What Is a Right Hand and Left Hand Corner Sofa? A Simple UK Guide

You have found the perfect corner sofa. The colour is right, the size is right, and then the website asks one last thing. Left hand or right hand? Sometimes it is even written as LHF or RHF. And just like that, you are stuck.

Do not worry. It is far simpler than it sounds, and once it clicks, you will never second-guess it again.

Here is the short answer. A corner sofa is shaped like an L, with one long side and one short side. 'Left hand' or 'right hand' just tells you which side that long part is on. Sit on the sofa, look out into the room, and check. The long side on your left means your left hand. The long side on your right means your right hand.

There is one catch, which we will get to, plus a costly way to get it wrong. So let us walk through it properly.

What Do Left Hand and Right Hand Mean?

Picture a corner sofa as a big letter L. It has a long side that stretches out, often called the chaise, and a short side that holds the rest of the seats. The word "hand" just tells you which side that long part is on.

There is one easy way to check, and it never fails. Sit on the corner sofa, facing out into the room, like you are about to watch TV. Then look at the long side.

• If the long side stretches out to your left, it is a left hand corner sofa.

• If the long side stretches out to your right, it is a right hand corner sofa.

That is genuinely all there is to it. No tape measure, no maths.

Here is a quick example to make it stick. You are sitting down with the remote, and the long part of the sofa runs off to your right, so you could lie back with your feet pointing that way. That is a right hand corner sofa. Now flip it in your head, with the long part on the left instead, and it becomes a left hand one.

One last thing. On listings you will often see this shortened to LHF and RHF. They just stand for left hand facing and right hand facing. Same thing, fewer letters.

Left Hand vs Right Hand: The Quick Way to Tell

If you only remember one thing, make it this. Sit where you would really sit, and check the long side.

Now the catch, and it is a big one. Not every shop measures it the same way. Some, like us, go by the view when they are sitting on the sofa. Others judge it while standing in front of the sofa, which swaps left and right. So the same sofa can be called left hand in one shop and right hand in another. It sounds mad, but it is true. Always check the shop's own picture or diagram before you order, not just the words.

What If It Does Not Say Left or Right?

Some corner sofas are the same length on both sides. These are called equal, or symmetrical, corner sofas. If a listing does not mention left hand or right hand at all, that is usually why. It fits either corner the same way, so there is no side to get wrong. One less thing to think about.

How to Pick the Right Side for Your Room

Knowing the names is only half the job. The other half is choosing the side that actually suits your room. Once you look at a few simple things, the right side usually becomes obvious.

Start with your longest wall. 

The long side of the sofa nearly always looks best running along your longest wall. That way it fills the space instead of poking out into the middle of the room and getting in the way. So work out which wall is the longest, and let the long part sit there. Half the time, that alone decides left or right for you.

Then look at the door. 

You do not want the long part blocking the way in or forcing you to squeeze past every time you walk through. Picture yourself coming into the room with a cup of tea in each hand. If the sofa is in the way, flip it to the other side and keep the path clear.

Now the TV.

Most of us sit down to watch something, so the seats need to face it. Picture where you will be looking, then point the sofa that way, not off at a blank wall. If the TV sits on the right of the room, that often nudges you towards one side over the other.

Think about the light. 

A nice window is worth showing off, not hiding. Try not to bury it behind the tall back of the sofa. Work around it so the daylight still fills the room and you keep the view.

Do not forget the radiator. 

This one catches people out. The tall back of a corner sofa can end up right in front of a radiator and soak up all the heat. Where you can, keep the back clear of it, so the warmth still reaches the room.

One more, for open-plan rooms.

If your kitchen and lounge share one big space, a corner sofa can pull double duty. Point the long side out into the room, and it works like a soft wall, marking off the lounge from the kitchen. Which side you pick then comes down to where you want that line to fall.

Run through the lot: the wall, the door, the TV, the light and the radiator, and the correct side almost always picks itself

The Mistake That Costs People a Refund

Here is the one that catches everyone out. Ordering the wrong hand.

It is such an easy slip. You picture the room in your head, you click a side, and three weeks later a lovely sofa turns up facing the wrong way. Now the long part blocks the door or turns its back on the TV, and you are on the phone arranging a return. On a made-to-order sofa, that often means a long wait for a remake.

So do this before you buy.

• Stand in your room, right where the sofa will go.

• Face the wall it will sit against.

• Point your arm the way you want the long side to run.

• That direction, left or right, is the hand you need.

• To be really sure, cut a rough paper shape the size of the sofa, lay it on the floor, and live with it for a day.

Thirty seconds now, or a day with a paper cut, saves weeks of hassle later.

Your Quick Side-Check Checklist

Before you click buy, run through this.

• Stand where the sofa will go and face the wall.

• Point the way you want the long side to run.

• 'Left' means left hand, and 'right' means right hand.

• Check the shop's own diagram that matches your choice.

• Make sure it does not block the door, a window or the TV.

For everything else, from measuring up to styling with cushions, our corner sofa guide walks you through it.

Get the hand right, and the rest falls into place. It is one small check that saves a big headache

FAQs

What is a right hand corner sofa?

A right hand corner sofa has its long side on the right as you sit on it and look into the room. So the chaise stretches away to your right. It suits a room where the corner you want to fill sits on the right of your main wall.

What is a left hand corner sofa?

A left hand corner sofa has its long side on the left as you sit on it and look out. The long part runs off to your left. Pick this one when the corner you need to fill is on the left.

What do LHF and RHF mean?

LHF means Left Hand Facing and RHF means Right Hand Facing. They are just the short codes shops use for a left hand or right hand corner sofa. Same thing, fewer letters.

How do I know if I need a left or right hand corner sofa?

Stand in your room and face the wall where the sofa will go. Point the way you want the long side to run. If that is to your left, you need your left hand. To your right, right hand. Then check if the shop's diagram matches, since some label it the opposite way.

Can I change a corner sofa from left hand to right hand later?

Only if it is a modular one, where you can move the sections around. A fixed corner sofa cannot swap sides once it is built. So on a fixed model, it is worth getting the hand right the first time.

Does it really matter which way a corner sofa faces?

Yes, quite a bit. The wrong side can block your door, hide a window, or point the seats away from the TV. The right side keeps the room open and comfy. That is why this one small choice is worth a moment's thought.