When choosing a sofa, you may only focus on its appearance and size, But if you know a little about the production process, you can probably judge the service of the sofa. High-quality sofas are made of solid wood, coil springs, and expensive wool filling, while cheaper sofas use cork frames, webbing, and foam.
What sofa size is best for me ?
There are many kinds of sofas by size, from compact love seats to reversible sectional sofas that can easily fill a whole family. Measure the size of your space and estimate how big a sofa would fit you, then make a template from a newspaper based on these dimensions and place it on the floor. Next, set the template aside in its original position and live for a few days to observe if the sofa is the right size.
Which type of sofa is best?
In many people's homes, the sofa is the most dominant object in the living room, so the design of the sofa will affect the beauty of the entire living room, if the style of the living room is retro, then you should choose a traditional style of sofa, if you want to present a modern style, you can also try to mix and match the new trendy items in the retro style.
Classic style sofa:
Classic style sofa suits to be put in traditional style room most, This kind of sofa is more suitable for meeting guests, rather than sitting lazily and relaxing. Study its detailed structure, fluffy cushions, angular armrests, and round wooden legs. Dark tones and the striped or checkered decorative cloth will make the whole sofa look solemn.
Modern style sofa:
Modern style sofa with simple lines is suitable for rooms with minimalist style. You can choose a low and wide square style with sturdy and reliable cushions and a flat base made of metal or wood. If you like a more casual feel, you can choose a low-back sofa. If you like the feeling of half lying and half sitting, you can place some cushions at random.
Romantic style sofa:
This style of sofa has a high backrest and neat, slender armrests (right-angle shape or slightly curved shape), making it a popular family choice. The comfort of the seat cushion and backrest is a priority. Generally, the filling fabric is foam plastic.
Chesterfield sofa:
This is a very gentlemanly style sofa, but also suitable for placing in a modern style room, especially if you particularly like the leather material. The height and angle of the backrest and armrests are designed to make this sofa more suitable for adults to sit, but half lying is not very comfortable.
Button tufted club sofa:
The button back or cushion makes it a kind of light luxury style sofa. It is an ideal choice for retro style furniture environment. To add some romance to the overall modern style room, you can also choose the Sofa shape with angular and streamlined style.
Sectional sofa：
The L-shaped sofa is best for large open spaces. It can be placed close to two adjacent walls, or make full use of the unused corners. If placed in the middle of a room, they can separate the living area from the rest of the room. This type of sofa consists of many single-room sofas, and there are various combinations. You can choose the arrangement that works best for you, and if necessary, you can readjust the placement order or increase the number of single-piece sofas in the future.
Sofa bed:
If you want to make a comfortable rest for your guests staying overnight at home, but there are no extra guest rooms, then a sofa bed may become your best choice and the most practical investment. However, there are several issues to consider: If you don't buy an oversized sofa, what size bed should you buy? Is it better to have a good sofa or good bedding? Do you need to move the sofa to be able to turn it into a bed--the weight of the sofa becomes a problem at this time. There are many types of sofa beds and the mechanical structure is very sophisticated. The following are the common sofa bed styles.
- Pull-out sofa bed: This style of sofa bed is very common. From the appearance, it is no different from an ordinary sofa, and there are various styles to choose from. The method of use is to pull up and out the folding bed frame and mattress hidden in the sofa seat to turn it into a bed. It may contain storage space for a quilt and several pillows, but this kind of sofa bed is usually heavy.
- Benchsofa bed: Bench sofa bed is the simplest sofa bed. It has a mattress-style sofa base and backrest, which can be transformed into a bed by unfolding the backrest back. Among all sofa beds, only this bench-style sofa bed can get the same comfortable feeling like any normal bed, and if you only occasionally fold it back into a sofa, it is a better choice.
- Modern leisure sofa bed: This type of sofa bed usually has a bed frame made of wood or metal, and mattresses of different thicknesses and materials are available. It comes in two basic styles -- a two-fold sofa that stretches back to resemble a bench sofa bed, and a three-fold mattress that folds into three sections, In this way, when the bedding is stowed, it becomes a compact sofa.
A guide to types of sofa materials:
The fabric of the sofa not only determines the appearance of the sofa, but also affects the price, life span, and difficulty of maintenance. Therefore, before choosing a certain fabric, we must also consider whether the price of the sofa is favorable and whether it is practical.
- Leather fabrics: medium-priced leather fabrics have a variety of styles, from soft leather to bright leather, to leather fabrics that have been distressed. But it’s best not to place leather sofas next to heaters or windows.
- 100% cotton: cotton fabrics are durable, but easy to decolorize, leave stains, and are prone to shrinkage or slack. Good-quality cotton fabrics can keep the sofa's appearance longer, and the price of pure cotton fabrics is moderate.
- Nubuck leather: This expensive leather looks like suede, but it is more durable and an excellent substitute for classic leather surface materials. It is dyed and pretreated, which can effectively improve stain resistance.
- Linen fabric: Linen fabric is very suitable for making leisure sofas and sofa covers. It has characteristics similar to cotton cloth, but it lacks elasticity and does not fade. It has a long life but is expensive and easy to wrinkle.
- Artificial leather: This kind of artificial material is moderately priced, looks a lot like leather but does not last as long as leather. However, it is also easy to clean and quite durable.
- Suede: Suede is a 100% polyester material, which is a relatively cheap choice, but its feel and appearance are very similar to natural materials. It is easy to clean and also more resistant to stains than other leather fabrics.
- Microfiber: This low-priced microfiber polyester fabric is very slender but resistant to abrasion. It has the appearance and touch of velvet and suede. It has the advantage of being wiped clean with a damp cloth.