Choosing the Perfect Sofa: 5 Tips for Sofa Shopping

The living room is the hub of your home and your sofa is at the very heart of it. It’ll host some very important family conversations, make ups and break ups, birthdays, Christmases and TV dinners. Don’t settle for anything less that the perfect sofa that your, your family and home deserve.

1. Utilise the space

If you have quite a small house, look at rectangular or corner sofas that use the space wisely and perfectly intersect into pokey rooms. Filling the corners of the room with furniture will open up the rest of the room, making it seem a little bit bigger and offering more space for movement. Don’t be tempted to invest that little bit more into a reclining sofa if you don’t have the space to recline it.

2. Colour contrast

Carefully consider the colour of your sofa in relation to its surroundings. Don’t over-match it. Make it a statement sofa by picking an entirely different colour to your walls and floor. Of course, it’s best not to mix two bright colours such as red and blue (unless that’s what you’re going for), but keep one of them a neutral colour such as cream, beige, tan or black.

3. Material mix up

If you have wooden or laminate flooring, don’t be afraid to take on a leather sofa. It’s a common myth that leather sofas are cold in the winter – but many people find it to be untrue after years of being a fabric fan. Besides, there’s nothing to stop you from dressing it in warm throws and fluffy cushions.

Consider the needs of your family. How likely is someone to stain it or have a spillage? Fabric sofas can be expensive to have professionally cleaned. If you have pets you may want to avoid leather sofas as they aren’t quite as scratch-resistant as fabric ones.

4. Joinery

Ask the salesperson about the sofa’s joinery. Sofas should not rely on staples or nails to hold itself together. A solid frame is held together by dowels, corner blocks, brackets and metal screws.
 

5. Classic design

Go for a timeless design that you won’t get bored of easily. By picking a neutral sofa, it’s likely to withstand the test of time and your spontaneous urges to redecorate. Consider; if you were to paint the walls a different colour tomorrow, would you be able to keep the same sofa?  Choosing a timeless beauty may cost you a bit more initially, but save some pennies in the long run.