The short answer: measure the wall first, then the doorways. A 3 seater electric recliner sofa at Solera is between 164 and 218 cm wide and 89 to 98 cm deep, and it needs roughly 20 to 30 cm clear behind the back to recline fully. After size, choose the features you will use every evening: USB-C charging in the arm, a power headrest, a zero-gravity setting or a console for cups. Buy a suite (3-2-1, 3-2 or 3-1-1) if you are furnishing the whole room, because suites are the best value.
An electric recliner sofa is the one piece of furniture most people sit in every single day, so it is worth ten minutes with a tape measure before you choose. This guide uses the measurements we publish for our own ranges, so every figure below is a real piece you can buy, not an average from a catalogue.
1. Electric or manual recline?
An electric (power) recliner moves at the press of a button and stops wherever you let go, so you can settle on the exact angle your back prefers. A manual recliner uses a lever or a gentle push back, and it tends to have two or three set positions rather than a continuous range.
Choose electric if anyone in the house finds a lever stiff, if you like to read or doze at an in-between angle, or if you want extras such as a power headrest or USB-C charging. Choose manual if you want the recline without needing a socket nearby.
The dimensions are often identical, which makes the decision easier. The Haven Power Recliner Sofa and the Haven Manual Recliner Sofa share the same frame: 217 cm wide as a 3 seater, 97 cm deep and 107 cm high. Compare the full ranges in electric recliner sofas and manual recliner sofas.
2. Measure the wall: sizes of every Solera recliner
Measure the wall the sofa will stand against, then subtract space for anything that has to stay clear: radiators, sockets you need to reach, a door swing. A common rule of thumb is that the sofa should take up no more than about two-thirds of the wall, so the room still feels open.
Here is how our electric recliner ranges compare as a 3 seater:
| Range | 3 seater width | 2 seater width | Depth | Seat height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearth | 164 cm | 140 cm | 90 cm | 50 cm |
| Willow | 190 cm | 141 cm | 92 cm | 50 cm |
| Harbour | 199 cm | 163 cm | 93 cm | 49 cm |
| Abbey | 206 cm | 148 cm | 96 cm | 49 cm |
| Meadow | 207 cm | 163 cm | 98 cm | 52 cm |
| Cloud | 216 cm | 157 cm | 95 cm | 52 cm |
| Ember | 216 cm | 158 cm | 96 cm | 50 cm |
| Haven | 217 cm | 158 cm | 97 cm | 51 cm |
| Regent | 218 cm | 190 cm (with console) | 96 cm | 52 cm |
| Orchard | ask us | 152 cm | 89 cm | 48 cm |
Some pieces are currently sold only as part of a suite: the Cloud 3 seater, the Orchard 3 seater and the single Ember pieces. The measurements are the same either way.
If your wall is under 2 metres, Hearth is the most compact 3 seater electric recliner we sell, at 164 cm wide. If you want a console between two seats, look at the 2 seater with console versions of Cloud, Meadow, Ember and Regent, which run from 190 to 200 cm.
For a family room with space to spare, the Nook corner recliner is 307 cm along one side and comes with power headrests and a console. Browse all corner recliner sofas.
3. Wall space and room to recline
This is where most recliner mistakes happen. A recliner that is pushed hard against the wall cannot lean back properly. Allow roughly 20 to 30 cm behind the back of a Solera recliner for it to recline fully. So a sofa that is 95 cm deep needs about 115 to 125 cm from the wall to the front edge of the seat when you plan the room.
Then leave clear floor in front for the footrest to come up, and keep coffee tables out of its path. If floor space is tight, tell us the size of the room when you call and we will talk you through the fully reclined footprint of the range you are considering.
4. Doorways, hallways and stairs
A sofa that fits the room still has to get there. Before you order, measure:
- the clear width of the front door and every internal door on the route, with the door fully open;
- the width of the hallway, and any corner the sofa has to turn;
- on stairs, the width, and the headroom at any turn or landing.
Compare those figures with the depth and height of the piece, because sofas are usually carried through on their back or end. Most Solera pieces are delivered with backs and arms attached, so the published dimensions are the ones to check. If any measurement is within a few centimetres, call us on 0800 368 8914 before you order and we will go through it with you.
A suite also helps here: a 3-2-1 arrives as three separate pieces, each easier to carry than one large corner unit.
5. Seat height: the figure people forget
Seat height is the distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. It decides how easy the sofa is to sit down on and, more importantly, to get up from. Solera electric recliners have seat heights between 48 and 52 cm. Cloud, Meadow and Regent sit highest at 52 cm; Orchard is the lowest at 48 cm.
If you or a regular visitor finds low sofas hard to get out of, favour the higher figure. The easiest test is at home: measure the seat height of the chair you find most comfortable and look for a sofa within a couple of centimetres of it.
6. Features worth paying for
Every electric recliner does the basic job. The extras are what make one feel right in your house:
- USB-C charging in the arm keeps a phone or tablet charged while you read. On Hearth, Orchard, Abbey, Cloud, Meadow, Ember and Nook. Willow has a USB socket.
- A power headrest tilts the head support separately from the recline, so you can watch television lying back without craning your neck. On Ember and Nook.
- Zero-gravity recline lifts your feet a little above your heart and takes weight off the lower back. On Cloud.
- A centre console with cup holders gives two people a place for drinks and the remote. On Cloud, Meadow, Ember, Regent and Nook, and on the manual Alcove, which also has a drop-down tray in the middle seat.
- Wireless charging for phones that support it. On Ember.
Our advice: pick the one feature you would use every evening and let it narrow the shortlist, then decide on size and colour.
7. Suite or single pieces?
Every Solera range is sold both ways. You can buy the pieces you need (a 1 seater, 2 seater, 3 seater, or on some ranges a 2 seater with console) or a matching suite: 3-2-1 (three seater, two seater and armchair), 3-2 or 3-1-1 (three seater and two armchairs).
- 3-2-1 suits a living room with two free walls and a corner for the chair.
- 3-1-1 works in narrower rooms, because two armchairs fit either side of a fireplace or window where a 2 seater would not.
- 3-2 is the choice when the room is used by four or five people but has no space for a separate chair.
If you are furnishing the whole room, a suite is the best value, and the pieces are made to sit together.
8. Power sockets and cables
Every Solera electric model runs from a standard UK plug socket. Plan where the nearest socket is before you decide which way round the sofa goes, and avoid running the lead across a walkway. If the sofa stands in the middle of the room, a floor-level cable cover keeps the lead flat and out of the way.
A five-minute checklist before you order
- Wall length available, minus radiators and door swings.
- Room depth: sofa depth plus 20 to 30 cm behind, plus footrest clearance in front.
- Narrowest doorway, hallway and stair measurements on the way in.
- Seat height of the chair you already find comfortable.
- Where the nearest socket is.
- The one feature you will use every day.
Ready to compare? Every electric recliner sofa at Solera lists the width, depth, height, seat height and arm height of each piece on its page, and we deliver with a two-person team into the room you choose. If you would rather talk it through, call us free on 0800 368 8914, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. If you are working with a smaller room, read our guide to choosing a sofa for a small living room.
Questions people ask us
How much space do you need behind an electric recliner sofa?
Allow roughly 20 to 30 cm between the back of a Solera recliner and the wall so it can recline fully, and keep the floor in front clear for the footrest.
What size is a 3 seater electric recliner sofa?
At Solera, 3 seater electric recliner sofas are 164 to 218 cm wide and 90 to 98 cm deep. Hearth is the most compact at 164 cm wide; Regent is the widest at 218 cm.
Is an electric recliner better than a manual one?
An electric recliner moves at the press of a button and stops at any angle, which suits anyone who finds a lever stiff. A manual recliner does not need a socket. Haven is sold in both versions with the same dimensions.
Do electric recliner sofas need a special socket?
No. Every Solera electric model runs from a standard UK plug socket. Plan where the nearest socket is before you decide where the sofa goes.
Is it cheaper to buy a recliner suite?
If you are furnishing the whole room, yes. Every Solera range is sold as single pieces or as a 3-2-1, 3-2 or 3-1-1 suite, and the suite is the best value.
