Of course we don’t have a monopoly of wisdom when it comes to buying furniture, but hopefully these tips will cross your mind when choosing a new sofa…
1. Size does matters
We usually fall in love with a sofa when we first see it in the large showroom of a furniture store. However – when you bring it home – the sofa may take up more or less space than you originally thought or – even worse – may not even fit into your living room or sofa corner.
So first lesson: always measure the space you have in your house before you buy a large piece of furniture.
If you have a large living room, you can go for a corner, round or modular sofa. Otherwise you should consider buying a 2 or 3 seater and add a separate chair.
2. Try before you buy
The way your sofa looks is important, but not only the esthetical or decorative aspect matters.
It may sound needless to say, but don’t forget you are buying a sofa to sit or lie in. Therefore, you and your family should feel comfortable when lying down or sitting in the sofa.
Each family uses their living room in a different way. If the whole family likes to watch TV, you can go for a sofa with a high back-rest, arm-rest and pillows. If you often have friends or family over, a round sofa is more intimate.
3. Choose the right material
If you have young children that are often playing – or eating – in the living room, it is important that your sofa is easy to clean and waterproof.
In that case we would advise you to go for leather furniture. A fabric sofa is less expensive and suitable for all types of weather, but difficult to clean.
4. Avoid a mix of styles
We usually design our house in one particular style: timeless classic, contemporary modern… A sofa takes up a huge space in your living room and immediately attracts the attention. So make sure the style of your new sofa harmonizes with the style of your interior.
Our advice: a leather sofa is more classic and luxury, a fabric or wooden sofa is more suitable for a modern home. Whereas a simplified and neutral piece of furniture can easily be combined with other more prominent pieces of decoration, a bright coloured sofa should remain the one and only eye catcher in your living room:
5. Don’t go cheap
If you don’t want to spend a fortune, avoid designer boutiques and consider choosing a fabric sofa instead of a leather one. You can easily combine it with a few footstools to add colour and texture to your home.
It’s absolutely normal to consider your budget, but we advise you not to buy too cheap. These items are often made of inferior materials and will have to be replaced in a short time.
You want to make space for some new furniture? It’s worth having a chat with a Shurgard storage specialist to discuss your options.
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