When choosing major home furnishings, it is crucial to consider several factors in your final decision. Room size, existing décor, furniture material, personal style, durability, cost, and use are just a handful of details to consider. The is especially true when it comes to choosing a sofa. While some people are just looking for a comfortable place to relax, most modern home décor shoppers are a bit savvier. They are looking to invest in a furniture piece that will fit their needs for many years to come. Here’s what shoppers looking for a sofa to match their lifestyle needs should consider
Sofas and Room Size
It can be easy to go into a showroom and pick a sectional by appearance and think what a lovely addition it will make to a room. However, a sofa is unlike other furnishings because it is considered a focal piece of room furniture. When it comes to buying accent furniture, it’s much easier to be flexible. But when purchasing a central furniture piece, the final choice should consider all the critical factors of furniture buying. That means that picking a favorite sectional for a living room that is smaller in dimensions is deemed to be impractical because the space restriction makes this impossible. That is when buying a traditional sofa is the best option.
When considering the best sofa to buy for your home, looking at how much space you are trying to fill is a critical part of the analysis. If the room is large, then a sectional can be an excellent choice that can fill up a room. For smaller living room space, a traditional sofa is usually the best choice. If there are other large furniture items, such as recliners or high-end chairs, a small sofa or an extended loveseat are excellent options to finish out the room.
Matching Décor and Material
Today’s sofas come in a variety of prints, colors, shapes, and material textures. It’s always important to analyze the other furnishings in the room and try to focus on a design that will complement the other furnishings. As the central furniture piece of a living room, great room, den or family room, the color choice should complement the colors and materials of the other contemporary furniture pieces in a space.
When it comes to materials, there are a wide variety of choices. Soft textures such as suede, faux suede, or traditional materials such as polyester, cotton, and linen can help a room feel relaxing. There are also some excellent hardy sofa materials such as wool, leather, and faux leather that offer greater longevity. Each of these materials serves a different purpose and provides a different level of comfort and durability. For people with pets and children, it’s essential to buy a sofa, lounger or sectional crafted with material that is durable against spills and scratches.
Choosing the Best Style
Whenever picking a piece of furniture, style always plays a significant role in the choice. Therefore, it’s essential to look at how well the sofa style will fit with other furniture in the room. For rooms with a heavy wood accent, choosing a sofa or sectional with a wooden accent theme is smart. For a room with an antique flair, a modern styled sofa would not fit well. However, there are plenty of newer antique-style sofa and loveseat designs that can blend well with real antiques.
In general, a clean- clear-lined contemporary furniture design can work well with almost any living room style except a home that features antique decor. If the home is an older colonial or the home features “Old English” and Victorian pieces than the new sofa should have a design that is supportive of that theme.
Durability
As with all primary interior modern home decor furnishings, a sofa should be considered an investment. Therefore, purchasing a sectional or sofa made from a well-known furniture manufacturer is best. Frames, cushions, and springs can and do wear out more rapidly if the manufacturer does not use high-quality materials. Top quality sofas frames should have a frame constructed of solid wood or a combination of solid wood and metal. The cushions on any sectional or sofa should use a durable filling that has a strong resistance to sagging. Some poorly-made sectionals tend to have cushion materials that collapse and fail to hold their shape after a few years. Failure to buy quality furnishings can make it a poor investment.
Cost Considerations
When it comes to buying furniture pieces such as sofas and sectionals, you usually get what you pay for. If you invest in a piece of furniture that’s well made, it will last for decades. That is why it’s good to keep an eye out for exceptional furniture sales rather than compromise on quality. Furniture made poorly will often require replacement within five to ten years. While not all expensive sofas and loungers are well made, almost all major furniture makers price their furnishings according to name brand recognition, material, and expected durability.
Purchases Based on Usage
The intended usage for your furnishing should always play a significant role in the final decision. If the sofa is meant to double as a guest bed, then getting a modern home decor sleeper sofa or a daybed should be considered the best option. If the piece is going into a home where there is a larger family, a contemporary furniture styled sectional may be the best option.
For people buying modern home decor sofas for formal living rooms, there are some excellent choices in design. If décor accent pieces are already in place and you are purchasing a replacement sectional or sofa, it should match the style of the other furniture pieces. If this is not possible or you are looking for a change in aesthetic, new accent pieces should be bought to match the sofa.
There is room for flexibility when purchasing a sofa or daybed for space where it’s not the main focal piece of furniture. These areas would include a rec room, home office, sunroom, or home library. In these circumstances, it’s easier to be flexible with style and design since the primary theme in these rooms is the use of the room and not the décor.
Author:
Richard Overmyer is a copywriter and outreach specialist for San Francisco Design, an interior design firm and luxury furniture retailer in Salt Lake City. He enjoys talking about the latest trends in interior design and is a big fan of shiplap. When not writing, you can find Richard in the mountains, looking for his next piece of inspiration.
