Chaise sofa or corner sofa: how to choose

From across the room, both look like an L. The difference is the short side.

On a chaise sofa, the short side is a long seat without a back, made for lying back with your legs stretched out. It is the sofa and a daybed in one. You may also see it called a chaise longue sofa or a lounger.

On a corner sofa, the short side has its own back, so the seating turns the corner. People can sit upright along both sides, and the seat in the corner becomes a cosy spot of its own.

This is the most useful question to ask, because it decides more than the size of the room.

• You lie down in the evening. A chaise gives one person a full place to stretch out while the others sit. If two people both love to lounge, look at a U-shape with a lounging spot at each end.
• You receive guests often. A corner sofa seats more people upright and lets everyone turn towards each other, a little like a small majlis.
• You have a big family. A corner sofa uses every centimetre of its length for seats, while a chaise gives one of those places over to lounging.
• You like an afternoon nap. A chaise is the natural choice, especially with a soft, deep seat.

Here are the footprints of our chaise and corner sofas, measured across the front and from the back to the front of the chaise or the corner side.

A chaise sofa usually feels lighter than a corner sofa of the same size, because the short side is low and open, with no back to block the view. That makes it a good fit for an apartment living room that opens onto the dining area. A corner sofa feels more enclosing and looks its best tucked into a corner, where it fills space that is often empty.

In both cases, keep 60 to 90 cm free to walk past the short side. The Will it fit? tool on each sofa page draws the sofa against your wall, to scale.

A corner sofa belongs in a corner, with both backs against walls, or with one back floating in the room to separate the living area from the dining area. Check that the shorter wall is at least as long as the corner side is deep.

A chaise sofa is more flexible. It can sit against one wall, with the chaise along a side wall or simply open to the room. It also floats well in the middle of a large room, because the low chaise keeps the view open.

For both, the side of the chaise or corner matters. A good rule is to put it on the side away from the way into the room. Our guide to choosing a left or right chaise explains how the sides are named and how to decide.

A few small touches make either shape feel complete.

• A side table at the chaise end. Whoever lies on the chaise needs a place for a cup, a phone or a book. A small round table at the outer end is easy to reach.
• A reading lamp beside the corner. The corner seat is often the favourite place to read. A floor lamp just behind it gives soft light without glare on a screen.
• A throw on the chaise. Folded at the foot of the chaise, it is ready for cool evenings under the air conditioning.
• Cushions where backs meet. On a corner sofa, two large cushions in the corner make it softer to lean into. On a chaise sofa, one cushion at the inner end supports your back when you lie down.
• A rug under the front legs. Choose one that runs at least 15 to 20 cm past the long side, so the sofa and the chaise sit on the same surface.

Evenings in the UAE often mean the whole family together, and during Ramadan and Eid, guests who stay for hours. A corner sofa is very good at this: it seats a group upright and turns them towards each other.

At the same time, many people use the living room for long, quiet evenings in front of a film, with the air conditioning on and a throw over their legs. A chaise turns that into a real pleasure. If the living room does both jobs, a large chaise sofa such as Doudou, 352 cm wide, gives you a long row of upright seats and a deep lounging spot in one. Our guide to the best sofa for movie nights has more ideas for long evenings.

• Nuage, a chaise sofa in cloud-soft bouclé, 262 cm wide with a 152 cm chaise, AED 9,890. It also comes as a 230 cm 3-seater. Its low 40 cm seat gives a relaxed, lounge-like way of sitting.
• Doudou, a wide chaise sofa with sculpted seat blocks and a deep 65 cm seat, AED 11,990.
• Comfo, our modular sofa, as a chaise sofa (AED 9,790) or a corner sofa (AED 9,790). Because it is modular, you can rearrange it later.

Each one comes with the chaise or corner on the left or the right, and in the seat feel you prefer at the same price: Cocoon, very soft, or Classic, medium. All are European quality, handmade locally when you order, and delivered and installed free in all seven emirates.

See every chaise and corner shape together on our L shape and corner sofas page.