A corner sofa has a long side against one wall and a shorter side that turns the corner, usually ending in a chaise. Which side that chaise sits on is what makes a sofa left-hand or right-hand, and it is the first thing to settle, before colour or fabric. Get it the wrong way round and the sofa will not sit in the corner you bought it for.
Left-hand or right-hand: stand in front of it
On Furniture Lovers, the side is described as you face the sofa, standing in front of it the way you see it in the photos.
- Left-hand corner sofa: the chaise is on your left as you face the sofa.
- Right-hand corner sofa: the chaise is on your right as you face the sofa.
Sit down on it and the sides swap, which is where most of the confusion comes from. Not every shop describes it from the same point of view, so if you are comparing sofas from different places, go by the product photos rather than the name alone. You may also see LHF and RHF, short for left-hand facing and right-hand facing.
Universal and U-shape sofas
Two layouts take the question away.
- Universal corner sofas can be put together with the chaise on either side, so the same sofa works in a left-hand or a right-hand corner. They make sense if you have not decided which wall to use, or you might move house.
- U-shape sofas have a return at both ends, so there is no side to choose.
| Layout | Where the chaise goes | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Left-hand | On your left as you face it | A room where the corner can only be on that side |
| Right-hand | On your right as you face it | A room where the corner can only be on that side |
| Universal | Either side | A room that could go either way, or a future move |
| U-shape | Both ends | A room with space for seating along three sides |
How to work out which one your room needs
- Face the wall the sofa's long back will sit against. Stand where you would normally look at the sofa from.
- See which side the corner is on. If the chaise needs to run along the wall on your left, you need a left-hand corner sofa. If it runs along the wall on your right, a right-hand one.
- Check what is in the way. Doors, radiators, windows and the walkway through the room can decide the side for you. A chaise across a door swing or in front of a radiator is easy to miss on a plan.
- Measure both walls. A corner sofa has two lengths, and each one has to fit the wall it will sit against.
Measure both sides before you order
Measure the space the sofa will actually use, not the whole wall. Take the length along the back wall (side A) and along the side wall (side B), leaving room for radiators and a clear walkway. Then compare each figure with the sofa's measurements, which most product pages list under the Dimensions tab.
Our Check if it will fit tool compares your room measurements with our sofa sizes, so you can see which ones suit the space. Measure the way in too: front and internal doors, hallways, tight turns and stairs.
Still not sure?
Mark the outline of the sofa on the floor with masking tape, using the measurements from the product page, and live with it for a day. If the room could take the chaise on either side, a universal corner sofa keeps both options open.
A sofa that turns out to be the wrong way round for the room counts as a change of mind, so it is worth measuring first. Our returns page explains how that works.