Top Tips For Choosing A Sofa
If you are thinking about buying a new sofa make sure you know what to look for to get the best piece of furniture for your money.
Online, December 18, 2013 (Newswire.com) - With New Year just around the corner many of us might be thinking of out with the old and in with the new. January is the perfect time for home makers to select one or two new pieces of furniture for the home and one of the biggest and most expensive items we might purchase are sofas and/or occasional chairs.
If you are looking for the perfect sofa there are several points to think about; Derbyshire-based Authentic Furniture has put together a guide to make things a little easier.
1. British is best - We think of Northampton for shoes and Nottingham for lace....well, Long Eaton in Derbyshire is the home of British upholstery with numerous makers based there, who have been upholstering furniture for generations. Much of the world renowned furniture from Long Eaton is shipped all over the world.
2. Frame - This is very important. You need to think about the comfort and longevity of the frame. Tim Lowry from Authentic Furniture said "You spend time sitting on it not looking at it". Two sofas might look identical with one being much cheaper than the other but Tim argues: "Quality goes deeper than looks - it's about what lies inside".
3. Construction - The construction of the sofa is what really matters, it's what ensures the sofa retains its comfort and shape for years to come.
4. Wood - Think about the materials used to build the sofa you are interested in. More work goes into building your sofa than you realise. Authentic Furniture argue that the best frames are made from seasoned hardwood such as beech, this involves kiln drying the timber for the frame enabling it to retain its shape and stability, unseasoned "green" timber will move as it dries causing it to shrink and crack.
The best sofas incorporate solid panels made from birch plywood for the non-structural elements, many of the mass market sofas use chipboard or even cardboard.
In addition, the best frames use a traditional dowelled construction where the frame is screwed then glued then in the high stress points also dowelled, to provide additional strength reinforcing blocks are used.
5. The seat - It is advisable to try a sofa in the flesh or buy from a reputable online retailer who will allow free returns so that you can test the quality of the seating support, ideally the sofa should offer good support in both the seat and the back. In the same way there are many types of mattresses to buy for upholstered beds, there are many seat types to choose from - a coil sprung base will offer the best support and comfort and will increase the longevity of the sofa to ensure it lasts you for many years to come.
Many experts will say that the premium choice for the fillings should be down. However, they are very high maintenance and require daily attention. So, perhaps think about a feather topped foam and fibre base cushion? Generally this will be far easier to live with and offer a support seat that will last or alternatively a high quality full fibre base will have a more sink in feel. Both will hold their shape well and offer a good lifespan. Beware though - cheaper, lower quality foam cushions will break down quite quickly.
6. In the end, quality doesn't come cheap so consider buying the best you can afford - look for British made, high quality seat fillings, a seasoned hardwood frame screwed, glued and dowelled and a long guarantee and you won't go far wrong.
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