Tips for Choosing the Perfect Sofa

Whether it's football season or an at home movie marathon, it’s time to ensure your living room, basement, or man cave is ready for the family.  Most importantly, everyone needs a comfortable sofa or sectional that is ideal for game watching, snacking, and experiencing the drama of our favorite movies.

Choosing a couch that you’ll be happy with and one that will last for years to come can be a daunting task, but we’ve assembled some great tips to help guide you through the process of choosing the perfect sofa.  Not only is this one of the largest furniture investments you’ll make, but it’s arguably the most important since it's often the most used piece of furniture in your home.  For these reasons, it’s important to take your time with selection.

1. Choose a style of sofa that compliments your home’s décor.  Classic, casual and modern designs can vary widely but provide a great starting point for your sofa search.

2. Measure, measure, measure!  First, be sure to choose something that is proportionate to your room. If you’re worried about walking through a small space, or filling a large room, try creating the sofa you’re considering by taping out the dimensions on the floor or moving existing items to fill your potential sofa’s spot.  Secondly, measure your home including doorways and hallways to ensure that your new sofa will fit into your room.  If you’re unsure about what to measure or how to measure, use our convenient measuring guide available online, or ask a sales team member about our measure to fit service.

3. Keep in mind family size when choosing a sofa.  Generally, a sofa will sit as many people as seat cushions it has. As we all know, the space between the sofa cushions is not the favorite spot to sit.   The exception to this rule: a bench seat sofa, which features a single bench cushion, can fit as many guests as space allows.

4. Let experience speak for you when it comes to sofa sizes.  There are so many options for sofa seat depths and heights.  The best way to find what’s most comfortable for you is to sit in a variety of sizes, and try out the various cushions (plush, ultra plush, spring down) and see what you like best.

5. Consider your durability needs when choosing a fabric, especially the sofa body fabric. Think about your family (children, pets, etc.), your lifestyle, and the sofa’s placement in your home to make sure you choose the right fabric.  Synthetic fabrics provide a stronger durability but Sunbrella fabrics are now offered by a range of manufacturers, such as Kincaid, Rowe, Huntington House, Be Modern, and more.  Sunbrella fabrics are fade and stain resistant, easy to clean, and can even withstand bleach.  Read more about Sunbrella fabric options for upholstery in our previous blog posts!

6. Don’t be shy when testing out a potential sofa in-store.  You want to make sure you get the perfect piece so sit on the sofas in our showrooms just as you would at home while you're watching the game!

With endless customization options and amazing looks, browse Belfort Furniture's showrooms to view all of our living room settings and sofa options.  With the Washington DC area's largest selection, Belfort Furniture is conveniently located in Dulles, Virginia just 15 minutes from Tysons Corner.

See what our customers are saying about Belfort on our website and preview the latest testimonial below!

Five Star | Google Review | August 2, 2013

"I have always had a positive experience on their sales floor where the sales representatives are always helpful and they have never put pressure on me to make any decisions in which I am not comfortable making. The delivery is priced fairly and it has always arrived within the window promised and they are professional and friendly. Belfort offers great prices for their products!" - Shannon O.