Picking Your Couch

• Real Estate Tips
• October 18, 2017

Who’s sitting on it?

Consider who will be sitting on your couch. Do you have children who eat and watch TV, or will it be used as entertainment for adult guests? You want to plan ahead so you choose a fabric that’s easier to clean or a couch that is more comfortable.

Will the style match the décor?

When choosing your couch, aside from comfortability, you want it to blend with the rest of the furniture in the room. There are typically four types of styles to follow that could go with décor:

• Traditional – English roll-arm style
• Midcentury – Knoll-style sofa
• Tailored but comfy – Track-arm with biscuit tufted seat cushions.
• Casual and beachy – Big and soft slipcovered

Is it the right fabric?

Related to the first question, the choice of fabric will determine how easy it is to clean. How often do you think your couch will get dirty? Mohair and silk is pretty, but not to sit on for prolonged periods. If you have kids, pets, or you will sit on it regularly, going with what’s called “performance fabric” will make it easier to clean and more comfortable.

What about the cushions?

The cushions determine most of the comfortability level. You can choose to do ultra-soft 100% feather and down, or a stiff 100% foam. The best choice that most go with and is recommended by designers is a spring/down combo that has foam-wrapped coils in the center like a mattress.

Did you measure it out?

You want to know if your couch will comfortably fit in your room. Measure the space by the size of the couch and tape off the space the couch will take up. Walk around with food and drinks to see if there’s enough room to get around it without bumping into it. Even lay on the floor within the area. You want to make sure it’s big enough to lay on or take a nap if you know that will happen once in a while.

Should you buy online?

If you need to buy online for some reason like the sake of convenience or saving money, visit a few stores and test out their display models. You want to get a feel for it if you are searching for a couch so you do know what fabrics to go with. Make note of the measurements so you can compare it to the online shopping.

Check out the original post for more tips on picking the right couch!