A general rule of thumb is that a subwoofer should be placed in the plain of the front speakers, as close to the L/R center as is practical. If I blindfolded you, brought you into a room, and asked you to point to the subwoofer location, you would have difficulty and your error rate would be quite high. If the subwoofer is grossly outside of this ideal plain, your accuracy will improve. Ideally, you would like the low and high frequencies to seem to originate from the same general area.

Bottom line for this specific situation: It’s not the one foot or so of space, but the absolute location that is less than ideal. As far as the operating frequencies of the subwoofer are concerned, your furniture is essentially transparent.

That said, only you know what sounds “best” (to you).

Very helpful.   Thanks

What about these two spaces at the front of the room?

Maybe I misinterpreted your post. I assumed that the couch is on the opposite side of the room from the front speakers.

Am I missing seeing an uploaded image/diagram? What are ‘these two spaces’?