The sofa is the centrepiece of your living room. To choose it well, it is best to follow a few simple rules, independent of your taste in decoration. The first of these is to always test a sofa before buying it.

Shape and size

The size of your family, but also the space you have available, will determine the size of your sofa. You should therefore take measurements and decide on its future location (against a wall or in the centre of the room) before choosing a straight or corner sofa (pay attention to its orientation), as well as the number of seats. This is also the time to decide whether you will need a sofa bed, i.e. whether you will need an extra bed. In this respect, a sofa bed or a BZ sofa is preferable for small spaces.

The comfort of the seat

This is obviously a key issue. The cushions should not collapse miserably after six months! The comfort of the seat depends on the suspension, whether it is soft with straps, firm with springs or very firm with a wooden panel, and on the foam of the cushions (or mattress). The higher the density of the foam, the better the seat. We advise against choosing a density of less than 28 kg/m3. The top of the range is HR foam (high resilience).

See also: Ideas for a cosy living room

The structure

We have already mentioned the suspensions, but the structure also includes the legs and the frame. The frame is stronger if it is made of wood, and the same applies to the crosspieces. One detail: make sure that the crosspieces are both stapled and glued, for more strength.

The coating

There are many coverings available and choosing one is primarily a matter of taste (and budget). Fabrics, cotton or polyester, are economical and come in many patterns and colours. If you choose this type of cover, it should be removable for easy cleaning. PVC/PU is certainly the easiest to maintain. In the "leather" family, you can choose between synderme (agglomerated leather fibre), split leather, bycast (a coating applied to the split leather) and, of course, real leather. The prices go up and down. Those who like a vintage style may prefer nubuck, which is both chic and durable.