Margaret Chambers: What to Consider Before Buying a Sofa

Sofas are one of those “anchor pieces” that define the look of the whole room. Since they aren’t cheap, you’ll want to find one that you can enjoy sitting on and looking at for years to come.

The following is a checklist of four things to consider as you shop.

1. Scale

For couples, sofas between 80 and 90 inches are an appropriate width. Families should seek sofas that are 90 inches or above.

When you’ve found a sofa you like, try cutting out the shape of it from newspaper and placing it on your floor to serve as a visual guide. Measure your doorways to ensure you can fit your newest purchase into the house.

2. Comfort

Feather-filled cushions have a cloud-like feel; however, they must be fluffed once a week to retain their shape. Foam-filled cushions are less plush, but they hold their shape better. Cushions with inner springs wrapped in foam and down feathers are my top pick because they will never break down or become saggy.

3. Fabric 

For families with small children, I suggest choosing stain-resistant outdoor fabric brands like Sunbrella or Crypton. Leather is easy to clean but scratches easily, so it might not be a good option for families with pets.

In choosing your fabric color, ask yourself: Is this room intended to be calming, playful, or elegant? A colorful or patterned sofa can inject energy into a room. A neutral, solid color sofa provides harmony.

4. Style

Although it’s possible to mix different furniture styles, the safest bet is to pick a sofa that matches the style of the rest of the room. Modern sofas often have tapered legs, track arms, block feet, and grid-tufted cushions. Traditional sofas tend to have a skirt with tape on the bottom, rolled arms, and contrasting cording. Modern sofas will be much sleeker, deeper, and lower to the ground than traditional sofas.

Finding the perfect sofa isn’t easy. However, arming yourself with a checklist of your top priorities will make the shopping process faster and easier. If you could use more guidance, interior designers have access to the most durable upholstery fabrics on the market.

And once they see your space, they’ll know what style and size of sofa will fit right in.

Margaret Chambers, a registered interior designer (RID) and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) member, leads Chambers Interiors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crowley helped edit this column. Visit chambersinteriors.com/blog for more design advice.