Over 160 Years of Furnishing in Cornwall.

How to choose the perfect sofa

Sofas are one of the most used pieces of furniture in our household and nowadays, they are not exclusively in our living rooms. They can be found in kitchens, snugs, conservatories, cinema rooms and master bedrooms.

It is easy to see how choosing the perfect sofa can be quite an overwhelming process, which is why we have created this handy guide to help you. There are a few things to consider when finding your perfect sofa.

You need to think about its function, who will be sitting on it and how will you be using it. Will it be for lazy lounging or are you looking for something more supportive?

Traditional advice for choosing a supportive sofa, was to ensure your feet can touch the floor with your lower back supported against the rear cushion. To achieve this, some sofas can be ordered with a higher seat height or shorter seat depths, to get the perfect fit. Nowadays, people like to relax into a sofa, depending on this, it can mean lower and deeper lounging when watching a movie, for example.

Would you like it to recline, for comfort and practically?

Modern sofas offer a wide range of different functions to increase comfort and support and for ease of everyday living. Reclining motions can offer support for the entire body, from legs to lumbar support and headrests in every configuration.

The Style –

Now you have considered for whom and what you need to cater for, now look at how that affects the style of sofa you need.

Will your sofa be against a wall? Do you want a corner sofa? Is it an open plan space – accessible and visible from all around? Does it create a room divider for the space by its positioning?

If so, you might want to consider how the sofa looks from every angle, including the back and side, which might be the main view you have of the sofa.

Measure your existing sofa or the space the sofa needs to fit in your room.

Fabric –

Fabric options are endless, which is why it is good to have some of ideas of how you want your sofa to look.

Bold or Neutral?

Coloured sofas can be trend led but will also make a fabulous statement feature to a room, particularly effective in an open plan space where you want to zone the living area. Maybe have the main sofa neutral and then a smaller one or chair in a contrast colour. Or if that would still be too much then look at contrast piping or depending on the manufacturer you could ask your Sales Specialist for the accent cushions to be made in your chosen pop of colour.

Have you thought about the type of fabric?

Velvet – a fabulous option for coloured sofas, instead of a woven fabric as it really brings out the richness. Some velvets or velvet look materials can also now be extremely practical too, in terms of stain and/or mark resistant.

Leather – gone are the days where your leather was just brown. Manufacturers now offer a wide range of colours and textures for your leather sofa. Leather can come in many different categories, with different properties. Each has its own benefits and special characteristics. Our sales specialists will help you make the right choice for you and how you live. Different leathers can be suited to different individual homes, a hard-wearing leather is better for families and pets for example. Our sales specialists can discuss the many options from different manufacturers with you.

Feather – known as the ultimate for lounging, squidgy relaxation and providing the ‘lived in’ look, it is also the highest maintenance of all fillings. Needing regular plumping, not only aesthetics but for continued comfort and support, which can be quite demanding on you time and body!

Fibre Fillings – A material that generally comes as standard for most back cushions, fibre provides the softness you would expect from a feather cushion. They still need to be re-shaped and plumped occasionally, however, this is less of a daily requirement and more of a weekly one.

Foam – most seat cushions will be made of foam, as they can take more weight, are low maintenance and more durable but have a firmer seat.

Foam and Fibre – you can also get a combination of foam with either a feather or fibre wrap. This is where the core of the seat cushion is in high grade dense foam, allowing the cushion to keep its structure and give support, whilst the wrap in the softer material, creates the squishy ‘sinking into’ feeling, perfect for lounging or if you want a more fluid aesthetic.

Furniture protection – once you have chosen your perfect sofa, we want to make sure you enjoy your furniture for many years to come. That is why we strongly recommend you take out our 5 Year Staingard Protection Plan. A guarantee against any spillages, rips, tears or mechanical faults, allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your beautiful sofa with total peace of mind.

Please visit one of our showrooms at – Truro, St Austell, Wadebridge or Hayle.