How far should the sofa be from the TV?
Answer
Place the sofa about 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen's diagonal away: roughly 2 to 3 metres for a 55-inch TV. Keep the screen's center near seated eye level, and avoid windows directly opposite the screen so glare doesn't fight the picture.
The comfortable distance for a sofa is about 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen's diagonal: a 55-inch TV wants roughly 2 to 3 metres, a 65-inch about 2.4 to 3.5 metres. Closer than that, the picture dominates the room and eyes do more work; farther back, you're watching a postage stamp and the layout starts to drift apart.
Height matters as much as distance. The screen's center should land near seated eye level — around 100 to 110 cm from the floor for most people. The gallery-style mount above the fireplace looks architectural and watches you like a security camera; your neck will file a complaint within a month.
Watch the window. A window directly opposite the screen turns daytime viewing into a mirror fight. If the room forces it, heavier curtains or a one-stop dimming blind solve what moving the furniture can't.
Anchor the pair, then build around them. Sofa and screen are the room's fixed axis; everything else negotiates with it. The rug should connect the sofa's front feet, the coffee table sits 40 to 45 cm from the sofa edge, and side chairs angle in from the flanks rather than copying the sofa's straight-on stance.
Testing beats calculating. Numbers are the starting guess; the real test is whether four people can watch without anyone sitting sideways.
Check a specific pairing before moving walls: place the sofa and see it in your room at true scale, or upload your living room and test two TV-wall layouts side by side — free.