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.

How to choose the perfect dining table

Dining rooms have evolved over time and are being increasingly replaced with family friendly, kitchen diners or a completely open plan living area.

Family dining can be more informal with bench seating, mis-matched chairs or even bar stools at a kitchen island. Entertaining guests will often commence in the kitchen before sitting down at the informal dining area or moving to the more formal, separate dining room.

Whatever your need, we certainly have a huge selection of dining furniture to suit informal and formal dining choices.

The Function

When buying any piece of furniture, before you start your search, you need to think about its function.

What is the maximum number it needs to accommodate?

Will I just want chairs or is a bench seat an option?

Space saving – if you do not have much space but need to be able to host guests, then an extendable table is an obvious option.

But remember to leave it out occasionally, so the extended surface mellows at the same rate!

What is it made of?

• Wood – Wooden tables are available in many different timbers from oak, ash to walnut and everything between. With solid, veneered or engineered timbers giving different characteristics and finishes, these can be enhanced with oils and other products to make the natural timber really stand out. You may be looking for a more industrial table, with powder coated metal legs and a wire brushed weathered wooden table top. For the more traditional look, painted furniture can complement a shaker style themed country kitchen. You always need to think about practically for your table and its materials – which is where function plays a part again.
• Glass and Ceramic – With superior scratch, stain, chemical and thermal shock resistance, a ceramic table-top is the perfect practical addition to any family home. They are very easy to keep clean and hygienic, whilst still offering a stunning range of finishes, perfect for stylish entertaining.

What about Chairs?

Dining table sets can looked polished and collectively can really pull a room scheme together. With a variety of finishes available, you can pick the perfect style to compliment your table. Chairs in the same material and finish of the table always look great together but upholstered chairs in leather of fabric can complement any table design and help to create a stunning room.

Recently, however mixing and matching dining chairs has become more popular. Whether it is using the same material, such as leather and having a selection of colours, or using a stunning statement fabric to mix the styles completely and so having no theme at all, the options are endless! Benches are also making a practical comeback as an informal option for a dining room.

Furniture Protection

Once you have chosen your perfect dining furniture, it is important to make sure you have years of enjoyment from it. We recommend the 5-year unique Staingard protection plan which is applicable to all your cabinet, leather and fabrics, which will offer you piece of mind if someone takes a chunk out of your beautiful glossy ceramic table top or your child scratches the oak veneer with their new toy. Unfortunately, anything can mark but most things can be repaired, so give yourself some piece of mind and allow yourself the opportunity to truly enjoy your new purchase.

How to choose the perfect wardrobe

A well organised, clutter-free bedroom is literally life enhancing. Knowing where everything is and keeping your clothes organised and easily accessible helps make your bedroom a place to unwind and sleep, helping you get up the next day with minimal stress.

A wardrobe is a large piece of furniture and it’s important to give some thought to both the practicalities of how much it needs to hold and also aesthetics, how it will look and feel in your bedroom. At Julian Foye you can purchase the two main types of wardrobes – freestanding and fitted look wardrobes with pros and cons to both.

Fitted Look Wardrobes 

Fitted look wardrobes can maximise your storage space by scaling the furniture to fit your walls and room. It will appear streamlined and create a fitted furniture look for your bedroom, with this style wardrobe you have many options for the interior fittings, your own specific rail heights and positions, drawer units and shelves that you need, to make your wardrobe work best for your belongings. LED lighting can be easily incorporated within and outside your fitted look furniture and also create ambient or mood lighting in your bedroom, in a similar way to your kitchen, with plinth or pelmet lighting.

Freestanding Wardrobes

Freestanding furniture can easily be moved and relocated to a different position within your room and gives you much more scope to create a characterful room and positioned to co-ordinate with other bedroom furniture. You can also mix and match with freestanding bedroom furniture, there are so many styles and finishes that would complement each other to create a perfect sanctuary.

Classic freestanding two or three door Wardrobes

The benefits of these are, they can be located in any room and also move with you if you move house.

Sliding wardrobes

Sliding wardrobes can maximise on the internal and external space and can offer the same flexibility on internal fixtures. These are also available in many sizes and you can make good use of space with a telescopic rail which pulls down for access. This is a relatively new option, so if you’ve not shopped for a wardrobe for some time it’s worth looking into this.

Mirror Front

You’ll find mirrors on the front of both traditional style freestanding wardrobes and cotemporary sliding door wardrobes, and both options will have a similar effect, helping you check your chosen outfit, and throwing light around the room to make it feel more spacious.

Painted Wood

Painted wardrobes in lighter shades are timeless and won’t generally date, especially in a Shaker style.

Wood Veneer and Solid Wood

Ranging from industrial style oak to high end gloss veneers, woods are a popular finish for wardrobes and can soften other patterns and colour in the room.

Coloured Finishes

Many of the more contemporary ranges come in a large range of colour options and you can mix and match colours within the same range, so creating a harmonious flow, or go for a single statement piece in a contrasting colour to the rest of the room.

Final Tip

One final tip, if you’re purchasing a freestanding wardrobe – make sure it will fit into your house and up the stairs, speak to your sales specialist to check the dimensions and delivery options.

Once you have chosen your perfect wardrobe it is important to make sure you have years of enjoyment from it. We recommend the 5 year Staingard protection plan which is applicable to all cabinet, leather and fabrics, which will offer you piece of mind. Unfortunately, anything can mark most things but most can be repaired so give yourself some piece of mind and allow yourself the opportunity to truly enjoy your new purchase.

How to choose the perfect bed

Everyone needs a good night’s sleep to feel fit and healthy. Choosing the right mattress or bed is key to getting a good night sleep. At Julian Foye our sleep specialists understand the importance of sleep to help our bodies grow, recover from illness and maintain a healthy lifestyle.   

Try before you buy – we spend a third of our lives in bed, so its worth every bit of time and financial investment to get it right! Always try before you buy. This is an important and key factor, take some time to try out different mattresses and consider a few points – do you sleep alone or with your partner – if you sleep with a partner, try the mattress together, if possible.

Types of Bed

There are many different types of beds available but they generally come under two styles, a divan bed or a bedframe. It’s best to decide which style is most suitable for your needs, so to understand that, you need to consider the following few points.

• What room is the new bed for?
• What is the size of your room and what is the largest bed you could fit in?

Bed Sizes

Bed sizes can vary depending on the style of the divan base or bedframe. The below is a guide to mattress sizes.

• Single mattress is 90cm wide and 190cm long, 3’ wide and 6’3” long.
• Double mattress is 135cm wide and 190cm long, 4’6” wide and 6’3” long.
• King mattress is 150cm wide and 200cm long, 5’ wide and 6’6” long.
• Super King mattress is 180cm and 200cm long, 6’ wide and 6’6” long.
• Zip and Link divan set are – 90cm x 190cm x 2 = 180cm x 190cm
• Zip and Link divan set are – 90cm x 200cm x 2 = 180cm x 200cm

What sort of a mattress is right for you

We’ve listed a few here to consider –

Pocket sprung mattress – a pocket sprung mattress contains springs that work independently form each other. They conform and adjust to your body contours, which helps to eliminate you rolling into the middle of the bed. Pocket sprung mattresses are available in a range of tensions.

We would always recommend investing in a Pocket sprung mattress, which is a superior product to the open coil or continuous sprung mattress. This will offer you premium levels of comfort and support, through the use of advanced pocket sprung technology and high-quality fillings.

Mattress Fillings

Interior sprung mattresses use a wide variety of fillings to create different properties and comfort. Mattress fillings are chosen for their resilience, flexibility, absorption of body moisture and durability and does affect the price of the mattress. Fillings can include cotton, polyester, silk, cashmere, mohair, foam and wool.

Latex Foam Mattress – Latex Foam is a quality material derived from the sap of the rubber tree. The latex foam mattress has a resilient feel and has anti-microbial properties, that offer benefits to many sufferers. The natural elasticity in latex foam means it recovers immediately when pressure is put on it.

What is the best tension mattress?

Tension in a mattress is important to get right as this will ensure you have got the correct support for your back, hips and neck. This can also be a personal preference, some people like to feel cocooned in bed and others prefer to feel like they are lying on top of it. Most manufacturers will offer firm, medium or soft tension.

Spilt tension mattresses are also available if you and your partner have different needs, offering a good solution for you both to get a good night’s sleep.

It is advisable to purchase a bed 10cm longer than the tallest person using it, you definitely don’t want feet hanging off the end of the bed or having to curl your legs up.

A rule of thumb generally states, the bigger the mattress, the better you sleep – especially true when sharing a bed.

A standard double bed gives each person about 68cm of space, less than a baby in a cot. It doesn’t often cost much more to go bigger and studies prove you get a much better night’s sleep in a bigger bed!

Bedframes –

With a bedframe, consider whether the base has sprung slats or not as this will work better with some mattress types than others and will affect the tension of the mattress. For your children’s room, consider single beds with a second guest bed underneath which can pull out for sleep-overs.

Matching Furniture

Many of our bedframes also have matching bedroom furniture, including wardrobes, chest of drawers, bedside cabinets and tables, dressing tables, stools and mirrors. We also offer a free design service for our fitted wardrobe systems.  

Furniture protection – once you have chosen your perfect bed, we recommend the Staingard 5 year unique protection plan for total peace of mind.

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