No matter how you look at it, the couch is one of, if not the, most important pieces of furniture in your home. This makes getting the perfect couch for your home all the more important, is it somewhere to get cozy when watching a movie or just a seat to catch up over coffee? In this blog post, we’re going to discuss all the factors you should consider when purchasing a couch for your home.
Size up your sofa!
While it may be tempting to purchase the largest and plushest sofa you can find, it kind of becomes moot when it doesn’t fit into your chosen room how you’d like.
As such, with any piece of furniture we would recommend measuring the amount of space available before purchasing your dream lounge suite. This means measuring both the space at hand and also how the chosen sofa sits when placed within.
For this, we would recommend utilizing masking tape to layout where you want the couch/es to go and take note of any potential obstructions they may cause such as blocked doorways or hard to reach windows.
If the lounge suite is also going to be the main seating for a screen, it’s also worth considering viewing angle and any potential obstructions or screen glare. For this we would recommend even placing down dining or camp chairs where the lounge suite is going to go. While this may not be a true representation of the seating experience, it should provide a gist of what it’ll be like to sit on the real thing and anything to keep in mind when the time comes..
Perfect for Purpose!
When looking at couches, keep in mind how you currently use the lounge suite in your home and how you may want to use it in future as different couches cater to different lifestyles.
If you’re someone who purely uses your living room as somewhere to watch screens both big and small and relax, a recliner lounge suite may suit you as you can kick up your legs and laze to your hearts content.
However, if you’re someone who instead would rather your lounge be a place to meet and talk over a coffee table or enjoy a board game night then a more standard lounge suite could be better suited.
For those who are frequent to have guests stay the night, it could even be worth looking at a sofa bed to give any last minute layovers a place to sleep. Keep in mind however that you need to accommodate for having the couch extend out, so any coffee tables and the like need to easily be shifted out of the way. And while we’re on the topic of sleeping on couches…
Get A Feeling For Good Materials
There’s nothing worse than a couch you can’t get cozy on. Whether it’s too itchy, too cold or too blegh, a bad material can ruin a perfectly fine couch by making it uncomfortable.
If possible, we would always recommend shopping in-store for your next seating set-up, as this allows you to get a bit of a vibe of how your potential sofa may function at your home.
If you’re unable to see the couch in person however, we would recommend contacting the store to see if they’re able to provide a reference swatch. This should atleast provide a very general feeling of how a potential couch may feel, and you can combine it with your current couch at locations where you’ll feel the material the most (e.g. armrests and couch cushions.)
Once you are seated, consider how you sit at home. Don’t just politely sit on the edge like a teenager meeting their partners parents for the first time, sit into the chair and act out your normal couch activities that you normal relax to from watching TV to intently reading an article on your phone.
We would also recommend even going prone and pretending to have a quick catnap on an potential purchases if possible. Because despite their intended purpose, sometimes catching a couple Z’s on a couch is what you need at the end of a long workday.
After you’ve made yourself at home in your chosen furniture store showroom, take note on what you noticed from the couch. Was the seating position comfortable? Would it be comfortable for hours on end? Was the material used something you could rest your head on for hours or just for 5 minutes? These types of questions can really make or break a couch especially in the long run.
Material Matters!
Furthermore, the material used on your chosen sofa can really make or break many functions of couch itself. However, alot of this is preference and some materials have benefits that others are unable to provide.
The main battle between sofa materials is between fabric and leather. Both offer costs and benefits, with some coming down purely to personal preference. However, it’s worth laying these out for both as they still can be a dealbreaker for some:
Leather
Commonly used for most “luxury” lounge suites, leather couches provide a classically classy look that often blends in well into may lounges no matter the style surrounding. Because of this, if time comes to sell your future lounge suite on, given that it’s still in good condition, you should be able to sell it at a higher value than a comparable fabric lounge suite.
However, the main benefits of having a couch made of leather mostly comes to their slick outer surface. This leads to the two immediate benefits of easier clean ups and being less likely to trap any potential allergens. Because of this leather might be more favourable to families or those who don’t want the risk of staining their lounge suite.
As for cons, the hard surface of the leather is also it’s biggest fault as it comes at the cost of flexibility in other aspects. Most notably, leather does not adjust quickly to changes in temperature, including the heat of anyone who takes a seat on it. This leads to leather sofas either being frosty cold or scalding hot as per the weather, the hard surface also means the seating itself is less breathable leading to a generally sweatier experience.
On the topic of temperature, while leather isn’t at risk of having pulls or thinning like fabric sofas. Without proper care, leather is susceptible to cracking over time, made worse from intense exposure to sunlight. This sunlight also has the potential to cause fading over time, so if your living room is particularly sun-drenched then a leather sofa may not be the best choice.
Fabric
While normally associated with more “middle-class” lounge suites, the main benefit of a fabric sofa is the variety of styles and designs possible. This means you can better focus on comfort, style or a bit of both depending on your tastes and preferences. Most fabrics are also far less sensitive to changes in temperature, with some even coming with fade-resistant coatings, making them more breathable and less likely to heat based discomforts like those on leather sofas.
However, fabric sofas are also more likely to trap dirt and hair, making them more likely to capture allergens. While also a benefit, the fact a fabric sofa can come in any variety of fabrics also means that it may be essential to inspect the couch in person to ensure the fabric used is actually comfortable, as there is nothing worse than an itchy couch.
If you’re someone who owns pets, namely cats, it’s also worth noting that fabric is more likely to pull and rip, creating a tatty look that is hard to repair without replacement. Fabric is also far less water resistant making it much more prone to stains, especially on lighter colours such as white or tan.
However, it’s worth noting for the above point that there are ways to either prevent, mend and even fix the above. This includes items such as anti-scratch spray stop your feline from making the sides of your couch their scratching pole and the recent surge in personal carpet cleaners doesn’t just stop at your floor!
Unforeseen Benefits
At this point you should have at least an idea of the type of lounge suite you’re looking for, however, it can also be worth looking around at what different brands can offer for similar looking styles.
Especially in the realm of recliners, some offer even more than just a footrest. Some offer electric reclining functions for those with weaker legs who may not be able to kick it back in once they’re finished sitting, on top of this they can even provide a usb port for you to charge your phone for those extended tiktok scrolling sessions.
For those focused on providing the best viewing experience possible, keep an eye out for couches with storage to ensure you don’t need to get up for anything! Cup holders, surfaces for snacks and side pockets for remotes ensure everything’s within arms reach for those all day seating sessions!
However, keep in mind that by adding more features means more risk of things going wrong. Electronics fail, cupholders accumulate crumbs and more stitching means more places to fray. As such, these features should be a bonus rather than the main selling point, and if the cost doesn’t match the intended benefit, then keeping simple is a surefire way to find a winner.
Conclusion
Finally, by reading this article you should have the couch of your dreams. Whether it’s lounging on the chaise lounge, relaxing in a recliner or simply sitting on your sofa over a cup of tea, your couch should reflect you and how you live.
The average couch should last 7-15 years, so make the most out of your chosen seating as it will host some of the most important moments in your home. From framing family photos to catching up with lost friends to just being where you and your loved ones can enjoy each others company. A couch is as important as the people that sit upon it.
FAQ
Where Can I Purchase A Sofa/Lounge Suite?
If you’re looking to purchase a sofa or lounge suite and are based in New Zealand, then great news! We offer a variety of sofas, recliners and lounge suites to fit every type of lifestyle.
Outside of New Zealand however, our best recommendation would be to look for a highly rated furniture store in your area. It’s worth specifying furniture store also, as a lot of big box retailers sell sofas and lounge suite but with quality leaving a lot to be desired. So make sure your lounge suite comes from somewhere that sells exclusively furniture, because would you trust the quality of a sushi shop that also sells pasta?
How long should a lounge suite last?
As previously mentioned, the average lifespan of a lounge suite is around 7-15 years. However, it’s worth mentioning that this is an average lifespan, a quality lounge suite can last for decades while a budget seat can breakdown in a handful of years.
This also doesn’t take into account general wear and tear from day-to-day life. Kids jumping on couch swabs, cats making the sides their scratching pole and mid-meal spills are all bound to happen over the years, and while some of these are more manageable than others, it’s not worth preventing life occuring for the sake of the couches lifespan.
The other factor not taking into account is a style going out of fashion over the years. Sometimes you make decisions at a point in time that in the long run don’t pay off the way you intended, and that’s fine! Sometimes we bet on losing horses and furniture like lounge suites are no exception.
One final factor to consider is people changing where they live, and their lounge suite not being able to follow them. Whether it’s a living space too small, or just a style that doesn’t suit the space at hand, lounge suites, and most furniture for that matter, may look good in one home but out of place in another.
Is it worth purchasing a lounge suite second-hand?
When it comes to purchasing a second-hand lounge suite, this honestly comes down to two-factors: quality and price. A second-hand lounge suite shouldn’t cost much in comparison to a new lounge suite, and the quality of the seat should mean you’re extending the lifespan of the chair rather than just taking on furniture that’s on its last legs.
As such, with all furniture, it’s worth doing some detective work before committing to any second-hand lounge suite. Inspect the unit for any damages, whether this is in-store at an op shop or via photos on Facebook Marketplace. If you’re doing your second-hand shopping via online marketplaces like Facebook marketplace or Trademe, we would definitely also recommend scouring the listing description for any important information.
The key details to look for when shopping for second-hand furniture online is the information the seller knows and their reasoning to sell. An easy way to get quality lounge suites for cheap is to look for listing that mentioning “moving away”, whether they’re leaving the country or their suite doesn’t mesh with their new home, these listings are often cheap for quick sales and show that the product is being sold on for reasons outside of being broken or old.
Is it worth reupholstering old furniture?
If your current lounge suite is damaged or you’re looking at purchasing one needing TLC, then we’d recommend giving it some thought before committing to a full repair.
On average, it can cost from around hundreds to even thousands to reupholster a sofa to a like new condition, so it’s definitely worth factoring in the cost you paid for the sofa initially before committing to repair.
This is where the divide between fabric and leather sofas really comes to light, as it’s much easier to replace a bad piece of black leather than it is to match a worn fabric with a particular design. But most fabric sofas also feature removable cushions, meaning you may need to only repair a part of your sofa compared to the whole thing.
