If you’re looking to buy a new sofa for your home it’s important to consider the type of sofa that will best fit you, your family, your space and your lifestyle.
Buying a sofa is an investment and you will want it to last for years, so selecting one that you can keep clean and maintain is key.
To get you started on your search, upholstery buyer for Furniture Village Pamela Taylor, gives her top tips below on how to choose and maintain the right sofa for you:
1 Where do I start? Choose a sofa that will suit your lifestyle and needs, and obtain advice from an experienced sales consultant.
2 Which Upholstery? Of particular importance in choosing the right sofa is the upholstery – leather or fabric, the style – pillow back or casual back) and the cushion interiors – (fibre, feather or foam):
- Leather: Leather is hard wearing and easy to look after especially with a corrected grain. Dust weekly with a clean, soft colourless cloth (which you should never use for anything else)
- To clean anything off leather, do so with a little pre boiled water, cooled to room temperature and use very sparingly.
- Do not use spray polish or detergents.
- If the leather is Semi Aniline or Aniline, it mustn’t get wet, so use a specialized cream cleaner; for this reason these leathers are not as easy to look after.
- Fabric:
- Fabric is also pretty hard wearing, although it stains easier than leather.
- Dust and dirt fall on our upholstery just as much as on other furniture and can cause fabrics to prematurely wear and fade.
- Careful brushing with a soft brush, then vacuuming using the correct attachment – usually on a weekly basis, can avoid this.
- Velvets and Chenille’s feel fabulous but can flatten with use, and they should definitely be vacuumed and brushed regularly – but always in the direction of the pile.
- Unless you have washable loose covers, it advisable to get a professional to do major cleaning.
- With accidents and spills, act quickly; don’t rub, soak or allow the stain to set in.
- Absorb the spillage in a clean white absorbent cloth and never use washing up liquid or detergents. If you want to use specialist upholstery cleaner, it is advisable to test first on a hidden area.
3. What Style?
When considering what style you want, keep in mind that sofas with pillow backs need more “dressing†(i.e. tidying) than classic backs so if you find that sort of thing tiring, or have a house full of children then a classic back might suit you better.
4) Which Interior?
Choosing the right interiors are crucial and by far the easiest option to look after is foam.
You will need to turn the cushions regularly and rotate where possible – overall foam is your best bet.
However, many of us love the comfort and softness of fibre but these cushions do require some regular attention.
A light plumping just doesn’t work with fibre, as you need to tease out the fibres to retain look and comfort. If you don’t look after these cushions properly, you will lose about 20% of their lift in the first 6-8 weeks!!
5) What size?
It is important to choose the right size and shape sofa for your home.
E.g. if it’s for the corner of a small room, you should measure the exact amount of space you have reserved for it.
Additionally, measure the width of your door to ensure the sofa can pass through and that the space set aside for the sofa compliments its size, whether small or large. (e.g. a smaller sofa for a smaller room or bedroom and a large sofa when you have more space to fill).
Furniture Village has hundreds of sofa and chair shapes, sizes and styles to choose from. Choose seats for one, two, three, four or more, in leather or fabric, wood or chrome, plain or upholstered from leading manufactures.
Please visit the website to view the ranges.