With a mindboggling variety of sofas to choose from, how do you know you’ve found The One? Do you got big or small, comfy or classy, choose a bold, bright print, or stick with something cool and classic? Modern and trendy, or a failsafe traditional design?
To help you cut through the clutter – here are 5 questions to ask yourself, in order to find your dream sofa.
- Does size matter?
Like with most things in life, when it comes to a sofa, looks can be deceiving. That small, cosy sofa that looked like it was just the right size for snuggling on in the showroom can suddenly become a very uncomfortable mammoth that takes over most of the living room, when you finally manage to get it through your doorway. So measure up – look at the dimensions of the room, hall and doorways, as well as how much actual space you want to allocate to a sofa.
- Where is it going to go?
Before you even head out of the door to go sofa-shopping, take a long, hard look at the space it is going into. Size is just part of it – you also need to consider other furniture and fixtures in the room. Are you planning to have a coffee table – is there enough space? Will that super-stylish curved sofa set actually fit in your awkwardly shaped living room?
- Does it suit your style?
Once you’ve got the practical parts nailed, it’s time to go deeper. It’s tempting to go for that gorgeous catalogue-look sofa, but before you sign away, think about whether it’s right for a real-life home, and a real-life family. A sofa is the centrepiece of the living room, and makes a major style statement – but you don’t want to have to spend a fortune revamping the rest of the room to fit in. Pick a style that suits your taste and home décor.
- High – or low maintenance?
Messy kids and pristine, light coloured sofas are rarely a good combination – neither are gorgeous leather couches and a pet that likes to scratch. On the other hand, if you’re looking for something that will last forever and be a real showstopper – a low budget fabric sofa is unlikely to hit the spot. Think carefully before you choose something that fits in with your lifestyle.
- Try before you buy.
It’s well worth trying out swatches of fabrics to see if it will fit in with your décor and colour theme – after all, there’s nothing more annoying that finding that your brand new sofa is just a tiny shade off in your perfectly colour-coordinated lounge. Another great way of deciding whether it is a good fit for your room is to try a paper cut out, cut to the size and shape of your planned sofa. Lay it out and move it around – it’ll give you an instant idea of whether it will fit in or not.
