There are several factors to take into consideration when purchasing a sofa, but more often than not we get caught up in the color and fabric choices. Forget the frills — this is what you should really be paying attention to when you buy a new (or new to you) sofa.
1. How Big Is Your Room? This seems the most obvious place to start, but it can be easy to forget when you find a steal of a deal on Craigslist or at a garage sale this summer. Keep your measurements in your purse or wallet for impromptu shopping.
2. How Many People Do You Want To Seat? Now, this isn't to say that if you want to seat seven people in your living room that you should look for a sofa that seats seven. Decide how many you'd like to seat and then see where you have space for chairs in addition to your sofa. You might want something smaller than originally planned to make better use of your space so folks aren't snuggling on top of one another.
3. Will It Be Doomed To One Location? Smaller spaces quite often really only have one way a room can be styled, but large spaces can often be changed up or moved around. If you purchase a longer sofa or something with a permanent L shape to it, will you be limiting yourself to only one floor layout for the rest of eternity (because that's how long sofas last, right)?
4. Visual Height: By now, we're probably all trying to pull furniture away from walls to create a better traffic flow through a room. Even if you're still not fond of the idea, you're probably at least trying it. When doing so, quite often your sofa can block the view into another space. Even though you can still walk around it, having furniture blocking essential views can make a space feel smaller without your intending it to.
5. How Are You Going To Use It? Sofas can see all kinda of use and abuse. Maybe you're into movie marathons and could use something that won't have a permanent butt groove after just one weekend. You could plan on getting frisky on it, or have eight kids, six dogs or all sorts of other couch-abusing situations. These are all factors to take into consideration to help you choose the best firmness, fabrics, wood styles and craftsmanship.
The best advice we have to give about buying a sofa is buy the best you can afford (which doesn't always mean the most expensive) for how you use it. A great sofa is only great if it doesn't stop the traffic flow of a room and allows you to have a social conversation when the time arises!
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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Duh you forgot the most important one- Will it fit into your house? Measure doors widths!And if it is going upstairs, how will it get around corners?
We had to hoist our couch over the outside banister to get it into our apartment. So I was standing beneath, on a truck bed, holding it while my s.o. very dangerously hung over to grab it and pull it up.
If you buy an armchair to go with the couch, make sure it's large enough to seat a variety of sizes.
I also think you should sit in it to make sure you're comfortable.
Um - yeah - pretty sure comfort should be on there too.
Also, there are some pretty nasty chemicals and flame retardants used in sofas - maybe pay attention to that?
Colorfulchic has stated the most important thing. We bought a modular sectional out of pure luck for our basement room. We had to take the bannister off and shove each piece of that thing down the stairs and around the corner separately and were exhausted at the end. We hadn't even considered until then that this was the only kind of furniture that would have ever made it down the stairs (other than IKEA stuff).
Colorfulchic - Good point. Reminds me of the Friends episode where Ross is getting Rachel and Chandler to help him move the sofa up the staircase. "Pivot!, Pivot!"
Quality?
what about wether to get a pull out or not... how does this factor in????
What about whether to get a pull out or not. Where does this factor in???
After ordering a beautiful sofa which had to be returned because it couldn't get through the wonky entrance to my last apartment, I scored a sofa from Home Decorators that can be taken apart into three pieces for easy moving. Is it the best sofa out there? Nope, but it works for what I need it to.
For nearly three years I was stuck with a sofa and armchair where a combination of slippery fabric and slippery lining fabric underneath meant that the sofa cushions slid along the sofa base when you sat on them, so every time you stood up there would be a three inch gap between the cushion you sat on and the base underneath. If that makes any sense. Apparently other people also have this problem but I tried everything from rubber mats underneath to velcro and never managed to stop it from happening, it drove me nuts. I finally got rid of them this week (I gave them away for free) and will be getting our new sofas delivered soon. They are bright orange leather, and you can wriggle around in them to your heart's content and nothing slips. I know - I tried, because I am NEVER having slippy sofas again.
Good advice, although I would start with your last point: how do you use a couch?
Some people hardly ever use theirs. Turns out, I'm one of those people. I entertain in the kitchen/family room and not in the living room. So I don't need a couch that will stand up to a lot of traffic and I could sacrifice quality for style and price.
I did find that I needed a couch I could lie on because that's how I read. So it had to be a certain length.
I'll add the height of the seat. Some people like a low-slung couch. Others like one that they don't fall into/have to haul themselves out of. This is a measurement that often isn't posted on websites (though I've figured it out by checking the height of the coffee table if it's paired with one) and definitely wouldn't be in a Craigslist ad.
Oh - and seat depth. That's important for the movie marathon vs. cocktail party considerations.
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For those of us without guest rooms, a sofa might also double as a guest bed. Make sure it's comfortable/wide enough for sleeping if you expect to put guests there.
Yeah, if you go the "lotsa kids & a dog route" perhaps the best "sofa" is one of those mini exercise trampoline thingies. I know this to be true since the springs are shot on my beautiful, down wrapped cushions sofa that is less that 5 yrs old. It actually groans when we sit down! So much for owning nice things...
I'm frustrated that so many affordable sectionals have chaise only options (or if they are they are armless) - for most of the reasons stated above - a chaise sectional won't fit in my NY apt and its not flexible enough for when i eventually move.
Agreed with comment #1! I have small doors to my apartment and some of my furniture needs to be taken apart to get through! Thank goodness for removeable arms and legs!
I think an important thing to consider is how easy a new sofa is to clean. I've got two wild kids, and its the main thing Im looking at. I'm pretty much settled on an IKEA sofa, just because I can take the whole thing apart and wash it.
How about seat depth! We have a couch now that you can't tuck your legs up next to you without the effort of practically holding them up.
I go with neutral colors and simple shapes. That way they can adapt to changes in decor and moving to new places.
I also had tailored, washable slip covers made, because my pets are old and they go on the couch, and sometimes, they 'go' on the couch. Slipcovers with a liner pad underneath. ;)
Even if it does fit in the room, make sure that it doesn't fill the whole room. It seems many sofas are designed for McMansions and that ought to be considered.
Small room, limited arrangements, dirty dogs <-- These are all things that apply to me. Definitely taking these factors into consideration, as I happen to be doing sofa shopping right now.
The back has to be high enough and firm enough to support my troubled upper back. And it shouldnt be too deep.
@DEBBIE, yes to the seat height. In addition to what you said, my couch seemed like a perfectly lovely height at the store, but when I got it home, I discovered that the coffeetable in their showroom was a bit taller than mine. The relative heights of my couch and table ended up being a bit awkward.
In addition to seat height, I'd look at the height of the arms, especially if, like me, you like to lean against them when you read. In general, it seems like a good idea to test out your favorite sitting/lounging/napping positions on the couch to see how they work!
Hmm... this wasn't helpful at all. Actually, the comments were more helpful than the article. I was hoping for real tips about how to select a good sofa without breaking the bank. I've known several people who own sofas they would like to get rid of because the sofas usually began sagging or the true quality of the sofas became apparent after purchase and use. From speaking to friends, it seemed either you had to pay a lot, though that was no guarantee of quality and longevity sometimes, or really luck out.
also, seat DEPTH. do you lounge and slouch or sit up straight and bend your knees at about 90 degrees? a deep couch that is comfortable in one position, may be very uncomfortable in the other position as it pushes on the backs of your legs. if the couch is also a bit too high, it can keep your feet sticking out in front of you as if you are a little kid.
I find it helpful to cut out a template with the exact dimensions of the sofa in a contrasting colour to the floor to help me visualise how much space it will take up. Also, if you have kids, or are a red wine/coffee drinker, get a dark leather sofa. Some stains are impossible to remove.
i recently replaced my couch and my three main criteria were:
1. had to be big enough for someone to sleep comfortably for more than one night (i don't have a guest room and didn't want the expense/heft of a softabed);
2. had to have removable/replaceable cover because i have two cats who will probably eventually destroy it (as they did my last couch); and,
3. had to have enough clearance off the ground so the cats could get their own damn toys out from under it (and create less visual heaviness),
all while fitting into my personal design aesthetic. i eventually settled on a Karlstad from Ikea.
luckily, once i got it, i also discovered that its lower profile vastly enlarged the feeling of my living room even though the couch was much bigger than the one it replaced, so that was a bonus i hadn't originally considered.
Definitely kick off your shoes and stretch out on the thing. Sure, the magazines and oh-so-perfect blogs may show a couple or group of people demurely sitting on sofas, but real people stretch out for Sunday afternoon naps or curl up with the kiddos on lazy Saturday mornings.
And if you're shopping for a set, note that most stores will sell you 2 full-sized sofas for only about $20-50 more than a sofa and loveseat combo. If you have the space, a sofa is far more useful and versatile than a loveseat.
I was hoping for other info, if anybody can give that to me: I don't want cushions to slide away or cave in on one side after a while.
What should I look for when I check the frame or legs.
Other things to look at: how do you and SOMEONE ELSE like to share the sofa?
My husband is 6'3" and I'm 5'9". We'd both like to be able to stretch out. Since our space isn't configured well for an L-shaped couch, we're looking to get a deeper model next time...so we can both stretch out our legs sideways.
Another thing to look at: can you flip your cushions?
I've had a microfiber couch for 9 years, and it's held up BEAUTIFULLY against red wine, dark denim, dirt, and a kitty. BUT the cushions can't be flipped...they have some black no-slip fabric on the back. So if I were to destroy a cushion, or tear it, I'd not have any other option than slipcovers.
I have bought two sofas that looked like total crap after only 2 years- the fabric looked super worn and shabby. And they were from Crate and Barrel and Design Within Reach. So..... hm......I don't know how to determine that a couch will last.
@GBANNIS -- -yes, that's what I use a sofa for as well (lying on it while reading) so you're right, it had to fit me in supine position and it had to have a minimum of cushions (the back cushions are part of the sofa, not separate). I bought mine in 1993 and still love it, though now the cushions are a bit saggy and there is a major stain on the fabric. Am considering re-upholstering it. For QUIETLIKESNOW, I'm not sure; I would've thought C&B and DWR would have good quality furniture. I bought my sofa from a place called Choice Seating in Cambridge, Mass.; sadly, the store no longer exists.
One thing that was left off this list was How will you clean it? I didn't take that into account when I bought my love seat- the cushions are attached to the thing. I can't take them off and clean the covers, and if it ever gets a stain, I'll be stuck. So I am looking for love seat covers now to protect it!