The sofa is probably the most significant piece of furniture in a room, serving for much more than just sitting. It serves as a foundation for the rest of the room’s design. It is a large investment item that should withstand the test of time and endure years of wear. So, it’s absolutely worth it to pay a little extra money to buy the piece that perfectly matches your design, preferences and budget.
Here are some important considerations to keep in mind when buying modern sofas.
Consider Your Lifestyle
Evaluate your lifestyle and what you might need from a sofa on a daily basis. If you have a large family, a sectional sofa may be the ideal option for you. If you have dogs or children, stain-resistant performance fabric upholstery may be a smart choice. Each home has its own personality, so when you’re browsing through the large selection of modern sofas on the market, make sure it complements and improves the style of your home.
Of course, another factor to consider is the current furniture in your living area. If your side chairs, cocktail table, and console all have a more classic feel, we recommend keeping your sofa in the same design category. Similarly, a more modern home needs a modern sofa as the perfect addition. However, depending on your degree of design comfort, you may still mix and match designs, as long as the overall product makes a coherent and attractive statement.
Choose A Color That Works With Your Space
It’s time to make one of the most important selections yet: the colour of your sofa! There are several options here, ranging from a bold statement to a complex pattern to a dependable neutral. There is no right or wrong way to choose a palette as long as it is something you know you will love (and not get bored of) for years to come.
Do you want your sofa to be the centre of attention or to blend in? The fabric colour of a couch can make a big impact in a space, and you may make a bold statement by picking upholstery fabric in vibrant colour. What’s the catch? It will be more difficult to change the colour scheme.
Light colours reveal stains more rapidly, so if you’ve fallen in love with a pale-coloured couch, be sure it has detachable, washable covers or, at the very least, that the upholstery is stain-resistant. A grey or taupe sofa is a suitable midway ground. Both are simple to incorporate into almost any colour scheme and are black enough to conceal stains and blemishes. Choose a textured fabric and mix it up with interchangeable, vibrant accessories like colourful cushions and blankets to add interest.
Consider the Shape of Your Space
All living rooms are not made equal. The spaces in which we live now vary more than ever before. A refurbished loft may have exposed pipes and load-bearing supports that obstruct furniture placement, whereas other residences have large open-floor plan expanses to decorate. A basic square area may be available to work within an apartment.
It is critical to get a couch that suits the shape of your area. A sectional couch is ideal for houses with open floor plans because it may assist give the room form and separation. A large open floor plan might benefit from dividing the living room zone vs the dining room zone. Examine any unusual architectural elements, such as windows, fireplaces, or built-in bookshelves. Work with those pre-existing characteristics to choose the best couch for your area, making sure that the sofa does not obstruct any of these aspects.
Pick the Right Fabric
Setting a budget for how much you want to spend on a couch is usually the best place to start because it will influence your fabric selection. There are many lovely cheaper couches available (for example, see our budget-friendly sofa shopping guide), and you can purchase them in some truly opulent materials, like velvet.
However, with a lower-priced sofa, your colour options may be limited to a few, whereas if you have a larger budget and your sofa is being made to order, there are usually hundreds of fabrics and colours to choose from, plus you can order swatches before you buy to ensure you’re happy with your choice. The fabric you choose for your couch will be influenced in part by how you want to use it. Will your sofa be in a busy area where you entertain – and where wine will undoubtedly be spilt? Or will it work quietly in a home office?
Luxurious, textured mixes of wool, for example, are best suited to seldom-used rooms. If you have children or dogs, a smooth cotton fabric that can be cleaned is preferable. Durable materials, such as corduroys or microfibre mixes, will perform especially well in a living room, as opposed to demanding textiles like velvet or chenilles.
Splurge on luxury if you’re searching for a sofa that will only be used by you, for example, in a library or home office. Consider a high-thread-count cotton or velvet sofa, but keep in mind that they will most likely require professional cleaning at some time. The thread count is important: the greater the number, the better, and the longer your couch covers will endure. In a living room, a modern couch would be incomplete without a modern occasional chair.