A sofa is an important component of any interior; this upholstered furniture is multifunctional, practical, comfortable, and durable. During the day and evening, it is a comfortable place to relax while watching a movie or reading a book, and at night it becomes a cozy, spacious sleeping bed. The invention successfully combined stylish design and maximum comfort, so today a sofa is an indispensable part of the living room, kitchen, bedroom, dining room, office or guest room. When choosing a suitable model among a huge range of proposals, you should pay attention to the materials of manufacture, the transformation mechanism, the shape and design of the structure, and the manufacturing company. The service life and quality of this furniture directly depend on the combination of all parameters.
Types of sofas by purpose
Long gone are the days when, when hearing the word “sofa,” people imagined a massive piece of furniture covered in boring upholstery. Today on sale you can find many sofas of different types and purposes, not only factory ones, but also designer ones. Let's try to understand the most common models to decide which sofa to choose.
Living room sofas
The living room sofa serves as a relaxing place for a large company. On it, people sit in front of the TV, play board games, and have get-togethers with guests. Therefore, a good sofa in the living room should have an attractive appearance. It is desirable that its upholstery be resistant to abrasion, since it will be used especially often. It will be good if it also folds out to form a sleeping place. The folding sofa can be used to accommodate overnight guests. You can also choose a model without a sleeping place: a corner version with a seat up to 3 m long is suitable for a large family or a living room in a private house.
Sofa-couch
A sofa couch is a type of decorative sofa. Such furniture can have a varied appearance due to different configurations and finishing materials. As a rule, a sofa-couch has relatively small dimensions and a raised headboard. Often there is no transformation mechanism here. A sofa-couch is suitable for a small room and can become a place for a short daytime rest.
Sofa-ottoman
An ottoman is a wide sofa that usually does not have a back, or pillows are used as a back. The main purpose of the ottoman is daytime rest and short sleep. Some models may have a mechanism for transforming into a single or one-and-a-half berth. Most models have a spacious lower compartment for storing bed linen. This option is often chosen for a children's room.
Sofa bed
A very popular piece of furniture among us. This sofa has a transformation mechanism that turns it into a one-and-a-half or double bed. The sofa bed is perfect for a nursery, living room, or cottage. That is, wherever additional sleeping places are needed when necessary. A good sofa bed hides a metal frame and a thin mattress under the seat cushions, which makes it quite durable to use as a main sleeping place.
Filler
Back, seat, armrests - each element of the sofa has a filling. As a rule, these are foam rubber and polyurethane foam. Latex and springs are also available.
Sofas with only foam inside are the cheapest, but least durable. A sofa with padding made from a single piece of foam will retain its shape for as long as possible. But in three or four years it too will sag.
Most manufacturers prefer polyurethane foam padding. It is almost the same in price as foam rubber, but lasts much longer.
Polyurethane foam can be block (sandwich) and cast. From the first, the seat, back and other elements of the sofa are simply glued together. When they talk about cast polyurethane foam, they mean that at the factory it was poured in liquid form into a mold and at the end they received a cast back or armrest of the sofa.
The most durable, environmentally friendly and expensive filler is latex. Thanks to its high elasticity, it follows the contours of the body and instantly restores its shape. At the same time, it does not electrify, is resistant to mold and does not cause allergies. Latex is usually used in expensive orthopedic furniture.
It is worth mentioning separately about spring blocks. Their presence in the sofa not only adds points to convenience, but also makes the sofa more durable and wear-resistant. Of course, provided that very high-quality individual spring blocks are used.
The best option is sofas with multi-layer filling and different density coefficients in different areas. The bottom layer is the densest, on top there is a thin soft material for maximum comfort.
Sofa mechanisms
The whole variety of sofas can be divided into two large groups: fixed and folding. The mechanism of a folding sofa determines the comfort of sleep and the durability of the furniture. Some are suitable for frequent use, others for occasional use.
- The book sofa is a traditional transformation mechanism, known from old Soviet sofas. To unfold it, you need to raise the seat, after which the backrest lowers to a horizontal position. The mechanism itself is quite reliable and suitable for frequent use;
- Eurobook - the seat is moved forward, after which the backrest is manually lowered. A very reliable mechanism that will last as long as the furniture itself. It can be found in both straight and single sofas;
- accordion - the sleeping place consists of 3 parts: two form the back, and the third is the seat. To unfold the mechanism, you need to lift the seat and pull it towards you. It turns out to be a flat sleeping place with a large area. An accordion sofa is well suited for small-sized apartments, because when folded it takes up a little more space than a regular sofa book. Its downside is the small compartment for linen;
- pantograph - very similar to a Eurobook. To unfold such a sofa, you need to pull the seat up and towards you at the same time, and then lower the backrest. It requires more physical effort when unfolding, but there is a compartment for linen, and parts of the sofa do not interact with the floor;
- click-clack - allows you to fix the backrest in several positions: reclining, half-sitting, etc. A click-clack sofa is a good solution for living rooms and recreation rooms. However, such a mechanism should be handled with care;
- dolphin is a popular transformation mechanism that can be found in corner sofas. To unfold the dolphin sofa, you need to pull out a special frame from under the seat, pull up the fabric tab and pull out the berth, which is installed at the level of the main part. Advantages of the dolphin sofa: when folded it is quite compact, and when unfolded it creates a spacious sleeping area that can comfortably accommodate 2 adults. Another nice feature of such models is the presence of a spacious storage box, which will fit all the bed linen along with pillows;
- puma - to unfold such a sofa, you need to lift and pull the seat towards you - a sleeping place will appear from under it. Advantages: the unfolding process is almost silent, the legs only contact the floor vertically, so it does not scratch. Disadvantages: straight sofas with the “Puma” mechanism do not have a linen drawer, and in the corner ones there is only one and it is located under the ottoman (the long protruding part);
- Eurosofa - this transformation mechanism provides for smooth folding. You need to press on the edge of the backrest from above, after which it will take a horizontal position;
- caravan - when folded, two soft additional platforms are located under the seat. To unfold the sofa, you need to lift the seat up and pull it towards you. The advantage of such sofas is that when folded they are quite compact, and when unfolded they form a double bed. The design is very reliable. Disadvantage - no linen drawer;
- French folding bed - a sleeping place is located in the accordion-folded seat. The sofa unfolds simply: the seat is raised and pulled forward by the legs. The main advantage is the compactness of the sofa when folded, the lightweight and durable design of the berth. Disadvantages: not suitable for daily use (takes a long time to unfold, does not have a linen drawer);
- American folding bed ("reach" mechanism) - unlike the French one, the bed folds not 3 times, but 2 times. This is a very reliable transformation mechanism that is suitable for frequent use.
Design
Modern sofas are divided into stationary and modular. In the first case, the design of the sofa is traditional, and it is impossible to change the size and shape of the product. Stationary sofas are, in fact, a monolithic block of a frame and one or more individual pillows. The advantages of this type include transformation into a comfortable sleeping place. The second type of sofa allows you to set the geometry, select the number of seats, back height, seat depth and even the shape of the legs. Each block or element of a modular sofa can be separated or connected, thereby forming different configurations. In addition, modular sofas are extremely mobile, which is their undoubted advantage.
Sofa upholstery material
The comfort, wear resistance of a piece of furniture and even the perception of the interior of the room depend on the characteristics of the sofa upholstery material.
The upholstery material can be:
- leather - used in expensive models. A leather sofa is smooth and pleasant to the touch; it can be considered status furniture. However, such a sofa will not look appropriate in all interiors: you should not use it as a permanent sleeping place or main furniture in a living room or living room;
- eco-leather - made from a fabric base by applying a thin layer of polyurethane to it. This upholstery is pleasant to the touch and costs less than genuine leather. The popularity of this material in recent years has been given by trends in environmental friendliness and humane treatment of animals. If there are no small children or animals in the house (especially cats who like to sharpen their claws), an eco-leather sofa will retain its excellent appearance for many years. It is also not recommended to purchase such furniture as the main sleeping place;
- artificial leather - made from various polymer materials, so it can look completely different. High-quality artificial leather cannot be immediately distinguished from natural leather, while cheap material is immediately visible. The durability of the coating also depends on the materials used. In some cases, it can retain its original appearance for a long time, in others, after a few years the coating will begin to peel and flake off, forming huge bald spots. Then you will have to fork out money to replace the upholstery or buy a new sofa;
- textiles are the most popular upholstery material today. There are many types of fabrics for finishing furniture. Many are resistant to stains; the upholstery of some sofas is a removable cover that can be dry cleaned from time to time. A sofa with textile upholstery will serve effectively for many years.
Fabrics
In the modern production of upholstered furniture, a great variety of types of upholstery fabrics are used. When choosing, you must take into account both your own preferences, the purpose and style of the room in which the furniture will be used, and recommendations for proper care of it. The most current types of upholstery fabrics: jacquard, scotchgard, velor, tapestry, flock, eco-leather, chenille, microfiber.
You can read a detailed description of each type of upholstery fabric in the article Furniture fabrics. Make your choice!
How to choose a sofa
Here are some tips on how to choose a good sofa.
- Purpose - decide what you need the sofa for. If you only plan to relax while sitting, you can take a closer look at sofas without a transformation mechanism. They are simpler, because there is nothing to break. If you need to choose a sofa for daily sleep, then an ottoman sofa and folding models (eurobook, dolphin, etc.) are suitable.
- Size - any piece of furniture should fit well into the interior of the room. If there is a huge sofa in a small room, it is unlikely to add comfort to the residents. Therefore, for small-sized apartments it is better to choose compact models with the possibility of transformation. Pay attention to the size of the bed: in a standard double sofa it is 140 or 160 cm in width and from 180 to 200 cm in length. The width of the ottoman or folding bed is from 80 to 110 cm and is designed to accommodate one person.
- The folding mechanism makes the sofa a universal piece of furniture - it can be turned into a bed if necessary. If you have to unfold the sofa every day, you should give preference to reliable mechanisms: book, eurobook, dolphin. If you sleep on the sofa from time to time, the mechanism can be any. Before choosing a sofa, you should consider how it will fit into the dimensions of the room and when unfolded.
- Upholstery material: the most durable and inexpensive upholstery is fabric. If pets live in the house, choose a sofa with anti-claw upholstery fabric, then neither the furniture nor the love for the cat will suffer. But a sofa with faux leather is not the best purchase. If you still want to buy a presentable sofa for the living room or office, then you should choose eco-leather. This is a reliable, durable, aesthetic and tactilely pleasant material. Large leather sofas are gradually going out of fashion: if you want just one, think about how harmoniously it will look in the interior of the room.
- Additions - for greater comfort, add-ons can be added to the sofa. A corner sofa often has an ottoman (this is the name of the protruding part where you can relax reclining with your legs stretched out). Under the ottoman there is a spacious compartment for storing bed linen. Poufs and banquettes can be included with the sofa. They can be used in different ways: placed under your feet as a small table, used as additional seating if a lot of guests have come.
Dimensions
Special attention should be paid to the size of the sofa and the number of seats. You need to think in advance where it will stand. Do not forget to measure the length and width of this place so that you know in advance about the required dimensions. In addition, sofas are available in both double and triple sizes. The double option is mostly suitable for single people or for those who very rarely have guests. For families, it would be much better to choose the option of 3 or more seats. Despite this, there is always the choice of purchasing a combination of a sofa and armchairs. In this case, you will get an excellent soft ensemble in the same style. Remember that thoughtlessness can lead to accidental and ridiculous situations, because the sofa can take up a lot of free space.
What to look for when choosing a sofa
If the sofa is intended to be used for sleeping, then the sleeping place when unfolded should be at least 10 cm longer than the person’s height.
A straight sofa is a more universal solution. It is quite compact and will fit perfectly in any part of the room if you want to rearrange it over time. A corner sofa is much more massive; moving it to a new place will not always be successful. Modular sofas, consisting of several items (sofa and armchair, sofa and banquette), are better suited for furnishing large rooms and studio apartments. It’s convenient if you can fold bed linen into the sofa, so choose models that have a compartment for storing linen (eurobook, dolphin). The legs can be with or without wheels: in the first case, it is convenient to move the furniture, for example, when cleaning.
You can buy a sofa, compare models and find out prices for sofas on Shop.by. The catalog includes Ikea sofas, Mebelico sofas, and Woodcraft sofas, as well as models from other brands.
Form
Modern manufacturers offer three types of shape:
- Straight. Classic option. Suitable for placement in apartments with any layout, the main condition is that there must be enough space in the room.
- Angular. With proper planning, it allows you to save money and zone the space in the room.
- Modular. A modern solution that allows you to make upholstered furniture of almost any shape, as well as swap individual parts. It can be made angular, U-shaped, straight.
The correct shape of the sofa is a guarantee of comfortable use and relaxation.
Main trends in furniture production
Sofas are one of the key and, perhaps, mandatory furnishings for living rooms. As before, buyers pay attention to their convenience, proportionality with the area of the room in which they will stand, and functionality. But there are also other criteria that turn out to be a priority for some. One of them is modern design.
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Ostin corner modular sofa black
600 000 ₽
480,000 ₽ buy
Modern upholstered furniture easily fits into the space of any interior - both classic and decorated in a laconic minimalist style. It is universal and equally suitable for decorating home and office. Beauty, functionality and expressiveness are still in trend, and photos of modern sofas in the interior clearly demonstrate these qualities.
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Sofa Marlo straight blue
147 790 ₽
118,232 ₽ buy
