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Sofa Buying Guide – The Essentials

Chateau d'Ax - Bellagio Sofa Range

In today’s hectic world, spending a few hours, a brief moment, or even an entire weekend lazing around on a comfy sofa is one of life’s great pleasures. We don’t replace our lounge furniture very often, so when you do decide to take the plunge, it makes sense to ensure that you are well-informed and have given some careful thought to exactly what you need and want from your new sofa.

Whatever it is you’re looking for, you can be sure that we can offer you a range of fantastic sofas which will fit the bill perfectly. And to help you pinpoint exactly the right sofa for your home, we’ve put together this handy sofa buying guide.

Things to consider

While it can be easy to fall in love with an elegant, delicately upholstered chaise lounge, it is sensible think realistically about how you expect to use your sofa before you commit to taking it home. If you live alone in a pristine apartment, more or less any style will be just fine, but add pets, children and wild parties into the mix and it’s an entirely different story.

But there’s no need to compromise on style. Removable covers are every bit as well designed and crafted as their fixed counterparts. Plus they’re available in a virtually limitless array of fabrics, and can be washed with relative ease.

Think realistically about how you expect to use your sofa before you commit to taking it home.

Some of the more specialist options we have available within our extensive range of classic and contemporary sofas include:

Corner Sofas

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A great way of getting the absolute most from the space available, corners sofas create a luxurious seating area which perfectly fits the shape of most rooms. Work brilliantly paired with high-quality coffee tables to create a lounge ‘zone’ in open plan living areas or studios.

Modular Sofas

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By using a modular system, homeowners can create a tailor-made seating solution which perfectly fits their home. Individual modules can offer different functions such as a sofa bed or a reclining section, and can be added or removed as your needs change.

Reclining Sofas

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If you’re looking for the ultimate in relaxation, the experience of being able to lie back in a superb reclining sofa is hard to beat. For added flexibility, the reclining function can be limited to a single ‘seat’ of the sofa, or individual ‘seats’ can recline independently of one another.

Fabric vs. Leather (Pros and Cons)

Know what size and style sofa you’re looking for but can’t decide whether to add a dash of colour to your lounge or living room with a fab fabric sofa, or go down the more distinguished route with some high-quality natural leather? Here are some of the key advantages and disadvantages of both to help you pick a favourite:

Fabric

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Pros:

  • Often more economical
  • Easy to remove and clean covers
  • Huge range of fabrics to choose from.

Cons:

  • Less hard-wearing
  • More susceptible to staining.

Leather

black leather sofa guildford

Pros:

  • Distinctive style which never dates
  • Hard-wearing
  • Will ‘weather’ and mature with age.

Cons:

  • Expect to pay more
  • Requires maintenance, e.g. regular conditioning.
Do you have any questions not covered in this sofa buying guide?
Please contact our furniture experts in Surrey and Hampshire on 01252 325525 for more information.

Why buy from us?

Based near Guildford, Vale Furnishers are one of Surrey and Hampshire’s leading furniture shop specialists. Since Vale Furnishers first opened back in 1960, we’ve provided countless satisfied customers with superb sofas, always keeping up with new trends but never compromising on quality. So you can be confident that all of our sofas will be as beautiful to look at as they are comfortable to sit on for many years to come. And with our extensive range of scatter cushions, footrests, throws and rugs, you can also accessorize to your hearts content, helping you to create a stylish seating area which is unique to your home. Vale Furnishers are one of the longest-serving furniture shops in near Guildford, Surrey, and Hampshire.

Would you like more advice on things that aren’t covered in this sofa buying guide? Call our experts on 01252 325525.

You May Also Like

Sofabed Buying Guide

Reclining Sofa Buying Guide

Corner Sofa Buying Guide

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