Many manufacturers follow a standard size for various types of furniture. This makes buying furniture for your house a little less complicated. You can look up the dimensions of a piece that you’re eyeing and see how it may fit your space, even before you actually buy it.
Knowing the average size of furniture pieces also helps you plan the rest of your space. Since you can already determine the size of the furniture you’re buying, you can focus your energy on perhaps choosing a color palette or creating a good flow.
We’ve narrowed down the most typical pieces of furniture you find in a house and included their typical sizes.
Dining Room Furniture
The basic furniture you find in a dining room is the dining table and the chairs. Maybe you’re eyeing some other pieces, too, like a china cabinet or a buffet. But you need to determine the size of the dining table first so you can proceed to choose the other items.
Dining Table
The key furniture in a dining room is, of course, the dining table. The height for dining tables is usually consistent at 28 to 30 inches. But they tend to vary in length and width, depending on the seating capacity as well as the shape of the table.
Rectangular Dining Tables
Rectangular tables are the typical choice for dining rooms. They can seat more people than any other table shape, plus, they’re easier to work with when arranging the dining space.
Most rectangular dining tables are between 36 to 40 inches wide. The standard four-seater table is 48 inches long, and a six-seater is at least 60 inches long. Meanwhile, a 78-inch long dining table can accommodate up to eight people.
Square Dining Tables
Square dining tables are ideal for smaller groups of about two to four people. If you require more seating space, you might want to choose a rectangular dining table instead. Still, if you have the space for it, you can definitely go for a square table.
A standard square table is 36 to 40 inches in width and length. To accommodate six to eight people, the square table needs to be at least 50 inches.
Round Dining Tables
Pretty much like square tables, round dining tables are better suited for smaller groups of people. They help foster coziness and intimacy, which makes them great for people with growing families.
A standard round dining table comes around 36 to 44 inches in diameter, and this can comfortably seat four people. A six-seater ranges from 44 inches minimum to 54 inches, while an eight-seater is 54 to 72 inches in diameter.
Dining Chairs
Chairs for dining tables commonly stand at 18 to 22 inches, when it comes to chair seat height. Ideally, there is a 12-inch space between the seat and the tabletop. If the table has a skirt or an apron, the wood extension you sometimes see below the tabletop, there should be at least seven inches of space between that and the seat.
Dining tables often come with chairs already as a set. So, you don’t have to worry about whether the chair seat height complements the table height.
Living Room Furniture
The biggest piece of furniture in your living room is the sofa or couch. So, before you choose the console or coffee table, or any storage unit, you need to find out which couch size is best suited for your room.
Sofa
The heart of the living room is your couch. It’s one of the pieces of furniture in your home that you need to measure carefully because its transport can be a little tricky. Although the style of sofas is varied, there seems to be a common measurement, especially when it comes to height. Many sofas stand at 34 inches, with a seat height of around 17 to 18 inches.
- The armchair, call it a one-seat sofa if you want, is 38 inches deep and 36 inches wide
- A loveseat, or a two-seat sofa, is 38 inches deep and about 60 inches wide
- A standard three-seat sofa is 38 inches deep and 90 inches wide
- A four-seat sofa is 38 inches deep and about 120 inches wide
Coffee Table
Coffee tables often stand around 16 to 18 inches, from the floor to the tabletop. For rectangular coffee tables, the length ranges between 36 and 48 inches, and the depth is 18 to 24 inches. But there seems to be no consistent sizing for the other shapes.
Ideally, the coffee table should at least have 16 inches of space between its sides and the edge of the couch and chairs. It also shouldn't take up more than two-thirds of the width of your couch or sofa.
Credenza or Console
Credenzas and media consoles are typically 18 to 22 inches in depth. The width is anywhere between 50 to 140 inches while the height is 20 to 45 inches.
These pieces of furniture are versatile storage units although these days they’re often used as TV stands and media cabinets. To get the right credenza for your TV, make sure you factor in the seat height of your sofa. This helps ensure that you’ll be watching your TV at eye level.
Bookcase
An average bookcase has at least four shelves and usually doesn’t exceed four feet. It typically starts at 54 inches high and comes between 25 inches to 45 inches in width. The depth meanwhile is usually 10 to 12 inches.
Tall bookcases have five to seven shelves and are anywhere between 60 to 84 inches in height. There need to be about 10 to 16 inches of space between shelves to accommodate the standard eight-inch paperback or a 15-inch coffee table art books.
Bedroom Furniture
Finding the right furniture size for your bedroom might be less of a struggle. The bed is the biggest piece of furniture, and you basically have only four or five choices in terms of size. Once you’re able to choose the size for your bed, you can basically map out the other furniture you might need.
Bed
Clearly, the most important piece of furniture in a bedroom is the bed. The length and width of a bed are more standardized than any other furniture because mattresses have standard sizing.
So, let’s get down to business.
What sizes do beds come in? The size of bed frames complements the mattress, which can come in as:
- Twin bed: runs 39 inches wide and 80 inches long, it’s suitable for one person only
- Double or full bed: runs 54 inches wide and 80 inches long, it typically fits one person
- Queen bed: runs 60 inches wide and 80 inches long, it can fit two people
- King bed: runs 76 inches wide and 80 inches long, two people fit comfortably with extra room to spare
- California king: runs 72 inches wide and 84 inches long, it’s a bit narrower than the king bed but suitable for taller people.
The average bed height, measurement including the mattress, sits at around 18 to 24 inches. It can be lower and higher than this, depending on your needs. It’s easier to get out of your bed from a sitting position, preferably when your knees and the base of your spine are at the same level. When you’re setting it too low, you may strain your lower back and your thighs.
Nightstand and Bedside Table
Nightstands typically stand at about 28 to 40 inches tall and are about 18 to 22 inches wide. The depth is usually the same as the width.
Since they sit at the side of the bed, it’s important that they’re not much shorter than the bed for easy access.
Home Office Furniture
Many people have shifted to hybrid work, so having a home office or at least a decent workspace has become essential. For the most basic workspace, you only need a desk and a good office chair, although you might also need furniture for storage like shelves and bookcases.
Desk
A standard desk is around 50 inches wide, 30 inches deep, and 28 to 30 inches tall. The height of a regular desk is mainly designed for sitting, of course. But there are also standing work desks now that are mechanically designed to increase height range.
Office Chair
There is no standard height for office chairs. Considering that they’re commonly adjustable, this is not a major issue. The typical range, however, is 16 to 22 inches. They’re also about 19 to 21 inches wide and 15 to 19 inches deep.
Custom Furniture
If the furniture you need for your space is not standard-sized, consider going for custom furniture. It’s the safest way to ensure that your furniture fits your space, moreover, keeps you comfortable.
We customize furniture here at T.Y. Fine Furniture. The needs of our customers are our priority, so we make sure that we are with you every step of the way. First, we’ll set up a design meeting with you, personally or through video call, so we can discuss your furniture needs. We’ll help you determine the size, style, and material of the furniture.
During the design and construction process, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. You’ll receive sketches, drafts, and animated computer designs so you can visualize your furniture. We’ll send you photos during construction as well, and you track the progress of your project through our client site.
If you want to know more about customizing furniture, please feel free to contact us.