Your guide to buying a new sofa

Article by Your Home and Garden

Before stamping your style in your living area, bear in mind these useful tips

The hallmark of our homes, sofas are where we go for plush comfort, watching the telly and meaningful chats. Here’s how to ensure longevity and style in your next sofa.

Types of sofas

Sofas are traditionally defined as a long-upholstered seat with a back and arms for more than two people.

While today’s compact home suits a typical two-seater, modern offerings go far and beyond, towards large four-seaters, sectional modular designs (sections combined to customise seating) and sofa beds, says Michelle Klopper, head of furniture at Freedom. “These can be stationary or motion (such as swivel, rock or glide), or a combination of both. There is also tight back, pillow back, loose back, track arm, rolled arm, pillow arm or armless.”

Considerations

Space

Plan well to avoid any unpleasant surprises down the line such as measuring your door frame and floor space, noting the door size the sofa needs to fit through. Jayne Tolley, from Trinity Interior Design, suggests mapping “out with newspaper the area your sofa will cover to get a good sense of its size in the space”.

Not only will these measurements help determine how it feels to walk around your sofa, they’ll be handy to take with you when visiting furniture stores. Consider also who your sofa will cater for – a large family or a couple? How tall are you; will deep seats be easy for you to get up out of?

Use

Will you use your sofa occasionally to entertain guests in a formal situation or casually curl up with the family every night? The former may be best suited to a structured sofa style while the latter would work best in a loose aesthetic with soft, deep cushions. Will you sit on the sofa with your feet off the floor or curl up with your feet tucked underneath?

Inners

Inners range from standard polyester to more luxurious-feeling memory foam chip and duck feather, with some retailers blending fillings. Jayne suggests adding layers to custom seat cushions to enhance comfort. “Use a good, high-density elephant foam, then there are layers to add your level of comfort such as a feather duvet wrap or consider a memory foam.”

If your inner is light it will clump and disintegrate, whereas a natural product, such as feathers or a high-density foam, will have a longer life span. Tanya Rechberger, design development manager at King, says memory foam provides a similar downy-soft feel to feather-filled cushions and springs back into shape after use: “Feather cushions are a popular and luxurious style; however, they
will require more maintenance to keep them in perfect shape.”

Frame

A solid timber frame is ideal, with metal support for added strength, and it pays to ensure there are no large gaps between the internal elastic webbing or springs. Warning signs of a low-quality frame are if the frame is light in weight and, when you sit down, it dips in the middle. High-end sofas tend to have an additional internal metal frame. It’s always a good sign if your salesperson can inform you on its construction and inner materials. “If a sofa is manufactured with a middle leg, it’s a sign of a substandard construction and the sofa isn’t strong enough to hold the weight of those sitting on it,” says Matt Smidt, owner of Forma. “All joints should be glued and blocked for extra support and reinforcement.”

Where to put it and how to make it work with your interior

If you want to include colour, consider whether you want the sofa to be the hero of the room or blend into the background. “Think about what other decor you want in the room and what colours you already have,” Jayne says. “For instance, if you have a colourful statement rug you may not want as much colour in your sofa. Alternatively, you could have a neutral sofa with accent cushions that can be changed seasonally.” Seats should face each other, with arrangements encouraging easy conversation. You don’t want to be straining your neck when sitting on the sofa talking to people on nearby chairs.

If your sofa has a low back, avoid surrounding it with tall furniture and decor, keep the scale consistent.

Care

To prolong your sofa’s life, vacuum clean it once a week to combat dust. Dust goes into the foam of cushions and degrades its quality. If you have a leather sofa, use a leather conditioner at least once every three months. In high-sun areas, close the blinds or curtains when you’re not at home, use a fabric conditioner, rotate cushions and the orientation of the sofa
if it’s modular. If you get it commercially cleaned, patch test it first.

Are investment sofas worth it? You get what you pay for with a sofa, so a higher price point will mean more premium quality, with fabrics that won’t wear out quickly, and a frame and inners that hold onto its weight and strength. This should also mean a longer lifespan – ideally your sofa should last 10-15 years.

Sofa prices can start from the hundreds to thousands due to custom sizing and upholstery options. “If it’s your forever sofa, buy the best you can. Some good advice I once heard was it’s ‘best to buy a great sofa at a reduced price than investing in a quick-fix sofa that’s simply cheap.’ If you are going to be using the sofa every day the value will be obvious every time you sit down,” says Michelle.

Current trends

Organic shapes are taking the limelight after Covid prompted people to turn their homes into relaxing havens that embrace the senses. Low, deep versions are taking centrestage, celebrating comfortable home-based living. Sweeping curved lines are big, as is a focus on the feel of fabrics, both of which steer an ordinary sofa into a plush oasis.

Greater choice in how we use our sofas is available, allowing people to adapt their seating situation as they see fit. Customising sofas to meet our required size and parameters means
we have a choice in how we use them. Not only are we more open to the
design choices on offer, we’re more inclined to contrast our sofa with the rest of the decor in the room to make it a statement piece.

“Modular sofas or sofas that can be customised are on-trend,” says Michelle. “Adaptable and stylish, you can plan and design your sofa to adjust to the space so that it will function how you want it to, especially in an open-plan home with multi-purpose areas.

Longevity in not just quality but style is in fashion too. Tanya says people are keen on sofa aesthetics that won’t date quickly. “We are seeing a significant shift back to truly timeless designs, and away from trend-driven, short-term purchases.”

Technology trends are also a focus, she says, with features such as built-in lighting and charging options. We integrate technology, such as LED lights and charging platforms that can be updated and replaced when needed.”

Words by: Catherine Steel