Any large home furnishing is an investment, but you spend enough time on your sofa to want the experience to be consistently positive. Finding your perfect match can be a challenge, but with a well-considered approach, you should be able to find a sofa that makes you happy, enhances your home, and holds up to whatever wear you put it through. It is just a bonus to find this ideal fit within your budget. Fortunately, many online furniture retailers now offer monthly financing plans that give you the option of investing in higher quality furniture that will last without breaking the bank.
So why should you consider moving on from cheaper, throw-away furniture that you know will last a few years before it is no longer recognizable? Simply put, in the long run, investing in better-quality furniture will save you money, not to mention the time and effort saved in replacing your sofa every few years. People sometimes use their small children or slobbery pets as a reason for avoiding bringing a nicer sofa into their home, and while these are certainly considerations, they do not need to prevent you from enjoying a grown-up sofa, either.
In fact, bringing a sofa and other furniture from home to home is a great way to develop family memories associated with it. Anyone who has owned a couch for more than five years can probably share stories about it that will have either in stitches or tears or both. There is something meaningful about connecting with your home’s furnishings, and your sofa specifically. A sofa can be a physical reminder of positive memories and a way for your family to bond and connect over shared experiences. Even something as simple as a regular family movie night can easily become associated with the family couch.
There is also something to be said for the unsustainability of throw-away furniture. This trend is actively harming our shared planet in ways that will, likely too soon, catch up to us. Moreover, much of this cheaper and lower-quality furniture is produced in areas where labor laws are either not enforced or nonexistent, leading to unhealthy and even unethical work practices. Rather than supporting this global bad habit, you have the chance to be a part of positive change and help lead the way toward sustainable consumerism.
Now for the nitty-gritty. One of the most important aspects of selecting a new couch is considering its use. What does this mean? Well, every family is a little different. Your couch may have a baby crawling all over it, or ten puppies, or two teenagers. Or your living room may be devoted to more formal entertaining if you are someone who enjoys being a host. Considering the primary use of your future couch now will have a dramatic impact on its lifespan later. A big part of this is deciding what type of couch will suit you and your home best.
For example, a sectional is one of the most durable types of couches and considered somewhat less formal than an upholstered sofa. That said, durability is as much a factor in selecting the correct tool for the correct job as it is a value judgment. A sectional may be impractical for a smaller living room, for example, and attempting to force a fit will, in the long-run, only result in frustration and potentially even a return or exchange. On the other hand, loveseats and sofas leave a room with more visual space, since the gaps between them keep a room feeling more open. They are also easier to arrange within a smaller space without making it feel crowded or creating awkward bottlenecks. Shop sofas now.
Part of this decision will include considering the features that best match your family’s needs. For instance, many sectionals, sofas, and loveseats are available as recliners. Here, too, you must consider the total space available to you and whether this investment is one that will pay off in terms of comfort in the long term.
Now for style. This is what people tend to think of first when considering a new sofa but, as you can see, it is actually only one of many important factors. While you probably want a sofa that will fit well with the current style and color scheme of your living room, remember that your goal is to find a piece of furniture that will outlast that space. Think about whether you have plans, even tentative plans, to redesign your living room or if you may be relocating within a few years. Select your sofa based on your true stylistic preferences, not the current style of your living room. It is, in fact, relatively easy to refinish a living room to match a larger piece of furniture, or even bring in a few accessories to draw the whole room together.
That said, you may take current trends into consideration when selecting your sofa, particularly if you opt for an affordable, mid-range loveseat. These trends include a movement toward soft curves, naturally stained woods, organic forms, and colors, and a deep range of textures. Basically, and understandably, people seem to increasingly be making efforts to bring the outdoors inside and emphasizing comfort over the more severe, modern lines, angles, and colors that have dominated furniture trends in the recent past. What this means for you is an opportunity to indulge your love of textures in the form of faux-fur or loose-knit throws and velvet pillows. With the appropriate accessories, a simple, sturdy sofa will adapt easily to these trends as they come and go.
Along with investing in a quality sofa is the care and maintenance of that sofa. Much like a car, in fact, your furniture requires regular cleaning and, in the case of wooden frames and legs, often polishing as well. Making these tasks part of your monthly routine is a simple and effective way to extend the life of your sofa and help guarantee its place in the heart of your home for years to come.