TIPS FOR BUYING A NEW COUCH

Buying a couchor sofa suitecan be a daunting task with so many options available on the market. A sofa suiteor couch is one of the largest items of furniture in your home. Your sofa suiteis generally an investment piece that is kept for many years and can dictate the look and feel of your living area.

 

How can you tell if a couch will last before you buy it? What are the most durable materials to look for? And what red flags should make you put away your wallet and move onto the next option? 

 

Buying furniture is a bit of a gamble; with many retailers mass-producing cheap home furniture, it’s hard to know what kind of quality you’re getting for your money. Couches in particular are a problem. 

 

A well-made couch or sofa suite has a sturdy frame, it will not warp or crack with use. For a sturdy couch that stands the test of time, look for a frame made of solid wood.

 

You also want to look for a frame that is held together with dowels, wood corner blocks, or metal brackets. Anything that's held together by only staples, glue, or nails can fall apart or come undone much easier.

 

A heavy couch is a good indicator that it's sturdy because it's made of dense high quality materials.

 

You can't actually see inside the couch before making a purchase because it's covered up by fabric or leather, we suggest asking your salesperson whether or not the sofa you are interested in is made from solid wood and how the couch is held together.

What's inside the cushions of the sofa suite you are interested in can drastically affect the price and quality of the couch or sofa suite. Most cushions have a polyurethane foam core – the denser the foam, the heavier and in turn longer it will last. Cheap couches just have the poly foam core and that's it. In higher quality furniture items, the poly foam core is wrapped with wadding. Majority of Leather Gallery couchesand sofa suites have a 30% density foam wrapped in wadding, providing you and your family with quality and comfort.

 

Another thing to consider, couches and sofa suites with back cushions that are unattached make cleaning and fluffing much easier.

 

Upholstery is the element that affects the cost of a sofa suite or couch the most. When buying living room furniture such as a couch, you want to make sure an expensive piece of furniture you're investing in has a durable upholstery and can withstand daily use.

 

Performance fabrics are stain resistant and are some of the most durable around. Leather is a good option if you are looking for a sofa that will last many years to come. When it comes to selecting a colour for your couch or sofa suite, although you might love bring red and the moment, you might want to opt for something you will still love in 10 years.

 

Visit a Leather Gallery furniture store near you to get a swatch of the fabric or leather you're considering and bring it home. Compare it with the other items in your room, and set the swatch where the sofa will sit. Notice how the color/fabric looks in different lights to make sure you like it.

 

One of the most common mistakes people make when buying a couchis choosing one that is either too big or too small for the space. Consider the proportions of the room and the other furniture in your space when looking for a couch or sofa suite. You want a sofa that feels proportionate to the rest of the space. In other words, you don't want a small-scale chair sitting next to an oversized sofa with huge cushions, this will look strange and not add to the overall aesthetic of the room. Another thing to note is not all couches are the same depth. Some have narrower seats than others, and this can affect overall comfort of your living room. The best way to know how wide of seat you like is to sit on many different sofa suites and couchesand measure the seat cushion depth on the couch you find most comfortable.

 

If you have a small room or tight space, a sofa suiteor couch with low arms can make the space feel less crowded. A sectional couch may be way too big for a smaller-than-average living room while a couch with large cushions can make a large space feel full.

 

A tip when you are trying to determine the perfect size for your new couch is to use masking tape to mock up a footprint of the sofa suite to see how it fits in your room. You can even "build" the couchout of boxes or other furniture items to get a feel visually for how much space the couch or sofa suite will take up.

 

The sofa suite or couch you select for your living space should coordinate with the rest of your home furniture. Each home has a predominant style, so it’s important to ensure your couch will match and preferably elevate your home’s decor.

 

If you have a very clean, modern look, a square-armed sofa with simple legs is going to be more complementary than an ornate one. If you have an open-plan living space, a popular choice is a modular or chaise sofa. As the back of a couch or sofa suite is generally on view in an open-plan space, make sure you have a good look at a sofa from the rear before buying.