is to showcase something that's important to you — family trips, rare art, special photos — so make sure to highlight them in a fun and interesting way. Here are a few gallery wall ideas to get you inspired and ready to tackle your most boring wall.

Read more