Buying a sofa is a big investment. There are so many things to consider; aesthetics, material choice, frame, cushion filling – that it can be quite an overwhelming experience. 

I’ve bought quite few sofas over the years, and I’ve learnt what makes for a long-lasting piece. Here are some tips for buying a sofa you’ll love for years.

Choose a Hardwood Frame

A hardwood frame is the strongest and sturdiest choice for a sofa. Avoid frames made from chipboard, soft woods or metal as these will eventually warp or crack. 

It may seem like overkill, but you must also consider the joints. A sofa frame held together with glue and screws or staples just won’t hold up over time. Ideally you want to see traditional joints with wooden dowels and metal corner brackets for extra security.

Think About Filling

The softest, plumpest sofas have 100% down-filled cushions which are luxurious and comfortable, but not surprisingly the most expensive and the most high-maintenance – they require a lot of plumping. To lower the cost, you can opt for seat cushions in a down and feather mix or a high resiliency foam core wrapped in a layer of feather. Avoid foam alone for seat cushions. Low-density foam loses its shape very quickly, whilst high-density foam is hard and uncomfortable. 

For the back cushions choose feather and down or feather and polyester fibre. Polyester fibre alone will flatten very quickly. 

Choose Long Lasting Fabric 

Your fabric choice is key because it will see the most visible wear and tear. Don’t be tempted by looks alone – a good-looking fabric may quickly look terrible if it’s not upholstered in durable fabric. The more you use your sofa, the more carefully you need to choose your fabric.

Natural fabrics like cotton, wool and leather are the toughest. Choose a higher thread count where possible as this means a tighter weave and more durability. 

Wool is strong, naturally breathable and stain-resistant and keeps its shape well so is a great choice for well-used family sofas.

Cotton is soft which makes it a comfortable choice, and it dyes well so comes in lots of wonderful colour choices.

Cotton velvet can also be an excellent choice – its flat weave makes it impervious to piles and snags and pet hair tends to brush straight off it. However, velvet can be difficult to clean and may be prone to staining.

Leather is incredibly durable and stain-resistant, and a leather sofa will wear beautifully over time making it a long-lasting choice.

Linen is highly durable and becomes softer over time, but it can look creased easily so bear that in mind.

Synthetic fabrics can be very practical, especially polyester velvets (also known as ‘clever velvet’) which are usually fade resistant and much easier to clean than cotton velvet.

Once you’ve chosen your fabric, you just have to choose the colour – which is a whole different blog post!

Try Before You Buy

There are so many online sofa retailers that it can be tempting to avoid the showrooms altogether. However, you can’t test the comfort, feel the fabric or inspect the frame and springs if you buy online. 

If you can get to a bricks and mortar store, I strongly recommend it. If you can’t, make sure you buy from an online retailer with a great return’s policy. 

I hope these tips will help make buying your next sofa a little easier. Of course, using an interior designer to help you choose a sofa means all the difficult decisions are left to an expert.