How to Choose the Right Grey Corner Sofa for Your Living Room
A grey L shape sofa is one of the most practical pieces of furniture you can buy. It seats plenty of people, works with almost any colour scheme, and makes good use of a corner that might otherwise sit empty.
The tricky part is choosing the right one, because a corner sofa commits you to a particular spot in the room. Getting the size and the orientation right matters more than the colour does.
Here is a simple guide to the main things worth thinking about.
Start With the Measurements
Before looking at any sofa, measure the two walls the corner will sit against.
Measure at floor level and take off anything in the way. Skirting boards, a radiator, a chimney breast and the swing of a door all count. What is left is the space you actually have, and it is usually less than it first appears.
Once you have a sofa in mind, compare its listed dimensions against those figures. Then mark the shape out on the floor with masking tape and leave it there for a day or two.
Living with the outline tells you far more than a measurement on a screen. You will quickly notice if the walkway feels tight or a door no longer opens properly.
Do not forget the route in. Measure the narrowest point between your front door and the living room, including hallway corners and stairs, in height as well as width.
Left Hand or Right Hand?
This is the one that catches people out, and it is worth taking slowly.
A corner sofa has a long side and a short return, and the return sits on either the left or the right. That is what left hand and right hand mean.
The catch is that retailers do not all describe it the same way. Some say left hand meaning the corner is on your left as you look at the sofa. Others mean the corner is on your left as you sit on it, which is the opposite.
So do not rely on the wording alone. Look carefully at the product photograph, and if there is any doubt, check with the retailer before ordering.
Working out which you need
Stand in the doorway and look into the room, then picture where the long side will run and which wall takes the shorter return.
A few things usually decide it:
- Which corner is actually free.
- Where the television or fireplace sits.
- Where the door is, so the sofa does not block the route in.
- Whether a window or radiator rules out one of the walls.
Get this right first time, because a corner sofa cannot simply be turned around to face the other way.
Matching the Sofa to Your Layout
Corner sofas suit some rooms far better than others.
They work well where two walls meet with nothing in between. They also suit open plan rooms, where the sofa can mark the edge of the seating area. A corner seats more people than a straight sofa of similar size, since no arms interrupt the middle.
They are trickier in rooms with several doors, or where a bay window takes up one wall. A chimney breast in the middle of the main run causes the same problem.
It is also worth being realistic about rearranging. A corner sofa tends to stay where it is put, so if you like moving furniture around, two separate pieces may suit you better.
Our corner sofas collection shows the shapes and sizes available. For a larger room, a u shaped sofa seats more again. Where a corner will not fit, a 4 seater sofa is a simpler option.
Choosing Your Shade of Grey
Grey is popular because it goes with almost everything, but not all greys are the same.
Some lean cool, towards blue or green. Others lean warm, towards beige or brown. Cool greys sit well with white, blue and silver, while warmer greys suit cream, oak and brass.
Mid greys are the most forgiving in everyday use, since they do not show marks as readily as very pale or very dark shades.
Order a fabric sample if you can and look at it in your own room. Colours shift a surprising amount between showroom lighting and daylight at home.
If you decide grey is not quite right after all, a cream sofa gives a softer, warmer alternative.
Comfort and Everyday Use
Comfort comes down to the seat rather than the shape or the colour.
Seat depth decides how you sit. A deeper seat suits curling up and lounging, while a shallower one suits sitting upright and is easier to get out of. Neither is better, but one will suit you.
Seat height matters too. A very low sofa can be an effort to stand up from, which is worth testing in person rather than guessing.
Think about the cushions as well. Loose cushions can be turned and swapped around, which keeps the sofa looking even over time. Fixed backs stay tidier but cannot be rotated.
If anyone in the house lies down on the sofa, check the long side is genuinely long enough to stretch out on.
A Few Things to Check Before Ordering
- The overall width and depth, compared against your measured walls.
- Whether you need a left hand or right hand corner, confirmed with the retailer.
- The packaged dimensions, and whether it arrives in sections.
- The narrowest point on the delivery route.
- The covering and what care it needs.
- Whether the cushions come off.
- Whether the walkway still works with the sofa in place.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a grey corner sofa comes down to three things. The size against your walls, the orientation of the corner, and whether the seat suits how you sit.
Measure carefully, double check whether you need a left or right hand version, and tape the shape out before you commit. Grey is the easy part, since it works with almost any scheme.
Have a look at our grey corner sofas, see what is in the Corner Sofas Sale, or browse all our sofa furniture to compare sizes.
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