Sofas are a key piece of furniture in any home and any living room. They are used for lounging, relaxing reading, watching tv, napping and spending quality time together as a family. No matter what your living situation, the sofa is an element of the lounge room that needs to be versatile, durable, long lasting and of course, comfortable. Today we are sharing with you our top tips to consider when you are shopping for your next big sofa purchase!
Tip 1 – Think About The Number Of Seats Required
Above all else, when purchasing a sofa, functionality must be top of the priority list. The first thing to consider is how many people live in the home and would be using the sofa at the one time. Pending space and room dimensions, we suggest opting for a sofa or sofa combination that can seat the maximum number of people at any given time.
Tip 2 – Configurations
Before purchasing your next sofa, look at the living room as a whole and take measurements of the space. This is your chance to think outside the box and look at options for a new configuration within the space. Could you opt for an L shaped sofa that fits a large number of people, do you prefer two separate sofas, or would you like a sofa and two individual armchairs? The options are endless when it comes to selecting a new lounge for your living room. Stores such as Plush also allow you to ‘customise’ your sofa and choose the number of seats, the configurations, the shape and whether you’d like it to recline or not.
Tip 3 – Fabric or Leather
The age-old decision that we find most of our customers struggle with – “Should I choose fabric or leather?” The answer depends on your individual circumstances, durability requirement and style preference. A common mistake we see often is the assumption that leather is more practical and long lasting. Leather is a great choice if you are after something easy to clean and durable if the correct thickness and grain is chosen. However, fabric sofas have come a long way in terms of manufacturing and there are now plenty of hardwearing options for fabric sofas too! Not to mention various warranty options and cleaning packs our friendly staff can talk you through to provide you with peace of mind when purchasing your sofa.
Tip 4 – Shape
An obvious step in the sofa selecting process is thinking about what shape and style you’d like to go for. Structured and square-armed shapes can suit design styles such as Contemporary or Hamptons whereas a more rounded and relaxed looking sofa is perfect for a Coastal home. Choosing a sofa that sits directly on the floor (i.e., No exposed legs) can create a casual and relaxed feel whereas an exposed leg can give a slightly more formal aesthetic. The shape of the leg can be very important in a sofa too as this can determine whether the sofa is a modern, mid-century or Scandinavian design style for example. If all these aspects seem a little overwhelming, then be sure to book in with our resident stylist, Eliza and she can help you narrow down the best style and shape of sofa for your space (book via the ‘stylist’ tab on our website).
Tip 5 – Comfort
Sofas are one of the few items in your home that we 100% suggest seeing, touching, sitting and feeling in person. Testing out the comfort levels and sitting on sofas is an important part of the selection process. We all have our priorities when it comes to sofa comfort, much like a mattress and this varies from person to person. Some people prefer a pillowy soft sofa they can sink right into, whilst others favour a firmer and more supportive feel. The height of the individuals using the sofa is to be taken into consideration when it comes to seat depth and back height too. Head into our many retailers this weekend and have a seat on countless sofas to see which feels best for you!
Tip 6 – Colour
Lastly, our final tip is to consider the countless colour options when choosing the perfect sofa for your space. Sofas are often the largest furniture item in the room and therefore set the tone for the entire space. Choosing a dark coloured sofa may be practical in terms of cleaning, but they can often feel heavy in a room and create a smaller feeling space. Light coloured fabrics work great to brighten up a room and are perfect for an airy and relaxed feel but do require more care to ensure they look fresh for a long time. We often find there is a happy medium when selecting a sofa colour and customers lean towards a more mid-toned grey, beige or greige colour that is universal and works with many design styles.
