For many households, choosing a sofa is a big decision. It’s not the kind of thing you want to replace that often and you’ll probably spend a lot of time sitting on it, either by yourself or with the family. So it’s best not to rush into a sofa purchase that you might later regret.
“living room at morning” (CC BY 2.0) by jinkazamah
Fortunately, we have a wealth of choice today when it comes to choosing new furniture. To start your search process, flick through some home magazines or go online to get an idea of what kind of style you’re interested in.
But before you even think about picking out a colour and shape, you need to think about the size and shape of your living room, the number of people who are going to usually be sitting on the sofa and whether you want just a sofa or one that could be converted into a guest bed when you need one.
Start off with the right dimensions
If yours is a larger living room, how much space do you want the sofa to take up? Will you want another sofa or other chairs as well? And perhaps you’ll want to fit in a coffee table, too. L-shaped sofas can be good if you want to maximise floor space in the centre of the room, but then again you might decide to place the sofa front and centre as the focal point in your living room.
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With a smaller living space, you’ll need a smaller sofa. Whatever size you plump for, it’s worth mocking up the shape of a new sofa with other chairs, tables and cushions covered with a throw to see how much of your living room a new sofa will take up.
Think about how you use your living room
Does your family veg out in the living room and just want one big comfy sofa to slouch on, or do you all enjoy sitting in a group playing board games on the coffee table? Decide which side of the room you will put the sofa and which way it will face, and then work out the rest of the furniture around that.
Your living room might be where you socialise the most, in which case one huge corner sofa can sometimes be a little too cosy. Consider instead getting two three-seater sofas and an armchair, so your guests don’t all feel a little too close to each other on the family corner sofa.
What’s your home style?
As well as practicality, style is a major consideration when choosing big items of furniture such as sofas and armchairs. You want something that is beautiful as well as comfortable. The range of Italian sofas at Vivendo achieve both of these, from the minimalist and understated leather Laghi through to the softly curved and rounded Minerbe, which comes in a two-seater, a corner unit and can be complemented with extendable armchairs.
It really is down to personal taste. Do you like the sleek, modern look with clean lines, or are you a fan of the traditional and classically structured sofas that blend in well in any style room.
Choose the right colour and fabric
If you have a strong colour scheme in your living room, you might want to choose a sofa in a neutral colour. On the other hand, you might want a bold colour sofa that provides the colour focus in a neutrally-toned living space.
The upholstery choice depends very much on who shares your home with you. Leather is an incredibly practical choice for people with children and pets. It can be cleaned relatively easily and will stand up to the wear and tear of family life. However, you might be single or live with just your partner, in which case there’s no need to resist the urge to buy that beautiful white suede sofa you’ve found, as you know that you’ll be able to keep it looking perfect.
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The more time you can give to researching a sofa purchase, the more likely you are to make the right choice for your home. But if you’re nervous about making the wrong choice, choose a supplier that allows you to return items free of charge in case you’re not happy when the furniture has been delivered.