Marcelina Furniture Studio

Furniture Dimensions & Space Planning Guide

What size dining table seats 8, standard table and stool heights, how much space to leave around furniture, and sofa proportions — with the real ranges we build to.

Most furniture mistakes are measurement mistakes. A sofa that blocks a walkway, a dining table that leaves no room to pull out a chair, a coffee table three inches too tall — none of these are taste problems, and all of them are avoidable before you order. This guide gives the standard dimensions and clearances, plus the real ranges we actually build to.

Dining tables: size by number of guests

The rule is 60 cm (24″) of table edge per person. Everything else follows from it.

Seats	Rectangular length	Round diameter
4	120–140 cm (47–55″)	100–110 cm (39–43″)
6	160–180 cm (63–71″)	130–140 cm (51–55″)
8	200–220 cm (79–87″)	150–160 cm (59–63″)
10	260–280 cm (102–110″)	180 cm (71″)
12	300–330 cm (118–130″)	Not practical — go rectangular

Standard depth for a rectangular table is 90–100 cm (35–39″); our median is 100 cm. Below 80 cm, two people seated opposite each other end up sharing serving space.

The clearance rule that matters most: leave 90 cm (36″) of clear floor between the table edge and the nearest wall or furniture. That is enough to pull a chair out and walk behind it. 75 cm is the bare minimum and will feel tight; 100–120 cm is comfortable where people circulate.

Standard heights

Heights are far more standardised than widths, because they are set by the human body rather than the room.

Piece	Standard height	Pairs with
Dining table	75 cm (30″)	Chair seat 45–47 cm
Dining chair seat	45–47 cm (18″)	Leaves 28–30 cm leg clearance
Kitchen counter	90 cm (35″)	Counter stool seat 65 cm
Bar	105–110 cm (41–43″)	Bar stool seat 75 cm
Desk	73–75 cm (29–30″)	Task chair seat 42–52 cm
Coffee table	38–45 cm (15–18″)	Level with sofa seat or slightly lower
Side table	55–65 cm (22–26″)	Level with or just above sofa arm
Console table	75–90 cm (30–35″)	At or just below sofa back height

Seat-to-surface is the number people forget. Whatever the surface — dining table, counter, bar — you want 25–30 cm between the seat and the underside. Get this wrong and the chair is unusable no matter how good it looks.

Sofas and living-room layout

Across the sofas and sectionals we build, the median is 260 cm (102″) wide, 110 cm (43″) deep and 77 cm (30″) high, with a range from 100 cm to 480 cm wide. Useful proportions:

Sofa to wall: the sofa should take up roughly two-thirds of the wall, leaving space at each end.
Coffee table to sofa: about two-thirds the sofa's length, with 40–45 cm (16–18″) of gap so people can pass between.
Walkways: 75–90 cm (30–36″) for a main route through the room; 45 cm is the minimum for a secondary gap.
Sofa to TV: roughly 1.5–2.5 times the screen's diagonal.
Seat depth: 55–60 cm suits upright sitting; 65 cm and beyond is a lounging depth, and it can feel uncomfortable for shorter sitters.

Bedrooms

Bed sizes are standard; the clearances are what people get wrong.

Around the bed	Clearance
Each side you get in from	60–75 cm (24–30″) minimum
Foot of the bed to wall or furniture	90 cm (36″) if it is a walkway
Nightstand height	Level with the mattress top, ±5 cm
In front of a dresser or wardrobe	90 cm (36″) to open drawers and stand

What we actually build to

Those are the standards. Because every piece is made to order, the real range is much wider — which is the point of commissioning rather than buying off a size chart.

Piece	Our median	Range we build
Dining table width	200 cm (79″)	55–330 cm (22–130″)
Sofa / sectional width	260 cm (102″)	100–480 cm (39–189″)
Sofa depth	110 cm (43″)	70–350 cm (28–138″)
Coffee table width	120 cm (47″)	55–180 cm (22–71″)
Console width	155 cm (61″)	40–220 cm (16–87″)

Measure the route, not just the room

The dimension that stops deliveries is never the wall — it is the doorway, the stair turn or the elevator. Before ordering anything large, measure:

The wall the piece will sit against, and the ceiling height.
Every opening on the route: front door, internal doors, stairwell width and turn, elevator car depth and door.
Tape the footprint on the floor and leave it a day. Walking around it tells you more than any drawing.

Send us those numbers with your enquiry. If access is the constraint, we design for it — a sectional split differently, a table with a removable base. See how delivery and installation work.

Frequently asked questions

What size dining table do I need for 8 people?

Allow about 60 cm (24″) of table edge per person. Eight seated comfortably needs roughly 200–220 cm (79–87″) of length on a rectangular table, or a round table of about 150–160 cm (59–63″) diameter. Ten people needs 260–280 cm (102–110″).

How much space do you need around a dining table?

Ninety centimetres (36″) of clear floor between the table edge and the nearest wall or furniture. That allows a chair to pull out and someone to walk behind it. Seventy-five centimetres (30″) is the absolute minimum and feels tight; 100–120 cm is comfortable in a room people circulate through.

What is the standard dining table height?

Seventy-five centimetres (about 30″) is standard, and it is the median across our own dining tables. Pair it with a chair seat height of 45–47 cm (18″), which leaves roughly 28–30 cm of leg clearance — the gap that decides whether a chair actually feels right.

What are standard counter and bar stool heights?

Counter stools have a seat height of about 65 cm (26″) for a 90 cm counter. Bar stools have a seat height of about 75 cm (30″) for a 105–110 cm bar. The rule is the same as dining: leave 25–30 cm between seat and underside of the surface.

How wide should a sofa be for my living room?

As a guide, the sofa should occupy roughly two-thirds of the wall it sits against, leaving breathing room at either end. Across our range the median sofa or sectional is 260 cm (102″) wide and 110 cm (43″) deep — but because we build to order, the more useful number is your wall, not our median.

What height should a coffee table be?

Level with the sofa seat or up to 5 cm lower — for most sofas that means 38–45 cm (15–18″). Our coffee tables sit at a median of 38 cm. Length should be about two-thirds the length of the sofa, with 40–45 cm of gap between them so people can pass.

How do I measure my room before ordering?

Measure the wall length, the ceiling height, and the door, stair and elevator openings the piece must pass through — that last one is what actually stops deliveries. Then mark the footprint on the floor with tape and live with it for a day. It is the cheapest way to catch a piece that is 20 cm too big.

Can you build furniture to non-standard dimensions?

Yes — it is the point of made-to-order. Every dimension is set by your space rather than a size chart, which is why our dining tables run from 55 cm to 330 cm wide and sofas from 100 cm to 480 cm. Send us your measurements and constraints.