Sofas can be one of your biggest furniture investments — both financially and in the impact it has on your room. There is nothing worse than falling in love with one in the store and shelling out hard-earned cash to make it yours only to lug it home and realize it just doesn’t fit the space. Although finding the right-size sofa seems simple, there’s more too it than making sure it can fit through the front door. Keep in mind a few tips and tricks and you will be sure to love your new piece even more in your home than you did in the showroom.

1. Consider the size of the space. A small sofa fits a small space and large sofa fits a large space. Though this concept seems simple, both design trends and your love of a particular piece sometimes favor cramming large sofas into small spaces. Unfortunately, this never looks or feels right. The opposite is also true, with small sofas getting lost in large lofts and living spaces.
2. Look at the other furniture in the room. A large sofa looks out of place with small chairs and end tables and vice versa. Don’t group a large, overstuffed sofa with small, basic chairs. Keep the sofa to scale with the other furniture.
3. Stick to the general spacing rules for all of the furniture in the room, including the sofa. When you are finished with the room, there should be an 18-inch allowance between the sofa and the coffee table. There should be between 3 1/2 to 10 feet of space between seating so that everyone in the room can converse without yelling or feeling like they are crowded. Additionally, the television and sofa should be about 7 feet apart. Your sofa and other furniture should all fit in the room while accommodating these measurements.
4. Measure the sofa and mark out where it will go in your room with masking tape before you buy it to make sure it will really fit the space. This is especially important for sectionals, which are often over-sized and can inspire buyer’s remorse. Measure the width of your front door, as well, to be sure you can get your new favorite piece into the house — don’t forget stairwells and hallways if you’re in a condo or apartment, or the sofa is going in a room that doesn’t have an exterior door.

**Although style is important, never sacrifice comfort. Even if you have a small space, a little couch may not work for you if you are 6 feet tall. It may be better to have less furniture in the room than a lot of small furniture in that case**