How to choose your sofa?

The sofa is often the main piece of furniture in a living room: it is on it that we sit or lie down to enjoy a moment of relaxation, watch a good film or read a book. It is also on the sofa that we receive our guests, and sometimes we do not hesitate to use it as an extra mattress if necessary. Moreover, the sofa bed is designed for this kind of situation! In short, a sofa is an essential piece of furniture not only for our family, but also for those who come to visit us.

This is why choosing the right model, the one that meets our needs, becomes so important.

But then, how do you choose your sofa ?

Choosing a sofa depends not only on personal taste, but also on the practical aspects of everyday life. If you have small children, for example, choosing a white velvet sofa is certainly not for us! On the other hand, if you live in a studio, there is a good chance that you will not have the space necessary for a corner sofa, but a sofa bed will be very useful!

Therefore, choosing the right sofa means evaluating several factors, such as:

Available space
The shape, decoration and style of the room (living room), the location of doors and windows and the existing furniture
The number of places we need
The type and style of covering (material) we prefer
The need for an extra bed and its frequency of use
Ease of cleaning

How to choose the size of a sofa?

To choose your sofa , we advise you to choose not only the style but also the dimensions, which depend on certain important factors, such as the available space, the presence of furniture, doors and windows.

Room dimensions and desired capacity

Before choosing a new sofa, you need to understand the space in your home that is dedicated to it, usually the living room. Take measurements of the room , and also of the arrangement of the furniture already present. The best thing to do to help you when buying is to draw a plan of the room, indicating in addition to doors, windows and radiators, also the arrangement of other furniture.

The room plan is also necessary to decide on the furnishing accessories to add around the sofa, such as side tables , poufs, cushions or armchairs . For example, if you have a small house, choosing a sofa with many seats, angular and important, and all with an armchair, risks suffocating the environment and not integrating harmoniously into the space.

Of course, you can also opt for minimalist furniture, with few pieces of furniture and accessories, in order to have a larger sofa to show off, a guarantee of comfort, but remember to always create a balance between the different furnishing accessories.

On the other hand, in the case of a very large living room, choosing a two-seater sofa , straight or small, is the risk of not showing it off to its full advantage: you will barely notice its presence while the sofa should be the main piece of the living room for example! If, on the other hand, you live alone or like to create an intimate and warm atmosphere for the couple, then the criteria will be based on a 2 or 3-seater model with smaller dimensions.

Finally, if you are planning to expand your family in the short or long term, our best advice is to focus on a model like a Pola corner sofa or a modular sofa that allows you to create the composition you want in your living room, among other things.

How to choose the shape of your sofa?

The Different Types and Styles of Sofas and Their Features

The second most important criterion for choosing the right sofa is the use for which the sofa is intended and, in this sense, the choice will depend greatly on our lifestyle. Those who need an extra bed, for example for comfort, will choose a classic sofa bed or a rapido model , while in homes where small children or pets live, they will opt for a sofa made of resistant and stain-resistant materials. Do you need more space to store your personal belongings and belongings?

The solutions are different and range from armrests equipped with practical storage pockets to hidden storage compartments in the "chaise longue" module of corner sofas , where blankets, sheets and pillows can be stored.

- Straight sofa : this is the most classic model, suitable for most environments. Straight sofas usually have 2, 3 or 4 seats, but there are models with even more seats, as well as models with a sofa-bed configuration.

- Corner sofa : can be placed against the wall or used to divide a large room into two separate spaces. There are models with a right or left corner, as well as models composed of two U-shaped corners depending on the space and needs of each person. Corner sofas also exist in a sofa-bed configuration.

- Modular sofa : allows you to combine several modules to create a sofa that meets different needs and/or situations. Most modular sofas consist of two to 6 seats.

- Sofa bed : ideal for a first apartment or when space is limited, it can be used as a main bed or as an extra bed. The dimensions vary between 90 × 190 cm and 160 × 200 cm (for 1 or 2 people).

- Relaxation sofa with sliding seat: for maximum comfort, some models also include a relaxation chair in which a manual or electric mechanism allows the headrest and backrest to be tilted and/or the legrest and footrest to be raised. Stylish and trendy, this type of sofa offers a comfortable sliding seat which moves forward to relieve your legs and allow you to adopt a comfortable position.

A versatile model for all environments is the Monica sofa that Souffle d'Intérieur offers you, among others!

The different possible dimensions

The dimensions of the sofa are not standardized because they depend mainly on the number of seats that the model in question offers.

Number of places	2 places	3 places
Width	150 to 180 cm	180 to 240 cm
Depth	90 to 100 cm
Seat height	40 to 45 cm
Total Height (with back)	About 90 cm

At Souffle d'Intérieur, all our models are available in a wide range of sizes.

How to choose the color of a sofa?

After the model, one of the most difficult choices to make when buying a sofa is precisely that of the color. Indeed, there are several aspects to take into consideration: the part of the house where it will be positioned, the decoration, the color of the walls, the furniture, the type of sofa etc. Follow the guide once again!

The furniture

If the room follows a modern and minimalist design, the perfect sofa will have soft colors, such as white, gray and cream, or colors that totally contrast with the furniture, such as black, yellow and bright blue.
If the room follows an urban or rustic design, Souffle d'Intérieur advises you to use warm colors like red, orange or burgundy so that the sofa blends in with the decor.

The size of the room

If you are choosing a comfortable sofa for a studio or a small room, the choice surely falls on softer and lighter colors, in order to give space and breath to the environment.
On the contrary, in a large room a colorful sofa or choosing a sofa with bold details attracts attention. It can also be combined with a pouf or other furnishing elements.

The brightness of the room

The degree of natural lighting in the room should not be underestimated: in fact, if there is little light, choosing a white or pastel-coloured sofa will instead give light and space to the room, while accentuating comfort.

Your favorite color

Of course, choosing your sofa well also means choosing the color according to all these tips is useful for having a chromatic harmony in your interior... but if your favorite color contrasts with all the furniture then long live extravagant combinations!

At Souffle d'Intérieur, we offer you the possibility to choose from more than a hundred colors. After all, it is the place where you will want to relax, enjoy the weather or even sleep, so do not give up on choosing it as you like it, and all at the best price!

Daily maintenance of the sofa according to the covering

The interview

Proper and regular cleaning is essential for good maintenance of the sofa. To remove stains, you can use different methods, such as using water and Marseille soap, but this will depend above all on the material the sofa is made of.

Sofa fabrics are stain-resistant and therefore easy to maintain. The type of maintenance differs depending on the fabric material:

- Fabric sofa : to prevent a fabric sofa from wearing out and fading, it is important not to expose the padding (or mattress for some models) to direct sunlight, as well as than keeping the windows open. If the sofa has a removable cover, to clean it, simply put the cover in the washing machine, taking care to read the label to understand the correct washing and drying method. We recommend using a program not exceeding 30 degrees to avoid deforming the fabric material. In the case where dry cleaning is recommended on the label, it is advisable not to do it yourself.

If your fabric sofa is not removable, you must dust it periodically using a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth in case of a stain. If the stain is stubborn, you can use Marseille soap by applying it to a sponge soaked in water, then rub the stain with it.

- Leather sofa : keeping a leather sofa clean is quite simple: the important thing is to avoid rubbing it vigorously or too frequently to avoid scratching or damaging it. In addition, it is always good to keep leather away from heat sources.

Stains deserve a separate mention, they are much more difficult to remove from a leather sofa: in fact, it is often necessary to ask for a specialized intervention. As for home remedies, the cloth and absorbent paper are the best solutions in case of stains from coffee, tea, wine, beer, cosmetics and greasy substances.

- Velvet sofa : the velvet sofa is certainly very elegant and comfortable, but its maintenance is not the easiest. The padding, in fact, cannot be put in the washing machine and you have to be very careful when scrubbing it because it gets damaged easily. You have to remove crumbs and dust using a soft brush, going in the direction of the hair and then against the hair. Afterwards, you can wet a soft brush with water, then pass it in the direction of the hair. Finally, a solution of lukewarm water with a few drops of dish soap can be used against stains.

In conclusion

Obviously, the duration of a sofa depends a lot (and above all) on the quality of the materials and the way it is made. For this reason, if you want a sofa that will stand the test of time, it is always better to invest in top quality models, made with top-quality leathers and fabrics and with high-level craftsmanship, as is the case for all the sofas offered at the best price at Souffle d'Intérieur. Below you will find some of the models most appreciated by our customers and that could be the protagonists of your home for a long time!