Modular and corner sofa layouts: how to plan your living room

Updated 2 November 2026

Updated 2 November 2026 · 6 min read

A corner or modular sofa can make a small living room feel bigger – or swallow it whole. The difference is almost always planning: which way the corner faces, where people walk, and what happens when the sofa becomes a bed. This guide walks through the common layouts, with real measurements, so you can plan yours on paper before anything arrives.

Start with the room, not the sofa

Before you look at shapes, sketch the room on paper (graph paper and a pencil is fine) and mark:

• Doors and their swing – a door that opens into the room needs about 80–90 cm clear.
• Walkways – leave roughly 80 cm for the main path through the room and 45–60 cm between the sofa and a coffee table.
• Windows, heaters and power points – you will want lamps and chargers near the seat, and you do not want the back of the sofa against a heater.
• The TV or focal point – most people sit 2–3 metres from a living-room TV.

Then mark the sofa footprint with masking tape on the floor and live with it for a day. It is the cheapest way to find out a layout does not work.

The four layouts that work in most Australian living rooms

1. Straight sofa against the long wall

The simplest layout and still the most flexible. A Nova Sofa Bed is 200 × 100 cm in the 2m size or 150 × 100 cm in the 1.5m size, so it fits along most living-room walls with space for a side table at one end.

Nova Sofa Bed

Height 76 cm. Lay the back cushions flat to make the bed. Seen from above; not to scale between models.

Good for: narrow rooms, apartments with one long wall, rooms where the sofa also has to be a guest bed.

2. L-shaped corner in a corner

An L corner is two modules set at a right angle. It seats more people than a straight sofa in nearly the same wall length, and it defines a “lounge zone” in an open-plan room.

• The open L corner has one open end for stretching out. In the 2 × 2m size the open end can go on either side; the 2 × 1.5m size is ordered as Left or Right.
• The closed L corner has arms at both ends – tidier from behind, and better if the sofa will float in the middle of a room.

Nova L Corner Sofa – Open

Height 76 cm. Each module is 200 × 100 cm (or 150 × 100 cm). The 2 × 2m layout makes a bed of about 200 × 200 cm. Seen from above; not to scale between models.

Good for: family rooms, open-plan living, anyone who likes to lie down while watching TV.

3. Compact corner for smaller rooms

If a full L is too big, a compact square corner gives you corner seating in a 2 × 2 m footprint. The Nova Flex Corner is 200 × 200 cm.

Nova Flex Corner Sofa

Height 76 cm. Seen from above; not to scale between models.

Good for: apartments, studies and second living areas where a corner is the only free wall space.

4. Sofa plus chair

A straight sofa with an armchair at a right angle gives you the conversation of an L shape with more flexibility – the chair can move when you need the floor space. The Nova Chair – Round Arm is 100 × 100 cm and comes in the same 17 corduroy colours as the sofas, so the two match (or contrast on purpose).

Nova Chair – Round Arm

Height 76 cm. Seen from above; not to scale between models.

Good for: rooms with two doors, rentals (two smaller pieces fit up stairs more easily), and anyone who rearranges often.

Left or right: which way should the corner face?

For an L-shaped sofa, “left” and “right” describe where the open end (the chaise) sits as you face the sofa. To choose:

1. Stand where you will usually walk into the room.
2. The open end should usually point away from the main walkway, so nobody has to step over legs to get past.
3. If the sofa faces a TV, put the open end on the side with the better view of the screen.

Our guide to corner sofa bed sizes and left vs right has diagrams and a measuring checklist.

Plan the bed, not just the sofa

With a foam sofa bed there is no metal frame to unfold – you make the bed by lifting the back cushions down and laying them flat. That means the bed takes up the same footprint as the seat plus the depth of the cushions, so measure for it:

• The 2 × 2m L corner makes a bed of about 200 × 200 cm – check you have that clear floor space plus room to walk around one side.
• Leave somewhere to put the cushions you remove (a corner, a cupboard or simply the floor beside the bed).
• Think about light: a bed under a window will be bright early in summer.

Colour, scale and mixing pieces

• Big room, big piece. In a large open-plan space a small sofa looks lost. An L corner anchors the room.
• Small room, light colour, low back. Low sofas keep sightlines open; pale colours such as Cream, Sand or Fog make the piece recede.
• Matching or contrasting. Because every Nova piece uses the same corduroy in the same 17 colours, you can match a chair to a sofa exactly – or choose a contrasting colour, say a Rust chair beside a Thyme sofa.
• See it first. Order a fabric swatch and look at it in the room at different times of day.

Getting it inside

Corner sofas come in modules, and foam sofas arrive compressed, which makes stairs and lifts much easier than with a framed sofa. Still measure doorways, stair turns and lift interiors – our size guide shows how – and check the delivery page for timing to your city.

Five layout mistakes we see most often

1. Pushing everything against the walls. In a bigger room, pulling the sofa 30–50 cm off the wall (or floating a closed L corner in the middle) makes the space feel deliberate rather than empty.
2. Blocking the walkway with the open end. If people have to step around the chaise to reach the kitchen or balcony, the corner is facing the wrong way.
3. Forgetting the coffee table. A corner sofa without a table within reach quickly becomes a place where cups balance on cushions. Leave 45–60 cm for one.
4. Measuring the sofa but not the bed. If the sofa is also the guest bed, the bed footprint – not the sofa – decides whether the layout works.
5. Choosing colour from a screen. Corduroy changes with light because of its ribs. A swatch in the actual room is the only reliable test.

Quick layout checklist

• Room sketched with doors, walkways, windows and power points.
• Sofa footprint taped on the floor.
• Open end of the L pointing away from the walkway.
• Space for the bed (about 200 × 200 cm for a 2 × 2m corner).
• Doorways and stairs measured.

Compare the shapes side by side in the Nova range: the sofa bed starts at $840, the Flex Corner is $1300 and the L corners start at $1360.

Frequently asked questions

How much space do I need for an L-shaped sofa?

A Nova L corner is 300 × 200 cm with 2m modules or 250 × 150 cm with 1.5m modules. Add about 80 cm for a walkway and 45–60 cm in front for a coffee table.

What is the difference between a left and right corner sofa?

Left or right describes where the open end sits as you face the sofa. Choose the side that keeps the open end away from your main walkway.

Can a corner sofa be used as a bed?

A foam corner sofa can. On the Nova 2 × 2m L corner you lift the back cushions down and lay them flat to make a bed of about 200 × 200 cm, with no frame to unfold.

Is an L-shaped sofa or a sofa and chair better for a small room?

In a small room a straight sofa plus a chair is usually easier: the chair can move when you need floor space, and two smaller pieces are easier to get up stairs. A compact square corner is a good middle ground.

Will a chair match the sofa colour exactly?

Every Nova piece uses the same corduroy in the same 17 colours, so a chair and sofa in the same colour match. Order a fabric swatch if you want to compare colours at home.

Shop the range: Sofa beds · Corner sofas · The Nova range · Fabric swatches