Your sofa is arguably the most important piece of furniture in your home. It's the place where you probably spend most of your waking time: watching TV, catching up with friends, eating snacks, reading books, snuggled up with your pet and spending quality time with your family. With this in mind, you want your sofa to be comfortable and functional for your needs. Yes, it also needs to look good, but it needs to work practically for you and your family. If you're thinking of investing in a new sofa, here is our guide that will share everything you need to know about ensuring that your next sofa is the perfect one for you and your home.
Think about who uses your sofa
Who do you live with? Are you the main person who will be using this sofa, or do you have to bear in mind other people such as your partner, kids, housemates, lodgers or elderly relatives? And don't forget pets! Think about the practicalities of who will regularly be sitting on the sofa. Does it need to be easy to clean? How big does it need to be? Do you want soft, squishy cushions to sink into, or does it need to have a more supportive back? When you've thought of all these considerations, make a wish list for your sofa of all the desirable features you are looking for.
Example wish list for a family home:
- Two sofas that comfortably seat 3 people
- Must be easy to clean
- Comfort is key - a sofa you can sink into at the end of a long day
- Fun, bright and bold colour
Book an appointment to view our collection
Once you've got your wish list, it's time to contact our team to arrange an appointment. We offer both virtual and in-person appointments with our home stylists, who can talk you through the collection and help to suggest sofas that would work for you and your household. At this point, you can also have a look at all of the sofas that we offer and see which models catch your eye. Our Snuggle collection focuses on more traditional, timeless designs, while our Urban range offers more contemporary, design-led models.
Measure up
Many of our models are available in a range of sizes, from snug love seats to family-friendly four-seaters. We recommend measuring up carefully to check that your chosen sofa not only fits in place, but that it doesn't look too big or too small in comparison to the proportions of the rest of your room. You could draw a floor plan or use online software to mock up your space, or a simple method is to use masking tape to mark out the dimensions of the sofa on the floor.
Think about whether you just need one sofa, or if you need to furnish an entire room. A complementary sofa and love seat or armchair might work better in a small space, whereas in a larger room you're likely to need two or three sofas facing each other.
And don't forget to consider how the sofa will reach it's chosen spot! Take a look at our Will if Fit guide to help you work out if you will be able to manoeuvre your chosen sofa through tight doorways or corridors.
Order fabric samples
So you now should have a pretty good idea of the style and size of sofa that you'd like - the last thing to consider is the fabric and colour. We offer a wide range of fabrics across our two sofa collections - there are five fabric options in both our Snuggle and Urban collections, including velvets, cords and cottons - with plenty of colours available in each fabric. So whether you're after a bright and bold velvet sofa or prefer a neutral cotton, there's something for everyone.
We recommend referring back to your original wish list when choosing your fabric. For example, our Aquaclean velvet that is available for our Urban sofas is perfect for households with children and pets, where you want to be able to quickly and easily clean up spills.
Place your order - and await your dream sofa!
You can place your order online, over the phone or in our showroom. On our website, ensure that you select the size, fabric and legs that you want before adding the sofa to your basket. Delivery times can vary throughout the year, so check in with one of our customer care advisors if you need to check anything.
Your sofa will then be made up by a team of expert craftspeople, and we'll get in touch when it's ready to arrange a suitable date for delivery. You'll also be sent an aftercare package, with tips for how to care for your sofa and keep it looking its best for years to come.
Browse all of our made-to-order sofas here, and get in touch if you'd like to book an appointment with a member of our team to help find your dream sofa.
