Keep your eyes open when buying a sofa! From seat height to size to cover – here’s how you know which sofa is right for you and your apartment
Coming home and sitting on the sofa – who doesn’t love that? But the purchase needs to be considered carefully, based on the motto: So check who is committed forever.
In furniture stores and catalogs we can expect many two or three seater options, with or without an integrated chaise lounge, but rather as a sofa bed? Cool foam pad or spring core? Leather, velvet or Alcantara cover? Not to mention the many manufacturers. Before you get started, you should ask yourself the following important questions to ensure that your new sofa is not a bad purchase.
- Who will use the sofa for what?
To start, ask yourself what type of sofa you prefer. Do you watch TV or entertain guests for tea? Do you like to put your feet up when reading or watching TV? Then a recliner or recliner is recommended. Or do you need a place to sleep for overnight guests? In short: Who will use the new upholstered furniture, when and how? But think first about your needs and not your visitors’ needs. Ultimately, you will spend more time on the couch.
- Where should the sofa be located?
Whether it is a two- or three-seater sofa, a corner sofa or a sofa with sliding space elements depends on the size and layout of the room. The sight of an XXL sofa looks great in a furniture store – but in a smaller room it can also look overkill.
Ask yourself whether with a sofa in the room, there is still enough space to move freely around the room. You may also want to add a coffee table. Or how much space the sofa occupies when you use the folding bed function. Many manufacturers offer modular systems that can be used to expand the sofa as desired, depending on your needs and use.
Make a mockup! Sketches help to better imagine the size of the furniture. Interior design experts with floor plan analysis skills can support you! You can also cover a suitable area in the room with old newspaper pages or cover with painter’s tape and thus “test” the size of your favorite sofa. For a three-dimensional impression, you can create a sofa using a moving box.
- How tall are you?
Factors such as seat height and depth should be considered before purchasing. What you choose should depend on whether you tend to use the sofa sitting or lying down. In principle, it is certainly more difficult to get up from lower upholstered furniture than from higher furniture. However, the comfort of the waiting room is better with such a sofa.
Tall people need a taller sofa with a deeper seating depth – and older people will also find it easier to get up from a taller model. The ideal seat height is between 43 and 48 centimeters, while the seat depth varies between 55 and 62 centimeters. Get advice from your trusted specialist dealer and, ideally, have your body measurements taken. You should still try it!
- What should a sofa cover be able to withstand?
Size and shape are agreed upon. But what should new sofa covers be made of? Made of fabric or do you prefer leather? Think carefully here. Ultimately, this is what determines the effect and practicality of the sofa.
For textile covers, there are more pattern and color options. There are covers made of wool or cotton, which naturally repel dirt. There are also many high-quality microfiber cloths or blended cloths that are very durable and easy to care for. These synthetic materials are perfect for households with stray children, pets, or lots of guests because they are easy to clean and maintain. Rough patterns or structures also hide small blemishes.
The Martindale abrasion cycle unit gives you information about the durability and sturdiness of the fabric. This is a wear value that determines the material’s resistance to pressure (friction of the test fabric with another fabric). This value should be around 15,000 in a private household with regular use. For comparison: In public areas, with intensive use, as many as 30,000 scrubbing cycles are recommended.
You should also pay attention to the Martindale pilling value, which refers to the formation of balls of fiber. A pilling value of 1 means the pill forms very quickly. A grade of 5 or 6 represents excellent quality.
Also ask about light fastness. This refers to the ability of a textile to retain its color even when exposed to sunlight. The scale here ranges from 1 to 8 (excellent).
Important: When purchasing, ask if the covering material can be removed and cleaned. Manufacturers of high-quality sofas sometimes even update the upholstery and suspension if the sofa is getting old.
Skin is an experience not only visually but also tactilely. But keep in mind that leather is a natural product and fluids (including body sweat!) absorb quickly and can leave permanent stains.
With impregnation – which also favors microfiber or wool coverings – you can take precautions and prevent direct infiltration for the time being. On the other hand, a genuine leather sofa will only look beautiful if it is given a patina. If you like it, a leather sofa is for you.
- Do you want to make a statement with a sofa – or do you prefer to accessorize?
You have to be brave for some sofa covers. With bright red, fresh blue or patterned covers, you should pay more attention to the color concept of the rest of the room. If used correctly, a sofa like this is a real eye-catcher. But you should really like the color, because the area is large and dominant and you usually keep the sofa for several years.
On a sofa in a neutral color, colorful pillows can always add a nice accent – and can be replaced very quickly.
- How sturdy is the sofa made?
But looks aren’t everything, as we know. Because even with a nice sofa, inner values are still important. This relates to several aspects of high-quality models.
The support frame of a professionally made sofa is usually made of solid wood and combined with straps or with a tightly stretched wave suspension (a well-known form is the Nosag base suspension). Depending on your choice, the seat and padding consist of multi-layered cool foam padding, cool foam covered with soft padding (e.g. fleece) or elastic molded foam.
There are different degrees of firmness not only for mattresses, but also for sofas! In general, cold foam pads are slightly firmer, while pads combined with springs increase the sinking feeling.
If you choose a pillow with feather filling, make sure to fluff the pillow occasionally. This way the feathers are spread out before unsightly clumps form and the sofa looks shapeless.
In contrast to traditional, durable sandwich construction, cheap sofa frames are usually made of hard plastic/foam and filled with integral foam.
Regardless of the color of the cover, be sure to look at the seams of the upholstery to see if they are processed appropriately.
The quality seal can be a guide in the search for quality. This award is only given to furniture that meets the association’s high standards in terms of material quality and health compatibility.
- How does the sofa feel?
To separate the wheat from the chaff, do a test. If you only buy a sofa online, there is always a risk that it will end up not fitting your habits and needs. Before buying online, find out as much information as possible about dimensions and material properties.
Of course, purchasing a sofa also depends on your specific needs and living situation. If you like change, you can also choose a simple, inexpensive sofa that will probably only stay in good condition for a few years. Long-life models are also more expensive – but it’s worth the investment.