Tips for buying a sofa

Purchasing a sofa doesn’t have to be a stressful undertaking. Sure, it may have been a while since you’ve made your last major furniture purpose. But while styles and fabric choices may have changed over the years, the basics have changed little.

To help you make an informed buying decision, we’ve put together the following tips:

Size matters

As nearly anyone will tell you, size is important when it comes to selecting a sofa, couch, sectional sofa, sofa bed or modern leather sofa. You don’t want it to overwhelm the room or get lost in it either. Before you fall in love with a sofa, be sure it fits the room as well as the other living room furniture you already have in your home. If it’s too large, ask if there are other models in the same collection that may be smaller. In some cases, manufacturers make the same sofa in a love seat or a smaller model.

Also, be sure to measure the doors, the stairwells and any permanent architectural elements that may prevent your sofa from arriving at its final destination in your house.

What’s your style?

There is an endless variety of choices these days, from modern sofas and leather sectional sofas to Early American and contemporary. You probably already know what you’re attracted to as far as style, so this should be one of the easier decisions you have to make. However, if you love modern sofa design but your house is filled with Country, you may have to figure out how you’re going to make the jump from one style to another.

Fabrics & colors

The type of fabric you want is entirely up to you. If you have small kids you may want to avoid leather or a fabric with a loose weave, like chenille, since it could hook and unravel if caught. You may want to get extra fabric protection too, so it’s easy to remove spills or stains.

If you already have a palette of color for the room you’re decorating, you want to choose a sofa that has a similar or complementary color scheme. If you have paint chips, wallpaper samples or rug swatches, you may want to bring them along so you can compare the colors with the fabrics. If you like a particularly style but not the fabric or color, ask if it can be ordered custom. Many sofas, couches, lounges and sofa recliners come in different colors and fabrics.

Comfort & durability

Like the tale of the Three Bears, a sofa that’s just right for one person may be too soft or hard for another. Be sure that you sit for a while in the sofa you’re planning to buy. You want to make sure that it will be comfortable. After all, isn’t that the purpose of a sofa?

Durability is also important. A quality sofa isn’t cheap. You want to make sure that the style you’ve picked out will last a while. Ask about the resiliency of the fabrics and foams used to find out how well they’ll hold up to daily use. Doing so will allow you to enjoy your sofa for many years to come.