How to Pick Out the Perfect Sofa

Looking to upgrade your living room? When it comes to improving your living room, you probably think of a new TV stand — or even mounting it on the wall — and maybe changing up the color. But one of the most important things to upgrade is your sofa. Whether you’re looking at an antique sofa for sale or a modern sofa from a trendy decor line, your sofa will ultimately decide your living room’s vibe and style.

Here is how to pick the perfect sofa for your living room.

The Vibe

A way to quickly narrow down your dream sofa is to know what style you’re looking for. The style sofa you pick should be based on your current living room and decor style as well as what you are hoping to change about your decor. Sometimes a sofa you spot online just won’t work well in your current living room and will clash too hard. Instead, imagine the perfect sofa for your current space (if you don’t plan to redecorate completely). Will the sofa match your rug? Will the sofa look good with other furniture in the room?

If you are looking to find your perfect couch, you can sort by style. Here are some of the most popular sofa styles:

Mid Century Modern

These couches are clean and subtle. Their simplicity makes them the focal point of the living room. The couch should be a solid color but you can go for a retro color like brown, orange, tan, or gray.

Modern

Modern couches are sleek, simple, and minimalist. They don’t have many details and instead rely on quality materials like leather to make them stand out. A lot of modern couches are also white, making them clean and easy to fit into any living room.

Industrial

This intense and bold style blends leather with metal and wood to create strong pieces. An industrial couch will often be leather, usually brown. The couch will either be on the ground or have metal legs. A leather chesterfield is also popular in industrial living rooms, giving the room a study-like vibe.

Bohemian

Boho is a style that relies on colorful and artistic design. The couches are often made of comfortable material that’s bright and multi-colored. You can also choose a plain couch and dress it up with textured blankets and pillows.

Scandinavian

This style is becoming popular due to its simplicity and neutral appearance. Scandinavian couches are clean and modern, usually tones like gray, tan, or white. Scandinavian furniture is focused on being practical and simple.

Antique

If you are going the authentic route, you’ll want to find a quality antique sofa for sale. Eloquence has a massive collection of high-end vintage furniture made with comfortable materials and elegant designs and details. Antique furniture will often become the focal point of your living room because it’s so bold and detailed, so you’ll need to find a statement sofa that tells a story and creates the vibe you desire.

The Functionality

                        

The bottom line is that couches are for sitting. But we all know that a good sofa does more than that.

We all have individual preferences and needs when it comes to living room functionality. If you host parties, you need a sofa that has room for a good amount of people. If you like to eat while watching TV, maybe you need a sofa that has extra features for holding drinks. If you love hosting movie nights, maybe you need a sofa that’s cozier and reclines.

As you can see, sofas have a lot more hidden functions than you initially believed! So you have to find a sofa that can provide these things for you if you’re looking to upgrade.

The Size

You knew this was coming! It’s extremely important that your sofa fits properly in your living room. This can mean something different to different people, however. In general, you don’t want a couch that will become overbearing and look too large in the space and you also don’t want a sofa that’s too small and looks awkward or silly.

To get the right size, use a tape measure to figure out the size of the space where you want to put your sofa. Measure your current sofa as well. You’ll see that the depth is quite important since you don’t want the sofa to go out too far past your side tables or come too close to your coffee table.

The height is another factor. This is something people often look over, but the height of your couch will make all the difference. If you’re using your couch as a way to section off part of a room, you may want a low-back sofa to create nice visuals from all angles. If you have your couch against a wall and are looking for more support, you may want a sofa with a higher back. You should also make sure it won’t look awkward when placed in front of a window. Will it be covering too much of it? Too little? Is your sofa making you eye-level to your television? Do you have to strain your neck?

Cushion Depth

As you can see, sofa size is more than just how long it is! Some people even look at the depth of the cushions themselves. The depth mostly depends on your height. If you’re short, you don’t want cushions that go so far back that they leave your feet dangling above the floor. If you’re tall, you want to ensure you’re comfortable while watching TV and not forced to sit super upright.

This is easy to determine if you pick out a couch in person. If you are shopping online, however, you can go by reviews. You can also reach out to the site itself and ask if the measurements aren’t available. At Eloquence, we have a community of experts ready to help you with all your sofa questions! If you’re looking for a comfortable and stunning antique sofa for sale, check out our growing collection of curated vintage furniture.