Sofa set configurations describe which pieces are sold together as one set, written as seat counts: 3+3+1 is two three-seat sofas and one armchair, 3+2+1 is a three-seat sofa, a two-seat sofa and an armchair. A corner sofa joins two runs of seating in an L, and a U-shape adds a third run. The right choice depends on the wall lengths and room shapes your customers furnish, so pick configurations from room dimensions and your own sales records, then specify every piece by width, depth and orientation.
This guide is written by ellda mobilya, a furniture manufacturer in Kayseri, Türkiye, producing sofa sets, corner sofas, bed base sets and mattresses since 2010. We use real dimensions from our 2026 furniture catalogue to show how much room each configuration takes. It is for importers, wholesalers and store buyers planning a seating range.
What do the numbers in a sofa set configuration mean?
Each number is the seat count of one piece. "3" is a three-seat sofa, "2" a two-seat sofa and "1" an armchair. A 3+3+1 set seats seven people across three pieces; a 3+2+1 set seats six.
Seat counts are a sales convention, not a measurement. Even within our own catalogue, the main sofa of a set runs from 220 to 295 cm wide, and sofa depth runs from 66 cm (Serra) to 104 cm (Naz). Two pieces sold as "three-seat" can therefore need very different walls. A buyer who orders by seat count alone can end up with sofas that do not suit the rooms they were bought for.
So write every configuration on an order as pieces with dimensions. "1 × sofa 240 × 95 × 78 cm, 1 × armchair 95 × 85 × 75 cm" (the Ekol pieces, width × depth × height) is a specification; "3+1" is only a label.
The four common sofa set configurations
3+3+1: two long sofas and an armchair
A 3+3+1 needs two walls, or a free-standing seating area where the sofas face each other. It suits large living rooms and households that often seat several guests at once.
Placement changes the space it needs. Set in an L, two Ekol sofas take 240 cm on the first wall and about 335 cm on the second, because the second sofa can only start where the first sofa's 95 cm depth ends. Set face to face, they need two 240 cm runs plus the distance between them for a coffee table and a walkway.
A related layout is 3+1+1: one sofa and two armchairs. It fits a room with one long wall facing a TV unit, with the armchairs angled at the ends of the sofa.
3+2+1: a long sofa, a shorter sofa and an armchair
A 3+2+1 puts the long sofa on the main wall and the shorter sofa on a side wall or under a window. It works in rooms where a door, radiator or balcony opening interrupts the second wall, because the shorter sofa fits where a second long one would not.
Two of our sofa sets are printed with two sofa lengths. Santos has a 295 cm and a 255 cm sofa; Gemlik has a 295 cm and a 225 cm sofa. They show the long-plus-shorter structure with real pieces. Ask how each piece is described by seat count in the quote, since a 255 cm sofa may be sold as a two-seat or a three-seat piece depending on the market.
Corner sofa: an L along two walls
A corner sofa is one unit, usually delivered in sections, that runs along two walls with a shared corner seat. The corner becomes seating instead of the dead space left where two separate sofas meet. It needs two uninterrupted walls and a decided orientation: which side the longer run is on.
All ten corner sofas in our 2026 catalogue are L-shaped, with long sides from 270 cm (Oslo, 270 × 200 cm) to 375 cm (Asel, 375 × 255 cm). Three have equal sides: Zirve at 310 × 310 cm, Polo at 305 × 305 cm and Petra at 300 × 300 cm. Compare Zirve with the two Ekol sofas above: the corner uses 310 cm on each wall, the two separate sofas 240 cm and 335 cm. Construction details for corner orders are in our corner sofa construction guide.
U-shape: three runs of seating
A U-shaped sofa has two parallel arms joined by a back run. It seats the most people in one unit, but it closes the centre of the room to a single opening and needs a wide room, often open-plan. It is also the configuration most likely to need lengths made for a specific project.
Our 2026 catalogue has no U-shaped model. If your customers ask for one, send a sketch with all three run lengths and the depth, and ask whether it can be built from the sections of an existing model; the answer is confirmed in the quote. A loose U can also be made from separate pieces, for example a 3+3+1 with the sofas facing each other and the armchair closing one end. It ships as ordinary set pieces and stays easy to rearrange.
Which sofa set configuration suits which room and market?
| Room situation | Configuration that usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One long wall facing a TV unit | 3+1+1 | One sofa on the wall, armchairs angled at the ends |
| Two walls, the second broken by a door or window | 3+2+1 | The shorter sofa fits the shorter usable wall |
| Two uninterrupted walls meeting at a corner | Corner sofa | The corner becomes a seat; most seats per metre of wall |
| Large room, many guests seated at once | 3+3+1 or U-shape | Seven or more seats; a U needs a wide, open room |
| Narrow lifts, stairs or doors on the delivery route | 3+2+1 or a corner with confirmed section sizes | Shorter pieces and sections pass more easily |
| Customers who rearrange often or move home | Separate pieces | Each piece works on its own in a new room |
We do not publish figures on which configuration sells best in which country, and preferences differ even between cities. Use your own records instead: which sets sold through, which were returned because they did not fit, which wall lengths customers bring to the store. Questions worth answering before you choose include whether most of your customers live in flats with lifts or in houses, how long a typical living room wall is, and whether they seat large groups at home. Some Gulf buyers, for example, furnish majlis-style reception rooms with long continuous seating; confirm how much of your demand that represents from your own sales data before planning a range around it.
Check the delivery route as well as the room. The longest piece or section has to pass the building's doors, corridors and lift, so ask for section sizes on corner sofas and compare them with the buildings your customers live in.
How to specify a configuration on an order
Use this checklist for every configuration you request:
- Model name as printed in the catalogue.
- Pieces and quantities per piece, not only per set: for example 2 × sofa and 1 × armchair per set, multiplied by the number of sets. Ordering by piece lets you sell the same model as 3+3+1, 3+2+1 or 3+1+1.
- Width × depth × height for each piece from the catalogue, and the tolerance you accept.
- For corner sofas: long side, short side and depth, the orientation drawn on a sketch, and the quantity for each orientation.
- Fabric and colour per piece, including whether armchairs use a contrast fabric.
- Extras per piece, such as a bed mechanism, adjustable headrests, a pouf or a side unit, where the model offers them.
- Destination market, so the flammability and labelling rules that apply are confirmed in the quote. Our questions to ask a sofa manufacturer guide covers what to ask.
- Packed dimensions and number of packages per piece, which you need to plan the container. The method is in how many sofas fit in a 40ft container.
How many configurations should a range carry?
Build the range from pieces, then display configurations. A showroom can only show one arrangement of a model, but it can sell the same pieces in several. Choose a small number of models that cover different size bands rather than several similar ones: a shallow model for smaller rooms, a standard depth, a large model, and corner sofas in both orientations in the ratio your sales records suggest.
Say, hypothetically, a retailer sells mainly to flats with one long wall and a balcony door. A 3+1+1 and a 3+2+1 of one shallow model, plus a compact corner such as Oslo, may cover more of those rooms than three 3+3+1 sets of a deep model. Different configurations and product groups can share one shipment; see mixed container furniture shipping.
How ellda mobilya handles sofa set configurations
Our 2026 furniture catalogue (88 pages) lists 23 sofa sets and 10 corner sofas, with model and piece names in Turkish and English and the dimensions of each piece. We produce every model in our own 10,500 m² factory in Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone; the steps from plan to packing are on our production page.
- Send the pieces and quantities you want per model; price, minimum quantities, lead time and shipping terms are stated in the quote.
- Fabric and colour can be discussed per order; options depend on the model and quantity.
- Sofa sets, corner sofas, bed base sets and mattresses can be combined in one shipment, packed for long-distance transport, with a loading plan shared with the quote.
- Our team communicates in English, Arabic and Turkish, and buyers can visit the factory by appointment.
Details for store and wholesale buyers are on our wholesale furniture page.
Next step
Download the catalogue from the catalogue page, mark the models that fit the rooms your customers furnish, and list the pieces and quantities for each configuration. Send that list through the wholesale enquiry form or add models to your quote list, and include your destination market and any corner orientations.
