Choosing a sofa

Choosing Upholstered Furniture

When choosing a sofa or armchair, never judge the piece by its covers. It is easy to be misled by appearance when looking around a furniture showroom, but price - and therefore quality - is determined by construction. Ideally a sofa should last ten years or more, but this comes down to how well it is constructed. Be prepared to take a long hard look at what lies beneath the cover.

Create a checklist before you shop:

• Does the frame and springing construction come with guarantees
• Ask about the construction of the frame and whether it meets with any British Standards
• Find out how it has been sprung and the type of springing used
• Investigate what padding materials have been used
• Inspect the upholstery carefully to see how well it has been tailored and pattern matched
• Write a checklist itemising what you need, include the measurements required and any others that might be relevant to access into your home
• Paper templates laid on the floor of your room will help you plan sofa sizes and the options you can accomodate
• If you are buying as a couple, you should both be involved in trying furniture out for comfort
• Remember that your back can be given greater support with a sofa that has a shorter seat depth and a fixed back rather than loose back cushions
• Think carefully about which combination of furniture is right for your lifestyle - three-piece suites are a thing of the past
• When it comes to choosing fabric, think about practicality, durability, scale of pattern and colour options
• Take swatches, carpet cuttings etc with you, it is difficult to retain colours in your head.

Design solutions for a period home 

• Plan the layout of your sofas and/or armchairs so that they are not backed up against walls. Seating arranged more centrally within the room, possibly to either side of a fireplace, creates an impression of space.
• Avoid large armchairs that match your sofa, instead opt for a pair of period style occasional chairs to create a more distinctive look.
• The excessive use of pattern on large pieces of furniture can be visually overwhelming. A calm elegant interior relies more on beautiful plain or textured fabrics whilst restraining pattern to accent pieces such as an occasional chair or a variety of complementary scatter cushions.
• Choose classic sofa designs which lend themselves to most styles of living room, whilst trends come and go, a classic piece will stand the test of time.
• An elegant console or desk placed against the back of a sofa creates a natural division within a room whilst breaking up 'the block mass' that the back of a sofa often presents. Place a pair of lamps at either end of the console to give height and provide you with 'task lighting' when sat on your sofa.

Footstool Advice

• Footstool, sofa table, pouffe or ottoman....just a few names to describe this versatile addition to your lounge seating area.
• If storage is tight, opt for a storage version, ideal for stowing away children's toys, magazines or dvds.
• Smaller square-shaped stools set on castors help with maneuverability, can be pulled up to an armchair for a footrest or used to provide an additional seat.
• Fender stools tend to be long and thin and as the name suggests would have been used close to the hearth. They also look wonderful pushed up close to the foot end of a bed.
• Sofa tables made up in fabric to coordinate with your colour scheme are a cost effective way to provide you with an alternative, softer look to a coffee table. The perfect surface to pile up favourite 'coffee table' books, place trays onto for drinks or can double up to be used for additional seating.
• Unlike the wooden surface of a coffee table, sofa tables won't get scratched and when the fabric does wear, can easily be reupholstered.
• Base treatments to sofa tables provide plenty to choose from. Set onto turned legs gives the piece a lighter look. A wooden plinth base gives a more contemporary almost oriental feel to the piece.