Somewhat depends what the fabric is, and how hot it gets. If it's natural wool persistent heating to a high temperature will eventually make it brittle, but most commercial synthetics should be fine. Two feet sounds OK to me, but it might be a good idea to position a thermometer there for a period just to check what the temperature is actually going up to, and also check the fire retardancy standard, the number of which you should find on the label of your sofa (and your blanket), just to make sure you're not exceeding safe limits.

You're blocking a door there, too. Perhaps post a floor plan and ask for suggestions for room layout?

Agree with Terry - let the group take a shot at resolving the source of your concern.

We have a chair right next to an heater(not radiator) and the chair looks fine. the fabric is cotton material but if you have more delicate material, i wouldn't suggest it.

Most of us who live in colder climates have multiple heating vents, registers, radiators in every room of the house. It would be nearly impossible to avoid having furniture within 12 inches of a heat source. I don't know if this means that we are all damaging our furniture or that we are all fine. I am assuming this is the only heat source in your entire apartment and I am wondering if it gets hotter than if you had multiple vents throughout your space?

I had a Ikea desk back up to a floor heater once, and the back of the legs nearest the heater definitely charred. Of course, that was at a pretty slummy apartment where nothing worked quite right or had been maintained., and it was an old electric heater.

New Englander, here. No problem. Everyone here does that in some way, and furniture from this area has beome valuable antiques! ;^)

Pull the couch into the room another foot or so, put a sofa table back there, and use it as your landing pad. :)

I have the same couch next to a heater (about two feet) and its been there for two years (also in SoCal) and it's fine.

Is that really a vent or an air intake? It does seem much larger than you would typically see for a vent, but maybe being a different climate than I'm accustomed to it may just be a different type of system than what I see in colder climate homes.

It's a wall heater not a vent or an intake. Besides proximity to furniture, I would also consider the inefficiency of having a couch blocking your (only?) heat source.

Could you swing the couch around so that it is parallel with the wall that has the big colorful painting? There may be a way to rearrange the room that would be more effective. But without knowing what else is in the room, it's hard to say. If you cannot put the couch any other place, maybe you could pull it out a little more towards the rug, say 8 inches to a foot. It may make a difference.

Our couch is about half a foot from the baseboard heater, it's been there for two years. It is very discoloured. It looked like a bleached strip running along the bottom of the couch.

But I doubt your vent puts out much for heat. I'm sure yours will be fine.

It's a wall heater NOT a vent. The heat it puts out is much more intense than that of a forced air 'vent'. I'd be at least as concerned about the safety issue as I was about my couch. Check you local building code for safety recommendations, or if it's a gas heater, the gas company should know.

I would not, however, offer my address when asking or you risk opening up a can o'worms likely better left closed. Granted their safety guidelines are often exaggerated but they will provide a plumb line at the very least. It's worth the peace of mind.

Ooh, nice sofa, and I love those throw pillows!

Having said that, most of us who live in cold climates face that problem. My apartment has electric baseboard heating, and if I kept furniture clear of all the heaters I'd have no room for any furniture. I have an IKEA futon in my spare bedroom that lives up against the wall in the summer and about a foot away from it in the winter. It doesn't heat up enough to cause a fire hazard, and so far the fabric's been fine ... though if it does get ruined, it's just an IKEA slipcover and I figure it's easily replaced.

The main issue is that many heaters and vents are less effective when furniture is blocking the air flow to them. So it could run up your heating bill if you're cutting back on the efficiency of the heater. But sometimes there isn't a whole lot of choice with furniture layouts, especially in rentals where you can't alter the position of the heaters.

Be glad you live in SoCal and don't have to use it very often.

If you feel you need to protect the back of the sofa, you could velcro something heavy like a small piece of heavy canvas onto the back of the couch. Maybe a bit of a painter's cloth. I don't like sofas by heaters, though, especially since you lose valuable floor space by moving them out into the room. Maybe look at changing out the current furniture for stuff that works better.

I once ruined a great couch by placing it too close to an electric wall heater like the one you've pictured. Wouldn't say a fire hazard, per se, but definitely great potential to ruin your furniture.

Terry is right. Blocking a door like that, even if you do not use the door, gives inhabitants of the room a trapped feeling. Kinda like the crazy old person who blocks the windows and doors with big furniture.

Is there anywhere else the couch can go?

To answer your question: yes the heat from that wall heater will over time wear the fabric on your couch.

I think previous comments on checking the temperature would be a good starting point. It depends on the heater. I live in Vancouver, and have often placed furniture close to heaters. That being said, I've also had on heater that burned not only my drapes, but my throw pillows and laundry hamper too! Best to be cautious at least.

If you don't use the heater very often, would it be helpful to to line your blanket with some of the heat protecting cloth that you use as a liner when you sew your own oven mitts? Fabric stores usually sell it by the yard. Just wondering, maybe someone else knows for sure.

Thanks for all the great ideas! I guess it is a little more than two feet away, because the closet on that wall opens completely with room to apare, so that hasn't really been an issue.
I can't flip the couch to line up with the hallway, because the opposite wall has large glass doors to the patio that would be blocked, and I don't want to move the tv because only one wall has outlets.
Thanks Gooddog, for your suggestion of velcroing a panel to the back to protect it- I think I'll do that; I would hate to mess up furniture I see as permanent for a rental that is definitely temporary.

Not blocked, it opens completely. Honestly, I've played around with every possible furniture arrangement and (aside from the heater) this one makes the most sense for maximizing space.

Can I get some information about the couch in the photo, please? It's adorable!

Thanks! It's the (sadly discontinued) Corona sofa from Macy's. if you can still find one somewhere I highly recommend it.

I had a slipcover style canvas sofa from Crate and Barrel sitting a couple inches from an electric baseboard heater for about a year. It did leave a brown burn mark.