Guide: How to find the right sofa

The sofa is one of the most important things, not just in the living room, but in the entire home. You've probably heard many say that the kitchen is the heart of the house, but we're pretty convinced that it's the living room (and the sofa). That's why it's important when choosing a new sofa that you find one that suits you and your family's needs.

It is not always easy to furnish a room with a sofa, because the sofa is a piece of furniture that takes up a lot of space and attention. However, it is also one of the most important pieces of furniture in the living room, so it should not be left out. The sofa is absolutely central, because it is often where the whole family and friends meet and spend half and whole evenings.

The most important thing is that your new sofa is the right match for your family. The right sofa for you is not necessarily the right one for your neighbor.

So how do you find the right sofa?

I will try to help you find the answer below by looking at what considerations you should make.

Where should the sofa be placed?

The placement of the sofa plays a big role in the look that your living room ends up having. The sofa can be placed in many places, but the classic sofa placement is with its back against a wall and its front facing the television – try a different placement to create a unique look.

It may come as a surprise to many how few hours you actually spend on your sofa after all. Sure, the sofa is the primary piece of furniture on Friday, but how many hours do we spend on it? That's a lot of money, but also a lot of square meters of living room used up in a few hours a week.

Think creatively and excitingly in your interior design. Try creating a creative living room by turning the rooms around. For example, the living room can be thought of as a workplace and the workplace can be thought of as the living room.

Does that make sense?

By changing and creating a "study" in the living room instead of the traditional TV room, you get unique and creative spaces where there is room for reading, working and everything we do together.

In 9 out of 10 homes, the sofa is placed vertically against one wall and the television is placed on the opposite wall. In many cases, it will actually give you even more space in the living room if you don't use the classic sofa-to-wall arrangement.

Not interested in creative interior design?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping the classic sofa placement against the wall. The decor in the living room should match the rest of the house's decor, so a completely classic and simple decor may well be the best solution for you with a sofa against the wall and a couple of armchairs next to it.

Advice for positioning your sofa

• Try to avoid placing the sofa against a wall to create space and creativity.
• Choose a sofa with a high back if it is placed in an open area (e.g. in the middle of a room)
• Think about the view – the sofa should be positioned with the best view
• Movable TV arm – with a movable TV arm, the TV does not determine the position of the sofa
• A small sofa can create coziness in the kitchen, if space allows.

What functions should the sofa have?

What do you use your sofa for? This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself when looking at alternatives to your old sofa. The function of the sofa plays a big role and has a big impact on which type of sofa is right for you.

For example, do you have children or grandchildren who require a very durable sofa – for example, a sofa in real leather? Or do you often have guests staying overnight who use the sofa, requiring a sofa bed?

But how do you find out what the sofa's function is in everyday life? Think through a typical week and consider what the sofa is actually used for, by whom and how much.

Fabric or leather sofa?

The material will often be a "religious question", which essentially depends on what you find most comfortable to sit in. However, there are some essential differences that, from a practical perspective, should be taken into account in your considerations.

Especially for families with children, the new sofa is difficult to choose, because it is probably the family's gathering point, but it is also the obvious and often used playground for little ones. If you are a family with children, the sofa should be able to handle a little bit of everything. By this I mean a lot of tumbling, pencils/markers, liquid and food stains.

Fortunately, there are sofas that are both beautiful, durable and practical in terms of stains of various kinds.

Leather sofas

The leather sofa gets my highest recommendation for families with children.

Why?

One word: stains.

Stains are incredibly difficult to avoid in everyday life with children at home. It happens sooner or later. The practical thing about a leather sofa is that they are very easy to keep free of stains because in most cases it only requires a damp cloth to wipe the stain away.

A leather sofa is not only stain-friendly. Leather is a strong material that is incredibly durable, so even though a leather sofa will often be a little more expensive, you will also have a sofa for many years. Leather is of course not immune to damage, but the durable material is guaranteed to last at least the average lifespan of a family with children and almost a lifetime in a home without children.

Does a leather sofa sound like an expensive option? It doesn't have to be.

Durable fabric sofas

As previously mentioned, the material is a matter of religion, so if you just can't stand sitting in a leather sofa, then you should turn your eyes towards durable fabric sofas.

Fabric sofas usually have a fairly long lifespan, but you shouldn't just take the first and prettiest one without doing further "research." Fabrics have very different wear resistances, so it's not entirely unimportant whether the fabric is durable enough for 5 or 20 years of use.

All of our fabric sofas are made of absolutely top quality fabric that will last for many, many years.

Do you want to sit upright or lie down and float?

If you have a preference for seat height and seat depth, which most people do, then it is important to take into account the shape of the sofa, which determines whether it is comfortable to sit in or comfortable to lie in – or whether it is complete and good for both sitting and lying in.

But what do you actually use your sofa for most?

A lower sofa with plenty of depth is good if you lie down and float on a daily basis. On the other hand, if you sit upright most of the time, a sofa with a high back and firmer cushions and pillows will be right for you.

Are you looking for the perfect sofa that is good and comfortable to sit on with your guests on the weekends, but is also good on weekdays when you just want to lie down and float when you get home? Yes, then you should find a sofa that is neither too hard nor too soft, not too high nor too low, and not too deep nor too narrow.

A sofa can be very difficult to evaluate online, and I therefore recommend that you evaluate the appearance online and then visit one of our retailers to try out different sofas.

What color should your sofa be?

Colors can affect us humans in many ways. The right color can put us in a better mood, but a completely wrong color can have a negative impact. Colors can affect us much more deeply than we think, which is why colors are also one of the important considerations when you are looking for a new sofa.

The temptation to choose the classic gray sofa is great. So great that the gray sofa (in various shades) can be found in the vast majority of living rooms. It's not so strange when it's precisely the gray sofas that are highlighted in various home magazines.

Maybe you are looking for something completely different?

Something different.

Do you, like many others, think that your home has become too white and too conservative? You might want to find a new piece of furniture that is a real eye-catcher with exciting colors. You can be sure that a red, yellow, green or turquoise sofa will catch the eyes of every guest. Even the second time they come. Nevertheless, all colors go well with white walls while providing a nice contrast.

It is not an easy choice to go from the classic gray color to a brighter contrasting color for a new piece of furniture. It requires that the home has interior and furniture that can compliment the new and strong color in the living room. It is also important to think about the fact that you will have the sofa for many years. Is having an all-turquoise sofa a long-term solution for you? Maybe it is, and maybe it is not. But it is important to consider it in your considerations.

Red sofa

Red is a strong and warm color that radiates passion and positivity – and not least courage. It is a strong person who has a bright red sofa standing. The red sofa may seem exciting, beautiful and brave to many, but to just as many it may seem too dominant. And it is dominant if the rest of the interior is white and gray.

Yellow sofa

Yellow radiates positivity and joy. A yellow sofa creates excitement with a nice contrast in many living rooms. The yellow sofa can seem very lively with its sharp appearance in the room. The yellow sofa gives a unique expression and gives a very clear picture of who the person in the home is.

Classic and neutral sofa

If you read home magazines, you will see that 9/10 sofas displayed are a neutral color such as various shades of gray and blue. It is no coincidence that the choice falls on those colors to be displayed. The classic and neutral colors are also the colors that give the most freedom when it comes to decorating the home with other interior design.

The grey sofa fits into any Scandinavian home, and is a colour that does not limit the colours of the rest of the interior. The grey colour also goes with almost any wall colour, whereas the turquoise, red and yellow go with a few wall colours.

The gray sofa can be decorated with contrasting colored pillows without it making a mark, but a red sofa is a completely different story.

Find the perfect sofa

Now you are well prepared to start the hunt for the right sofa.

If you would like to take a closer look at our sofas or other furniture, we definitely have a dealer near you.