Picking the Right Sofa for You and Your Room

So here you are, at the crossroads. It's time to get a new sofa and you are beginning to think that the only thing worse is elective surgery done with a spork. Fear not, DesignGirl is here! (I'm having a special outfit made to go with my new super moniker, and yes, there is a cape involved. ) Before you make a commitment to a large piece of furniture, let's go over some basics and deal with a few issues that are bound to come up.

The sofa is one of the most important pieces of furniture in the living room. It is potentially one of the most used pieces and should be a work horse that anchors the room and provides comfort and function as well as aesthetics. The first thing to consider is size. This is more important than colour, shape, pattern or style. You must choose a piece that can be moved into the room. It's not uncommon for people to buy something that cannot make it up the stairs, cannot fit through a doorway or that is too long for a space. So take your measurements. It's very helpful to cut out pieces of cardboard and tape them together to get a visual on the size of the couch as it is going to sit in the room. Move your template around and see if a new position in the room will liven things up. It's so much easier to move a cardboard template than a sofa! If you've been shopping already and you've seen something that you like, take a picture of it and measurements, come home and cut your template to match.

Once you know the basic size of your piece, consider function. Do you need seating for a family? Is this piece going in a game or media room? A formal living room or a family room? Do you need this sofa to accommodate guests when you entertain? Are you thinking about a stand-alone piece or a sectional? Do you need built-in recliners or will you use an ottoman? The function of the couch is very important. If you are in a small space, or on a limited budget, you need a piece that will work on many fronts and so you need to pick maximum function. Deep couches are comfy and beckon you to curl up on them and watch a movie, however, they can be a real challenge for guests to get up off of them. Ever been to a party where you had to struggle to be able to stand up, all while holding your drink and your flimsy paper plate? Or have you tried to get comfortable for a movie marathon on a couch that is practically orthopedic? This is why figuring out the main function is so important. Notice I say "main". No piece can be all things to all occasions. What you're looking for is biggest bang for the buck. So, figure out what you need this sofa to do primarily.

Next step is style. There are hundreds of styles out there, but don't fall for the trendy looks. We are talking investment piece here, not cheapo accessory. Refrain from lips, animal shapes, shoes and over-stuffed boxes. Seriously. Very few styles can support any of these looks, and the over-stuffed boxy styles look beat down rather quickly. If you are going for a contemporary look, choose a sofa that has clean lines, classic arms and back and sits up off the floor with visible legs. Pump up the modern by incorporating metal or Lucite legs. Bring some warmth to the piece by choosing wooden legs in a dark colour. In a more traditional room, you can't go wrong with a camel back. There's something stylish and yet grounded with that shape and it works well with a variety of period and styles. If your room is very much a certain style, for instance Art Deco, then you already have the template set for your style, it's just a matter of colour and fabric. Can't decide? If you start feeling overwhelmed by all the possible choices, go into the store and ask a salesperson to show you their contemporary line. Not modern. Don't confuse these two style terms. Modern is too spare and rigid for most palates. Most clients mean contemporary and say modern. Contemporary is a style that mixes modern shape with post-modern sensibilities. It emphasizes texture and comfort and is a fuller, more sensuous way of designing. Ask to see the contemporary lines and feel secure in knowing that it is very hard to go wrong with this choice. Clean lines and more compact shapes are perfect for most apartments, bungalows, new homes and renovations, lofts and for eclectic tastes.

Now for the most fun part - colour and fabric! And an area where some of the worst mistakes are made. You need to think of your sofa as a true investment. I always look at a room in the same way that I look at an outfit. An outfit that I am going to have to wear a lot. Wildly printed pants might be fun once in a great while, but I most certainly do not want them to be the pants that I have to wear everyday of the week! If I was only going to wear one style of pants everyday of the week, I would invest in the best pants that I could afford and I would make them a sturdy fabric and a solid, basic colour. My favourite analogy for sofa choice is a great pair of khakis. Think about it. A great pair of khaki pants that fit beautifully, wear well through the day and make you feel like a million bucks every time you wear them. Dress them up with a red cashmere sweater. Go classic with the perfect white T and a leather jacket. Nothing beats the class of khaki and black, or the unexpected punch of purple. Greens were made to go with it and blue! Ahh, blue. Now you are talking about the most common, and most resonated with, colour combo. Blue and brown is the sky and the earth, the ocean and the sand.

What does this mean for your sofa? Bring the same sensibilities to your choice of colour for your sofa that you bring to your closet. A beautifully shaped and proportioned couch in a horrid print or colour is not a winner. I like to stick to classic colours and textures in my choices, both for myself and for clients. You can add all kinds of charm, whimsy, colour and personality with pillows and throws, and when your mood changes, so can they. I don't normally like a solid black sofa, either. Since they are large pieces, they tend to absorb a lot of light and can appear as black holes in a room. However, a print that incorporates black can be very sophisticated and help ground the room. If your heart is set on black, try setting up a few cardboard boxes to approximate a couch and drape them with a dark black sheet or blanket and look at it in different lights and at different times of day. Who knows? You might love it. Then again, you might not. I've seen a lot of black leather sofas draped with all kinds of bright throws and pillows in an attempt to lighten them up. A great compromise between dark and too dark is a deep brown. Look for something deeper than tobacco. Try for a dark walnut, a rich mahogany, a sensual chocolate, a mysterious espresso or a colour that I call 'old saddle'. You'll know it when you see it. It looks worn and soft and unpretentious and is never shiny. Leather is always a popular choice and you know if you're a leather person or not. Another excellent choice is chenille. Chenille is the French word for 'fuzzy caterpillar' and the fabric is designed to mimic the soft fuzziness. Some looms are longer than others, some are cut so short as to be shaved. Remember, the longer the loops, the softer the weave and the more likely to catch on things and get pulled. Not great if you have kids, cats or dogs. Chenille tests well for wear and unlike velvets or corduroy, it doesn't get shiny as it gets worn. I tell my clients that it wears like iron and it will outlast them.

What ever fabric you choose, try to get a sample to take home to test in your own environment. It's not always possible, but it's worth asking for. If your room is done in cooler colours, choose a neutral in a cooler tone and add warmth and colour with pillows. Same goes for a warmer room. Some great neutral tones for a sofa are browns, khakis, taupes and greys, soft golds and greens and deep rich reds. You cannot go wrong with denim in a family room, but it doesn't lend itself well to other rooms. Avoid bright primary colours, purples and light blues, pinks and yellows and anything with an eye-catching pattern. You may love them initially, but they will soon wear out their welcome and you will have another thing in your life that you have to work around. Do you need that? If you see a colour and/or pattern that you fall in love with and you just have to have, buy the pillows and one or two throws. You might even consider buying a side chair or two that incorporates a more energetic colour/pattern scheme. Small side chairs can be considered accessories, not investment pieces, and so the choices are wider and you can get a little crazy. This is a great spot to add some animal print or a bright colour or a busy pattern.

I hope this helps to take some of the anxiety out of the process. Armed with your measurements, your pictures and colour choices, go out there and plant your tushy on some sofas. And feel confident that you will make a great choice that you will enjoy living with for years to come!