What size coffee table suits your sofa? Drag it and see

Two numbers decide whether a coffee table feels right: how its height compares with the sofa seat, and how much gap sits between the two. Most advice stops at style.

Set your sofa and room in a to-scale planner, drag the table around and watch the height, gap, length and walkway checks update. Then see when it's fine to break the rules, and what to measure before you buy anything.