Buying a good quality sofa should ensure that it lasts for years, be comfortable, function as you want it to, and retain a sense of style throughout its life. There are some extraordinary choices available and finding the perfect fit for you and your family can be overwhelming. We’re passing along some tips here to help you simplify the process and provide the antidote for buyers remorse!
Where to begin
The first thing you should ask yourself is how do you want your sofa to function? Will it be in a family room where it will get a lot of use? Do you need it to be able to provide seating for many people or just a few? Looking to take naps on it? The answers to these questions will give you some guidance on where to start.
If you have small children, shy away from tufted pieces…those tufts will collect crumbs and whatever else your children can dish out!
Need seating for a lot of people? Consider a sectional sofa.
Looking for something you can take a nap on? Deep sofas are perfect for that! (Einstein, Aristotle, and Salvador Dali believed naps inspired their creativity!)
Do you entertain frequently or have small children? Consider a durable stain resistant fabric or go for a high quality leather.
What’s next
Now that you have decided how you want your sofa to function you can work on what style you would like. Sofa’s come in many shapes and styles including:
Confused yet? There’s more!
Some of those styles come in different forms. For example; loosely stuffed cushions, tightly stuffed cushions, tufted backs, different leg styles, and skirted to name a few. How do you know which one to chooose? Consider the other furniture in the room, the style of your house, the height of your ceilings, the size of your room, and how it will be used.
Tip: Opt for loose back pillows so that they can be rotated and fluffed for extra life. Seat cushions too.
Fabrics
This is the fun part, where you can get creative! There are seriously hundreds of choices!
Quality sofas are meant to last so your fabric choice needs to be something that can stand up to the test of time. We recommend going with a solid color or a solid color with a subtle tone on tone print or stripe. Then, add interest with throw pillows in brightly colored coordinating fabrics or interesting prints. As trends change it is easy to update your pillows to reflect that, giving your space a fresh look for little investment.
This sofa appears to be solid but has a very subtle pattern. The throw pillows play off of the art work and pull from the chair as well.
Another great example of a solid colored sofa, this classic piece has a modern twist with its clean white fabric and nail head trim. The Greek key pattern in the pillows plays perfectly off of the large plaid print on the chairs. Notice the print on the window treatments too and how the modern artwork and clean lines of the end tables flow together in the room. The ‘splash’ of color is created using a very soft blue. Don’t miss the acrylic legs on the ottoman (huge trend at market this year). Love this room.
Just a few fabric examples:
Need extra durability? Opt for stain resistant fabrics. You can read more about them here.
I know this post is about sofas but this fabric would make a seriously awesome chair:
What we offer
With over 25 years in the home decor, interior design, and remodeling business we know where to source top quality furniture. We deal with many custom lines and we know what goes into your furniture. We have experience in choosing fabrics that will last and create a timeless space. Interested in eco-friendly furniture? We have lots of options and continue to remain on the forefront of eco-friendly design practices. We urge you to stay educated about environmentally friendly and healthy choices for your surroundings.
Need help? Just ask! We’d love to hear from you!
Use our expertise to help you find the best style sofa for your home and your lifestyle!
Let’s create great design!
What’s in your cushion?
Taken from a post on theatlantic.com…
…Duntley complied. When the results came back, she learned that her couch sample had tested positive for two flame retardants, including one that has proven harmful in animal studies, a finding that she called heartbreaking. Her experience points to a vast gap in safety information about consumer goods. With the U.S. government’s limited power to regulate chemicals, many consumers, like Duntley, are left to piece together their own crude health-risk assessments. That fabric softener? It may smell like the Elysian Fields, but what if its unlisted ingredients cause cancer? And what about that reusable water bottle? It says BPA-free, but what, really, is it made of?
You can read the entire post here.
Be kind to mother earth.