Top ten tips: Buying a sofa

Looking for a new sofa? It’s not just about what looks prettier (although that is hugely important), there are also a lot of other factors.

And we mean a lot.

To help work through a few of the decisions you’ll need to make we spoke to Paul Staden, a director at Sofa Workshop, who has offered up his top ten tips.

1. Lifestyle

This is important as you need to make sure your sofa suits how you will use it.

Lower backed sofas with lots of loose scatter cushions are more suited to a casual look and will offer less support but are great for “lounging” on.

Higher backed sofas with back cushions will offer more support and are better if you are after a more formal sitting position.

Sprung back sofas are a feature of traditional styles associated with formal entertaining.

Contemporary versions offer good support and a low maintenance alternative to back cushions.

2. Cushion Filling

Your choice of cushion filling will have a huge impact on the type of sit and therefore comfort of your sofa.

Foam and fibre cushions give a firmer more supportive sit whilst feather cushions are squishier so you will sink further into them.

Choosing the right cushion fillings is important but keeping them comfortable is just as important. Regularly rotating and “plumping” will keep air in the cushions and prolong their life.

3. Comfort

When customers ask which sofa is our most comfortable we remind them comfort is subjective.

What is comfortable for one customer may not be for another.

So again, consider how you will use your sofa. This may sound obvious but customers often visit us with an idea of colour and shape but aren’t aware they can have different cushions fillings (feather, fibre, foam etc).

Ask yourself: “Do I want soft and squishy for lounging or firmer cushions for more support”.

4. Loose covers vs. fixed covers

Sofas with loose covers offer a more casual, less formal look.

Knowing you can take the covers off and wash them offers peace of mind to many customers, especially those who have children or pets (or enjoy the odd glass of red wine!)

We recommend you wash all parts of the covers together, even if you have a small localised stain or mark, to allow for even wear during the life of your covers.

You may find it easier to do this at a local launderette rather than in your domestic washing machine for best results. It is also possible to have your covers professionally dry cleaned in-situ if you prefer.

5. Framing

Traditionally sofas are made from Beech or Birch. Both are very similar woods which grow slowly and straight which gives them real strength. They also have few branches which means less knots which can weaken the finished product. It’s unlikely you’ll get a sofa with a traditional frame for less than £1500. These traditional frames would be glued and dowelled and also screwed to give the joints great strength and longevity.

There have been developments to frames over the years and a modern approach isn’t always inferior. It depends how it’s been utilised, some of the most expensive sofas have a frame under the fabric which an upholsterer from 40 years ago wouldn’t recognise.

These modern frames can be inferior when price engineered to make the sofa cheap as corners will have to be cut. It really depends what you’re looking to spend and how you use the sofa. A cheap frame will simply not last as long as an expensive one, needless to say you do get what you pay for. Customers should think of it as an investment. A sofa for £2000 may last 20 years and one for £500 just 3 years, but it depends how much you’re going to use it.

6. Padding

Traditional sofas didn’t have springs and the ‘comfort’ was provided by being stuffed with horse hair.

Coil springs were developed to be used in conjunction with this stuffing. With the development of foam and modern fibres the need for coil springs wasn’t necessary and alternatives could be used. These alternatives give a degree of flex but their main purpose is to support the seat and the comfort is from the cushion filling whereas before the comfort was from the spring.

Webbing was traditionally used to support the coil springs but now sprung units are used whereby the springs are contained within a wire mesh case removing the need for webbing.

It’s a mistake to assume sofas with coil springs are best. Also the style of the sofa will influence the type of spring used. Some designs have very slim seat platforms and a traditional coil spring wouldn’t fit.

Separate to the seats the frames are covered in layers of wadding and foams. These are used to provide softness to the frame but also create shapes, like beautiful scrolled backs and arms. Like everything there are different qualities of wadding and foam.

Cheap ones will feel just as good on the shop floor but will deteriorate over time so you will be able to feel the hard frame underneath. Again you get what you pay for.

7. Cushions

There are numerous seat fillings available and all have very different properties. Feather is very traditional and still widely available. Lots of people love sinking into a deep feather filled seat but it will not keep its shape and will need regularly plumping to keep both its shape and comfort.

Allergy sufferers should definitely avoid feather.

Foam is firmer and will require little maintenance but many consider it too ‘springy’. In the middle sits fibre.

This is softer than foam and doesn’t give such a rigid look; it’s slightly firmer than feather but doesn’t require the same level of care and maintenance.

Comfort is extremely subjective and there is nothing like sitting on a sofa and testing different interiors before making your decision. Remember all sofas will feel comfortable after a long day pounding the high street!

8. Fabric

Durability of fabrics is measured by an industry standard ‘rub test’. Although the numbers can vary from 15000 rubs to 20000 it doesn’t mean the lower number isn’t suitable for upholstery. A lot depends on how often you use the sofa.

Always check the upholstery is approved by the supplier for upholstery and not just soft furnishings. As a rule of thumb upholstery linens have high rub tests and could last the longest. At the opposite end of the scale are silks, these are never suitable in their pure form but often mixed with cotton or linen.

Most fabrics lend themselves to buttoned backs or scrolls.

9. Trends

Our customers are keen to reflect current trends but can be concerned that they may end up with a sofa that doesn’t reflect changing styles in years to come. By choosing a sofa in a plain or neutral fabric and adding scatter cushions in “on trend” fabrics you can have the best of both worlds.

Scatter cushions can be changed relatively cheaply as and when trends or your tastes change.

We offer extra sets of covers on all loose covered models too. Many customers buy a plain first set and an “on trend” second set or a summer and winter set. Both are great ways of achieving more than one look for your living room.

10. Scale and Access

It is important to check that the sofa you like will actually fit. Measure the space first and lay out newspaper to the size of your sofa to see roughly how much room it will take up.

Sofas can be large and bulky so check access into the property and room of choice. At Sofa Workshop we can send an expert to your home to check any obstacles, like the width of doorways and corridors, to give you complete peace of mind before you order.

We can even make many of our sofas with bolt off arms or back for customers with extremely tight access. The sofa can then be assembled in the room of choice. Corner sofas and sofas with low backs where the legs can be removed are also ideal for difficult access.

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