As one of the main focal points for the family or living room in your home, a sofa is more important an investment than you may have realised.

It is where you, your family and guests will sit to enjoy time together, watching television, playing video or even board games and generally unwinding after a hard day or week at work. Much like the residential design, having a good sofa is critical.

With that in mind, it makes sense to invest in a sofa that you actually love and that is the best available.

How can you be sure the sofa you buy is a good investment? We have put together some useful tips to help you.

1. Choose A Sofa That’s The Right Size

Size matters when it comes to choosing a sofa. We don’t just mean you should pick a sofa that’s big for big’s sake.

You need to choose one that is proportionate to the room size where it will live. If your living room is big, for instance, a small sofa may not feel right, whereas if you have a small family room, an oversized sofa will make the room feel even smaller and cramped.

It is also a good idea to think about how the sofa will be used. Is it primarily going to be used as seating and not much else?

You may be able to get away with having a narrower sofa. However, if you or anyone else in your household likes to lie down on the sofa from time to time, a 3 seater sofa or a model that offers a wider space between the arms may be better.

2. Consider the Cushions and How Many The Sofa Will Seat.

Perhaps the single biggest factor you need to consider when looking at the cushions and capacity of a sofa is you want to make sure there is enough space for everyone who will want and need to sit on it, without having to sit on the dreaded gap between two cushions. That is just not comfortable at all. This is why it’s often best to pick a model that has just one cushion across the length of the sofa.

When thinking about the cushions and how comfortable a sofa will be, you should also think about the depth. Will it provide enough room between where the back of your knees and legs will rest and the edge?

3. Make Sure It Fits In With Your Decor and Other Furnishings.

When buying anything for your home, you should always be trying to make sure it fits in with your colour scheme and overall decor. If you are considering adding some beautiful sunset wall art Niche Canvas has on offer, for example, then you need to see that the sofa you get and the art complement each other.

While we are not suggesting it needs to have the same colours, because contrasts always work well, what we do mean is that you don’t want to go too crazy and by a sofa that just does not fit in with anything in your home or it could just look very garish and a bit of an eyesore.

4. Think About Patterns and Fabrics and Who Will Be Using It

As you undoubtedly want your sofa to last as long as it can, before you even buy it you should think about the people who will be using it and then pick out the fabrics and patterns that are going to fare best with the amount of wear, tear, use and abuse it will experience.

While sofas furnished in fabrics with just one colour are aesthetically pleasing and very smart, fur and stains are very easy to see. Whereas upholstery with intricate patterns and different colours are perfect for hiding dirt and stains. Ideal if you have kids or pets.

On the subject of pets and kids, you need to also think about choosing a fabric that is robust and durable and easy to clean. If you don’t, you will be making life harder for yourself when it comes to cleaning. Not to worry though, because you will always have plenty of help when it comes to getting your sofa and upholstery cleaned. Make sure you find a trusted service provider, like Brown Family Chem-Dry for example, who can do a good job of getting the sofa clean while retaining its original designs and colours. Nevertheless, you might still have to be prepared for the unexpected stains that you’ll have to get out immediately.

One of two scenarios (and possibly even both) could occur. The stains and dirt your kids and pets generate (and any other users for that matter), may be difficult to remove, and if the fabric is particularly delicate and very fine it may get damaged in the cleaning process, meaning you need to pay out more money on the sofa to reupholster it.

If you are truly after a very low-maintenance seating option, choose a leather sofa. All you’ll need to do is wipe it down with leather cleaner and polish from a site like URAD.com every once in a while to keep it clean and supple. It might not be as cosy as a fabric sofa, but you can place cushions and throws to warm it up.

5. Go Armless.

We mentioned earlier about smaller rooms feeling too cramped with large sofas. If you are furnishing a room that is small and you want to give the impression there is more space than there actually is, a good choice of sofa is an armless model.

The lack of arms can help make the room you place it in feel more expansive and spacious. It might also literally be the only option you have to make a sofa fit from wall to wall in a small room.

Summary

A sofa purchase is an important one as it’s a piece of furniture that is often a long-term purchase. When you’re looking to buy a sofa for your living space, make the time and effort to research and thoroughly explore what exactly you want and what fits with your house. Or else you may have to live with an expensive mistake!