What does a person associate with the word sofa? Home coziness, comfort, a pleasant evening with family or friends, watching your favorite comedy with a cup of hot tea in your hand in winter weather, or maybe a match of your favorite football team. One thing is indisputable: the sofa is the central place of attraction, a command post and a zone of complete relaxation for all household members, and, therefore, when the question arises of how to choose upholstered furniture for the living room, there are no trifles here, and all the nuances need to be taken into account.
To choose a sofa for the living room, it is important to be guided by financial capabilities and visual preferences.
How to choose the right sofa: 5 recommendations from the designer
The sofa should be beautiful, reliable and inexpensive. It is these criteria that most buyers prioritize when choosing a suitable model. But there are other qualities that must be taken into account when choosing a sofa.
Diana Titova Interior designer
- Dimensions. A sofa, regardless of its design, is quite bulky furniture. Before purchasing the model you like, it is worth assessing how much space it will take up in the room. To do this, you need to draw a plan of the room to scale. Then draw on paper and cut out the sofa itself. Now you can move it around the room plan and see if the selected model fits the size of the room. There are also various computer programs that allow you to build a virtual model of future furniture.
- Form. A corner sofa in a small room looks very massive. When choosing a suitable option for a small room, it is better to give preference to straight models with high legs.
- Color solutions. Upholstery with large bright prints has long gone out of fashion. Such models are not recommended even for a children's room. It is better to purchase a sofa with plain upholstery, and add color accents with decorative pillows in bright colors.
- Multifunctionality. Models with expanded functionality are becoming a thing of the past: pull-out supplies and tables built into the armrest. A modern furniture option is a composition of a sofa and an elegant coffee or tea table.
- Upholstery. The quality of the upholstery is one of the main factors in the durability of the sofa. Budget category fabrics such as matting, microfiber, thermal jacquard quickly lose their shape and are difficult to clean. Upholstery materials in the middle price segment are more resistant to dirt and deformation: flock, jacquard, artificial velor.
Style
Let's move on to aesthetics. A modern, classic or Scandinavian sofa is an opportunity to create a unique universe in the living room. Choosing a style is a great way to determine the vibe of your space. But remember that the sofa should harmonize with or contrast with the style of your living room. For example, if your home has a modern vibe, a minimalist model with clean lines will fit perfectly into the interior. And these are the bestsellers from our catalog - sofas in a modern style.
- Sofa Barcelona 2-seater OGOGO
RUB 69,190
- Bestseller
For daily sleepCorner sofa Jardin 3
RUB 55,640
Common mistakes when choosing a sofa
Manufacturers' advertising campaigns promise buyers high-quality sofas at low prices. In reality the situation turns out to be somewhat different. At the stated inexpensive price, you can purchase models of minimal dimensions with economy class upholstery. Therefore, you should not buy a sofa based on the advertising promises of any company.
Another common mistake when buying a sofa is incorrectly assessing the dimensions. The purchased furniture turns out to be too bulky, and sometimes it doesn’t even fit into the doorway of the room.
You should not buy a sofa in an online store without seeing the chosen model in a real showroom. Such a purchase will bring many disappointments - from color mismatches to uncomfortable, too hard or too soft seats.
Transformation mechanism
- Book - you need to slightly raise the seat until it clicks, then carefully release the back of the sofa.
- Eurobook - roll the seat forward and carefully tilt the backrest so that it assumes a horizontal position.
- Ottoman – you need to open the armrests to the side and place them horizontally on the floor.
- Sesame - the top pillow rises, the base extends towards itself, the pillow is installed on the armor.
- Venice - the roll-out part pulls out towards itself, the strap is pulled up and the mattress rises.
- Saber - the backrest is pushed away, the laundry box and seat are pulled forward, the armrests and backrest are tilted.
- Accordion - the seat rises slightly and gently slides towards itself until it is fully opened.
- Click-clack - the seat rises until it clicks and is released, the armrests fold out to the side.
There are many other transformation mechanisms. They are less popular on the market: sofa, puma, ribalto, dolphin, sedaflex, etc.
Deciding on the type of sofa
Based on their design features, sofas can be divided into three categories: non-folding, folding and modular.
Not folding
Non-folding sofa
The category of non-folding sofas is very diverse in the shapes and configurations of models: straight, corner, semicircular, round. The same can be said about the variety of styles.
In this category you can find lush sofas with carved decoration in the Baroque style, and dynamic designs made of chromed metal in the spirit of high-tech style.
Folding
Folding sofa
This group includes models of two configurations: straight and folding. They are equipped with transformation mechanisms that turn the sofa into a sleeping place.
It is not recommended to use this bed for everyday sleep. As a rule, a folding sofa is a spare bed in case guests or relatives arrive.
Modular
Modular sofa
A modular sofa consists of several parts, each of which is an independent functional unit. They can be used separately or assembled into a single composition in an angular or straight configuration.
Modular upholstered furniture allows you to easily transform the living room space depending on your needs.
Sofas of non-traditional shapes (semicircular, round) take up much more space than straight or corner counterparts. You need to remember this when choosing a suitable model for a small room. .
Living room design features
Despite the fact that not only the owners, but also friends spend a lot of time in the kitchen, the main room in the apartment remains the living room. This is where family holidays are celebrated, invited guests are received, and the most comfortable atmosphere is created, conducive to friendly communication.
The living room is the main room in the house, so much attention is paid to its design.
It is customary to attach special importance to the design of the living room: it is distinguished by expressive decorative accents, which can be paintings or reproductions from them by favorite artists, photographs of loved ones, a fireplace and carpet that create coziness, and a piano or stereo system.
When decorating a living room, the layout of the room, its lighting, and the presence of windows are taken into account. According to this:
- wallpaper is selected: plain or with patterns, light or dark colors;
- curtains are selected;
- the possibilities and need for general and local lighting are determined;
- furniture arrangement is planned;
- carpet is selected.
If the living room is combined with another room, the room is zoned using partitions, including mirror ones, as well as a large aquarium, an arch, a column, a bar counter, and a multi-level floor. A sofa, as well as a pair of armchairs, can become zoning elements. You can add a small coffee table and an impressive floor covering to them.
Using a sofa you can divide the living room into zones.
The arrangement and choice of furniture is another condition for a cozy and pleasant-looking living room.
The living room can be decorated in various style solutions, focusing on your own ideas about beauty, convenience and comfort.
Frame, filling, upholstery
The frame of sofas is made of wooden beams or metal elements. The second option is more common in non-folding models of modern design.
The frame of sofas from the budget price category can be made of wood-based materials. Such structures are not very durable; frame fasteners quickly become loose under constant loads.
A common filler for inexpensive sofas is padding polyester. Its only advantage is its low price. The performance qualities of padding polyester do not stand up to criticism: it quickly loses its shape, wrinkles and becomes lumpy.
Fillings for mid-price products are polyurethane foam or artificial latex. These materials are elastic, hold their shape well, and easily return to their original state after deformation. The most expensive filling is natural latex. The service life of such a filler is tens of years.
The cost of upholstery materials can be 25-30% of the price of the sofa. The upholstery is made from natural and artificial leather, as well as fabrics made from natural and synthetic fibers.
- Matting. Inexpensive upholstery made from linen and cotton fibers. This fabric meets all environmental requirements, but wears out quickly and is difficult to clean. There are more wear-resistant varieties of matting with the addition of acrylic or polyester threads.
- Flock. A non-woven material that is widely used for upholstery of sofas. The composition of flock can be completely synthetic (polyamide, viscose) or mixed (polyamide, cotton and wool fibers). The fabric is durable, wear-resistant, and easy to care for.
- Microfiber. Popular upholstery that resembles natural velor in appearance and tactile sensation. Microfiber is praised for its beautiful appearance, durability and ease of care: dirt can be easily removed with a damp sponge and a weak solution of liquid detergent.
- Jacquard, scotchgard. Jacquard fabrics are used to make upholstery for mid- and high-price sofas. The fabric composition is mixed - cotton with the addition of synthetic threads. The strength and high wear resistance of the fabric is achieved through special weaving. Scotchgard is a type of jacquard fabric with dirt-repellent impregnation.
- Chenille. Chenille on a wicker base is an expensive, beautiful upholstery with a long service life. There is also an economical version of chenille on a glued base. In appearance it is not inferior to expensive upholstery, but significantly loses to it in terms of wear resistance.
- Leather. Sofa upholstery made of genuine leather is gradually losing popularity. The high price of the material and the influence of various animal welfare organizations also play a role here. Therefore, even in expensive sofa models, an artificial substitute is used as upholstery - eco-leather. It is made from synthetic raw materials, sometimes with the addition of plant components.
When choosing suitable upholstery, you need to take into account the operating conditions in a particular room. So, for the kitchen, moisture-resistant upholstery materials that do not absorb dirt, for example, eco-leather, are suitable. If there are pets in the house, then it is better to choose flock or chenille upholstery for the sofa in the living room.
The best sofa manufacturers
The domestic market has already established a rating of manufacturers who enjoy well-deserved trust. Their products combine good quality, variety of designs and reasonable prices.
Furniture Borovichi
One of the largest Russian manufacturers of high-quality furniture in the budget price segment. The frame of the sofas is made of birch plywood. MDF or chipboard. The manufacturer's range of sofas includes straight and corner configurations.
Pinskdrev
A Belarusian company that provides its own full cycle of furniture production - from harvesting and processing of wood to the development of unique designs and manufacturing of furniture. The assortment includes sofas of different price categories.
Living sofas
A furniture factory located near Moscow, which operates in the middle price segment. The manufacturer's assortment is constantly updated with new models. The range includes not only straight and corner sofas, but also modular sofas.
How to choose and where to place a chair
If space allows, the installation of the sofa is complemented by an armchair, but you need to choose it carefully so as not to disturb the composition of the room.
There are two types of chairs:
- frame, having a wooden frame and increased strength;
- frameless, representing the shape of a bag with filler.
The latter are actively becoming fashionable, they are easy to remove if they are not needed at the moment, which is convenient in a small room. Available in the form of a bag, pillow, pear.
Traditional ones are presented in classic models of unchangeable shape.
The most popular sofa models
The top five most popular sofas include models of different price categories.
Sofa "Julia", manufacturer ASM Classic
Metal frame, pillow filling - independent spring block and polyurethane foam layer. Folding model, the sofa is fixed in three positions: sitting, half-sitting, lying down.
Price – 23010 rub.
| Transformation mechanism | Click-clack |
| Linen box | With box |
| Base | Spring block |
| Filler material | Sintepon |
| Sofa depth, mm | 1050 |
| Frame material | Metal |
| Sofa length, mm | 2050 |
| Sofa height, mm | 1090 |
| Bed length, mm | 2000 |
| Seat height, mm | 530 |
| Bed width, mm | 1400 |
| Packaging volume, m³ | 2.346 |
| Product weight, kg | 100 |
Sofa "Plaza", manufacturer Pinskdrev
A three-seater non-folding sofa that will fit into both classic styles and modern interiors. Upholstery material to choose from: genuine leather, velor, flock, jacquard.
Price – from 94,163 rubles.
| Length(cm) | 198 |
| Depth (cm) | 96 |
| Height (cm) | 96 |
| Material | Genuine Leather |
| Sleeping place, cm | 150x190 |
| Transformation mechanism | Roll-out |
| Weight, kg | 106 |
| volume, m3 | 1,846 |
| Design | straight |
| Spring block | Springless |
Sofa "Canon", manufacturer Pinskdrev
A series of upholstered furniture in a classic style. The model range includes straight and corner sofas. Filling: dependent spring block and polyurethane foam. Upholstery: matting, flock. velor, jacquard.
Price – from 46673 rub.
| Length(cm) | 220 |
| Depth (cm) | 90 |
| Height (cm) | 90 |
| Material | Textile |
| Style | Classical |
| Sleeping place, cm | 120x190 |
| Transformation mechanism | Book |
| Weight, kg | 71 |
| volume, m3 | 0,946 |
| Design | straight |
| Spring block | Dependent (Bonnell) |
Sofa bed "Goodwin", manufacturer ANDERSSEN
Functional sofa bed with accordion transformation mechanism. Filling: polyurethane foam block. Upholstery – fabric to choose from the catalog. There are five standard sizes to choose from depending on the width of the bed.
Price – from 67431 rub.
| Transformation mechanism | Accordion |
| Filler material | Polyurethane foam |
| Sofa depth, cm | 108 |
| Frame material | Hardwood |
| Sofa length, cm | 212 / 187 / 172 / 152 / 112 |
| Sofa height, cm | 90 |
Sofa bed "Robin-Bobin", manufacturer ANDERSSEN
Compact sofa for small spaces with an accordion transformation mechanism. Filling – polyurethane foam block, upholstery – fabric, optional.
Price – from 72137 rub.
| Transformation mechanism | Accordion |
| Base | Spring block |
| Upholstery | furniture fabrics, eco-leather/leatherette |
| Sofa depth, cm | 100 |
| Frame material | metal frame |
| Sofa length, cm | 141, 161 |
| Sofa height, cm | 93 |
Storage systems
A distinctive feature of a good modern sofa are drawers for linen, storage of alcoholic beverages and other accessories. They are located in the cavities of the furniture structure and have a fairly large capacity. An important element is furniture fittings, levers and lifting mechanisms, with the help of which opening becomes simpler and more accessible even for a person with a small build.
You need to know how such devices work and how convenient they are right in the salon, so as not to waste time on complaints later.
