Can where you place your sofa give an indication of your earnings?
According to a daft new TikTok theory currently doing the rounds then that’s most certainly the case.
The social media trend says that if you have your couch shoved up against a wall then this indicates that you’re poor, while one that’s set in a way that leaves room around it means you’re wealthy.
The official TikTok account for Homes & Gardens, a well known interiors and landscapes publication, shone more light on the trend.
It said: “There’s a TikTok trend causing controversy at the moment called the ‘rich couch theory’
“Some interior designers have mixed feelings on the subject while others feel it has some merit and is achievable in homes big and small.
“The rich couch theory is the idea that homes deemed ‘rich’ and therefore having larger living rooms feature couches that are placed away from the wall providing space so you can add a walkway behind them.
“It’s easy to see why this has divided opinion as it passes judgement on people’s personal spaces where there should be no right and wrong way to place your couch and ‘richness’ shouldn’t matter.”
Another TikToker – Shan, who posts about homes and lifestyle – had her say on the theory.
She said: “If the back of their couch touches the wall, then they’re not rich.
“Rich people – their couches should be out there and open. Their couches don’t touch the wall.”
But, of course, not everyone agrees – and there are many who have been vocal about how silly they think it is.
One TikToker said: “I have a farmhouse built in 1914. The TV room is small – no choice but to put the couch against windows.”
Another said: “As someone who was a respected designer for over 24 years – not all rooms allow for a floating sofa.”
US based designer Alexandra Killion said: “This is so silly,” reports House Beautiful.
She added: “I have seen countless gorgeous — and expensive! —rooms in which sofas are pushed against the wall.”
The designer said that bigger doesn’t always mean more expensive – and gave the example of a Manhattan living room costing a lot more than one in Texas where space is less of a premium.
