A sofa listing can offer more than one depth, and copying only the smaller number can quietly change a room plan. IKEA's US listing for the KIVIK sofa in Gunnared blue, article 694.997.04, distinguishes an overall depth of 37⅜ inches from a seat depth of 23⅝ inches. Those are two named measurements of the same listed item. Treat them as answers to different questions before deciding what belongs in a shortlist.

Keep the measurement label with the number

The documented measurements include both Depth and Seat depth. Do not remove those labels when copying the figures into a note. A row that merely says depth 23⅝ inches would lose the fact that the smaller value belongs to the seat field, rather than the listed overall depth.

This example uses that exact named sofa and cover listing. It does not combine a frame-only listing, another configuration or package measurements. A different item needs its own current specification. Product families and similar photographs do not establish that every configuration shares the same dimensions.

Write two original shortlist notes

Imagine one note headed Floor arrangement. For that question, retain the listed overall depth of 37⅜ inches alongside the other relevant overall dimensions. A seat-only number would not describe the whole listed object. This is a hypothetical planning note, not a measured room, taped layout or delivery assessment.

Now imagine a second note headed Sitting area. Retain the documented seat depth of 23⅝ inches for that enquiry. The number identifies a seating measurement; it does not tell us whether a particular person will find the sofa comfortable, how they will sit, or how the cushions will feel. Those questions remain separate from copying the specification accurately.

Do not turn the difference into a new specification

Subtracting the two depths would produce a numerical difference, but the listing used here does not identify that difference as the thickness of one frame component. Do not label it as the backrest or cushion thickness. A calculation can be correct while the physical name assigned to its answer remains unsupported.

Similarly, neither field establishes package size or whether the sofa can negotiate a doorway. Keep access assessment with the actual delivery form and retailer guidance. This article supplies no rotation model, dismantling instructions or clearance guarantee. The two depth fields solve a narrower transcription problem.

Let the remaining question guide the purchase

Before buying, ask for clarification if a retailer's measurement labels are unclear. Keep the exact item identity and the unanswered question in the message: overall placement, usable seating measurement, delivery form or personal seating preference. Buying a model because the smallest visible depth fits a space skips the distinction the specification already provides.

For a shortlist, preserve separate columns for overall depth and seat depth instead of choosing one generic depth column. That small editorial change keeps unlike questions visible. We have not sat on this sofa, measured it independently or tested its fit in a home; the example is a comparison of the maker's documented fields.

Sources & further reading

Published sources for the details and examples discussed in this story.