5 Tips for Buying a Sofa

Investing in a good sofa is the ideal place to start upgrading your home décor. In the living room, the sofa is a piece of furniture which gets used for lounging, reading, eating, drinking, as a cozy place for a family movie night and also doubles up as a bed for overnight guests. Whether it’s a L-shaped leather fabric sofa or a curved top round leather sofa, a sleek, well designed and well fitting sofa is the ultimate style statement for interior designing. Since a sofa lasts for a fairly long time, the design should be pretty futuristic along with a sturdy built.

Here are 5 tips for buying a sofa:

STEP 1: Know your dimensions

The seat depth of an average sofa set is usually 60 cm and it gives ample space for comfortable maneuvering even for pretty long legs. The next feature to check for is comfortable backside support so that longer stays don’t get uncomfortable. Some sofas have separate cushioning attached to the backrest for greater comfort and it should be adequately compensated by an increased seating space. When it comes to height, average sofa heights mainly vary from 45-50 cm.

 STEP 2: Choose a sturdy frame

A solid hardwood frame of kiln-dried oak, beach or ash goes a long way in ensuring durability of your sofa and is a must check before buying. Going for softwood budget options like pine wood are stop gap solutions and would greatly devalue your overall investment in a sofa. Sofa frames made of particleboard, plastic and metal are always avoidable as they tend to warp, buckle and crack within a few years.

STEP 3: Get the perfect cushion

When it comes to sheer comfort, nothing beats simply feather filled cushions but they require regular plumping to maintain the look and feel over the years. Foam or fibre based fillings are more durable and economical, but may also flatten out over time. This should be checked out with the manufacturer and an ideal filling may consist of a mix of feather to give the fluffiness and high resilient foam to give it durability.

STEP 4: Focus on Fabrics

The choice of color, pattern and fabric for your sofa is a decision, which if correctly made, can accentuate the room size and liven up your living room. Sofas with leather fabric are high on longevity and easier to clean. Natural materials are prone to fading in strong sunlight and so color combinations should be carefully chosen if sofas are positioned by the window side. Fabrics with a small irregularity on the surface, like a grainy texture or a woven pattern make it easier for hiding dirt and go for longer cleaning cycles.

STEP 5: Spacing the Room

You may have always dreamt of the king size sofa symbolizing ultimate luxury, but what looks royale in a showroom or a website may not always look so in your living room. You have to be highly practical while ordering your sofa and be considerate about your room size, wall colors, shades of accessory furniture, flooring and dimensions of your doors and staircase through which your sofa might travel. Go for block prints and bold colors if the living room is considerably large while moderately sized rooms go well with single shades, both dark and light.