The center of a room is not the space you can walk through.
This calculator reads one wall-to-wall section through a living room. It adds the sofa projection, the sofa-to-table reach gap, the coffee-table depth, and any media unit, hearth, or storage projecting from the opposite wall. Only then does it reveal the clear strip left between the table and the opposite piece. That remaining strip is compared with the route target you entered.
The separation matters because reach and circulation solve different problems. Moving a coffee table farther from the sofa can improve leg room but make the surface awkward to reach; leaving it close can preserve reach while reducing the route on the other side. A generic claim that the furniture "fits" hides that tradeoff. RoomFact reports the available route, the chosen target, and the exact margin or shortfall so the next change addresses the real constraint.
Worked example
A reachable table with a six-centimetre route shortfall
A 310 cm-deep room has a sofa projecting 94 cm from one wall. A 60 cm-deep coffee table sits 42 cm from the sofa, and a media unit projects 40 cm from the opposite wall. The household wants to test an 80 cm clear route.
Wall-to-wall room depth
310 cm
Sofa projection
94 cm
Sofa-to-table gap
42 cm
Coffee-table depth
60 cm
Media-unit projection
40 cm
Clear-route target
80 cm
How RoomFact reads it
The furniture sequence uses 94 + 42 + 60 + 40 = 236 cm. The room leaves a 74 cm route between the table and media unit, which is 6 cm below the selected 80 cm target. RoomFact returns a route review even though every piece can be drawn inside the room.
The reach gap is not the failed measurement. Reducing the table depth or media-unit projection addresses this result more directly than pushing the table away from the sofa.
The 80 cm route is a household planning choice in this example, not an accessibility or building-code claim. A different person, activity, or applicable requirement can justify a different target.
The media unit must be tested with doors or drawers open. The calculator uses its closed projection and cannot show a temporary operating conflict.
01
Measure a physical sequence, not a room label
Choose the exact cross-section that contains the proposed sofa and table. Measure from the inside face of the sofa wall to the inside face of the opposite wall on that line. A bay, angled wall, fireplace, or offset doorway can make another line through the same "living room" a different length, so record the line on a sketch rather than relying on the largest room dimension.
List what the tape measure crosses in order. A typical line is wall, sofa, reach gap, coffee table, clear route, media unit, wall. If a radiator, hearth, deep baseboard, curtain stack, or fixed ledge projects into that line, include it in the relevant furniture projection or choose a more conservative wall position. Empty floor behind a piece is still consumed when the piece cannot move back into it.
02
Use projection instead of catalogue depth
Sofa projection is the distance from the wall to the furthest front edge in the planned position. It includes a deliberate gap behind the sofa, an angled back, loose cushions at their normal position, and any manufacturer-required recliner clearance. A product depth alone understates the footprint whenever the sofa is floated forward or cannot sit against the wall.
Measure the coffee table at its complete floor footprint, not only the most convenient top dimension. Splayed legs, a projecting base, nested tables in their normal arrangement, and an ottoman tray can change where feet move. For the opposite side, measure from the wall to the nearest closed face of the media unit, fireplace surround, cabinet, or other obstacle. Enter zero only when the wall is genuinely clear on this line.
03
Protect reach and the through-route separately
Current retailer planning guides commonly place a coffee table about 14 to 18 inches from a sofa, while also describing a wider pass-through distance where people need to circulate. Those are useful starting references, not universal dimensions. The actual sofa cushion, leg position, mobility needs, table use, and route frequency determine what works in a particular household.
Choose the sofa-to-table gap by sitting, standing, and reaching with a temporary surface at the proposed height. Choose the clear-route target by walking the actual path with the people and objects that use it. Do not borrow space from one condition without retesting the other. If the calculation is short, first compare a shallower table, movable nesting pair, wall-mounted media solution, or shallower storage piece.
04
Test the states a straight line cannot show
Tape all furniture edges and the target-route boundaries on the floor. Open every cabinet door and drawer, extend recliner footrests, pull out nesting tables, and place baskets or floor lamps where they normally live. Then walk from the real doorway to the seats while another person remains seated. A route that exists only when every object is closed and nobody is using the room is not the normal operating plan.
This result does not evaluate room width, side chairs, table length, diagonal movement, television sight lines, sharp corners, or delivery access. Use the full room planner for width, doors, and additional furniture, then verify exact product drawings and applicable accessibility or safety requirements. Save separate results for normal-day and expanded states rather than averaging two layouts into one misleading measurement.