If you’re going to buy a sofa in the near future – say your existing sofa is a bit worn or faded or you just fancy a change to brighten up your living room – then there are some things that you’ll need to consider when making your choice.
Making the right choice is important because sofas are really the main pieces of furniture in any living room: you sit on them, lie on them, watch TV on them, relax with a book on them, and entertain friends on them. They’re also normally the largest piece of furniture in the room and the first things that most people notice on entering the room.
If you make the wrong choice – for example, if you choose a fashionable colour or shape that you grow to dislike over time as styles change, or if you choose a sofa that is too big or too small for your living room – then you might as well have thrown money down the drain. What’s worse, you’ll have to go through the whole decision-making process again and spend even more money to get it right second time.
Here are some key tips for getting your choice right first time.
· Measure up
Sounds obvious, but you should measure any doors through which your new sofa will have to pass when it’s delivered. If the sofa will have to be taken up any stairs then make sure you measure any tight corners. Take those measurements with you when you go to the shop (or, if you’re shopping online, then email customer services with the details) and get reassurance that the sofa will fit into your living room.
Next, measure the dimensions of your room. If you’re good at that kind of thing, do a scale drawing and work out the ideal area that your sofa should cover. If you’re not the arty type then get out a roll of masking tape and mark out the dimensions on your floor. In order to maximise the chances of finding the right sofa (allowing flexibility of choice over things like fabrics and colours) then work out what would be the smallest, largest and most ideal sizes of sofa.
Small sofassuit small spaces (it gives the illusion that the rest of your room is large, because sofas are normally large pieces of furniture and seeing one that is in proportion with the rest of the room fools your brain into believing that the rest of the room must be large, too). If you have a large space, then consider a sectional sofa so that you have maximum flexibility if you want to change your living room around in the future.
· Colour Match
If you’re not planning on redecorating your living room then you’ll want to buy a sofa that either co-ordinates or contrasts (in a good way!) with your existing décor. If you shop online, then your task is made a bit easier by the fact that you can look around your living room as you browse on your laptop and see whether a particular sofa will suit your living room or not.
If you need to go to a shop in person then you’ll need some way of comparing the colours in your living room with the sofas you’re thinking of buying. If you have wallpaper then take a swatch. Have a hunt round your house for anything that matches the colour of your décor and carpet and take them with you when you go to the shop. Or some people are just really good at remembering colours – if you’re one of them then that’s great; if you’re not then see if any of your friends are and take them with you when you shop if they are!
· Price
This is a tough one. On the one hand, you shouldn’t buy something you can’t afford because you might still be paying for it several years down the line. On the other hand, a sofa is a key item of furniture, you get what you pay for and, to borrow an employment phrase, if you pay peanuts you’ll get monkeys.
You don’t have to overspend, but set yourself a fairly generous budget. Many stores are open to haggling if you’re buying as a cash buyer or if you’re buying co-ordinating items of furniture so don’t be embarrassed to ask what their best offer is.
Look out for sales (usually available in January and Easter time) to keep the costs down, or shop online since online stores don’t have the same overheads as high street stores and can often offer better prices.
· Material
This is a crucial part of your decision. Sofas are available in so many different fabrics that it can be hard to choose. Bear in mind how your sofa will be used: if you have children or pets (or a spouse who thinks a sofa is an extension of a workbench or dinner plate) then consider a dark, soft leather. Soft leather is more comfortable than hard leather and will wipe clean. If you’re worried about the leather being torn or stained, you can always insure it for a fairly nominal fee (or check the terms of your existing home insurance).
If you don’t like leather (perhaps for ethical reasons, or because you don’t like the feel of them against cold skin or sweaty skin!) then a fabric sofa will be more appropriate, but check that the covers are removable and washable and read the washing instructions carefully or you’ll never get the covers back on again.
· Style
This comes down to personal taste and the style of your existing furniture. If you have a country farmhouse-style living room with low beams and oak furniture then a sleek modern style is unlikely to look great.
But as well as thinking about what style you like and will fit with your existing décor then think about your comfort. If the sofa is too soft you may find it hard to get in and out of it; if it’s too hard then you’ll find it uncomfortable to relax on. If you use your laptop on the sofa then armrests wide enough to put it on would be useful, and if you like a snooze on your sofa then armrests that are soft and at a low level would be good. You get the idea.
Happy shopping!
Sofas and Stuff know a lot about beautiful, high quality, comfortable British small sofas that last as long as you want them to. More importantly we want you to benefit from our expertise and know how.