Asked on Feb 16, 2019

Is it ok to have the back of your sofa facing the entrance of house?

Melissa Horn
by Melissa Horn

When you walk into my home the dining area is on the left and in front of you is the living room. The back of my sofa faces you because there’s no where else to put it and it’s bugging me! It’s not in a place where it feels welcoming to come in and sit down in my living room. I tried putting it on the wall with the (white birch wall picture) but it did it look right... I attached some photos so everyone could see.

So narrow to walk into our room

Looking from front door

Other wall I tried to put sofa on but looked bad

Looking to the front door

  17 answers
  • Mogie Mogie on Feb 16, 2019

    A nice sofa table would allow you to basically keep the sofa where it is and provide more storage for you at the same time . Check out this once that cost about $30 and 1 day to make.

    http://blog.jennasuedesign.com/2015/06/diy-sofa-table-tutorial/

  • Gilmer Gal Gilmer Gal on Feb 16, 2019

    I hope it's OK. That's how one mine is! You might put a sofa table behind it for a more decorative touch? It might look more inviting.

  • William William on Feb 16, 2019

    Yeah, I lived that for several years in my old home. Bothered me more than anyone else. You could build/buy a narrow sofa table to put behind it. The highboy cabinet on the right may be in the way. You could move it if you plan for a sofa table.


    https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=sofa%20table

    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 16, 2019

      Yes it does bother me especially when I have visitors walk in and have to go around the sofa. That highboy is a piece we bought in Okinawa and I don’t have anywhere else to put it I don’t think but I will look. The sofa table would be good. I’ll have to search. Thanks for the link!

  • LK LK on Feb 16, 2019

    I only see one picture; is the large breakfront to the right tipped at an angle or does the wall run on an angle? Could you put the sofa on the wall underneath the photos where it says “family“?Good that large breakfront be moved someplace else to give it a more open look?

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Feb 16, 2019

    Actually, I like it where it is, except I would move it to the left (as you look at the back, facing the fireplace) and put the chairs on either side of the fireplace. Improving the flow into the room by creating a walkway into the conversation/seating area will help. When I don't like a room flow, I try to remove one or two pieces of furniture, and see if it was too crowded.

    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 16, 2019

      If I move the couch to the left, it won’t be straight In front of the fireplace, it would be off quite a bit

  • Robert G Robert G on Feb 16, 2019

    Sure! Put a skinny table, shelving behind the couch butt up against it and add home accents! I see this everyday in rich houses that I have to go to. It works great if you have a big enough room to do so and you do! Looks good.

    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 16, 2019

      That wall behind my couch is small, I don’t think I can put the couch up against it unless I moved that tall piece and angled the couch?

  • Robert G Robert G on Feb 16, 2019

    If I was you, I would get rid of that big tall piece of hutch and put it in another room. It actually doesn't go with the room anyway. Instead I would put a skinny table behind the couch to balance out the room. Too much furniture makes the room look cluttered, keep it simple and air flowing.

  • Ellis Ellis on Feb 17, 2019

    I don't mind the way the back of your sofa looks when you enter the room; it probably bothers you more than anyone else! It's an attractive sofa.


    I think your best bet, if you really hate it, is to get a narrow sofa table to put there. You can put a couple of pretty things there, or a low silk flower arrangement, or some books with nice bookends, etc.


    Nothing you have to worry about someone knocking over!

    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 17, 2019

      Thank you!

      We actually just moved the sofa up and got rid of the ottoman that was in front of the chair... hoping that will help the walkway.

  • Rymea Rymea on Feb 17, 2019

    The table, lamp and chair are more of an obstacle than the sofa. If you could at least see a pathway into the room it would look better. But the best advice i can offer is to move the TV to the wall with the family photos. Put the sofa across from it. Put a chair, or get matching chairs, to put where the sofa is now. They wouldn't have to be centered on the fireplace.

    Otherwise put the sofa on either wall and the chairs across from it. Leave the TV where it is now.


    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 17, 2019

      I can’t because those walls are In front of each other, one comes down quite a bit because of a door to the bedrooms so if I put the sofa on the other one it would be in front of a doorway going into the bedrooms.. it’s hard to see without a video

  • Sky Sky on Feb 17, 2019

    Why not rearrange the furniture and TV. Put the TV on the wall and then you can put the sofa on the wall that faces the TV?

    • Melissa Horn Melissa Horn on Feb 17, 2019

      Because the walls aren’t I front of each other ,

      there is 2 door ways one on each wall and the couch that the wall would sit on would be In front of a doorway that leads to bedrooms..

  • LK LK on Feb 17, 2019

    I like the idea of the sofa table. I was also thinking that perhaps you could remove that brown end table altogether, and put in a floor standing lamp behind the sofa instead (pic attached). This would still give you some light and could be a bit decorative while providing a more clear pathway into the living room. I was also trying to imagine what you could put in that “archway between your hallway and your living room to soften up those walls, however I’m sure what that could be.

  • Cindy Cindy on Feb 17, 2019

    Wow. You have gotten a lot of advice. I'm just wondering, could you put the high-boy where your family pics are? That would give a lot more space. Maybe pull the sofa to where the high-boy is now? If it fits. Another idea is: is the high-boy all one piece? Or does it break down into two pieces? If it's two pieces, the bottom portion could be the sofa table. And the upper portion would need to find a home somewhere else. Perhaps on top of a bureau in a bedroom.

  • Christine Christine on Oct 18, 2020

    I would love to hear what you did. I have a similar issue.

  • Sharon Sharon on Oct 19, 2020

    I do this frequently in my own home and assisting my clients with decorating. I like a sofa table behind to put a lamp on and a plate for keys, and a basket for mail.

    https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=pictures+of+sofa+tables+behind+sofas&client=opera&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSxpf_6b_sAhU1IjQIHetNDeMQjJkEegQIAhAB&biw=1326&bih=658

  • I think it defines the space. If you wanted, you could put a sofa table behind it.

  • Amir Hyman Amir Hyman on Jan 03, 2023

    There are no hard and fast rules about where you should place your sofa in your home. Ultimately, it's up to you and what works best for your space and your needs. However, there are a few things you may want to consider when deciding where to place your sofa:


    • Traffic flow: You may want to consider how your sofa will fit into the overall traffic flow of your space. If you place the back of your sofa facing the entrance, it may block the flow of traffic and make it more difficult for people to move around the room.
    • Aesthetics: Consider how the back of your sofa will look when viewed from the entrance of your home. If the back of your sofa is not particularly attractive, you may want to consider placing it in a different location.
    • Comfort: Think about how you will use your sofa and whether you want the back of it to face the entrance. If you want to be able to sit and relax on your sofa while looking out at the entrance of your home, then placing the back of your sofa facing the entrance may be a good idea. On the other hand, if you want to be able to sit and relax on your sofa while looking away from the entrance, then placing the back of your sofa away from the entrance may be a better option.


    I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

  • Mogie Mogie on Jan 04, 2023

    Mine is also. Sort of use it to make any entry where there is none.