10 Things to Consider Before Buying a New Sofa
A sofa is one of the few things you buy that gets used every single day for years. It is also one of the easiest to get wrong, because most of what matters is not obvious from a photograph.
These are the ten things worth working through before you order, in roughly the order they should influence your decision.
Take them in sequence and you will rule out a lot of unsuitable options early, which makes the rest of the choice much easier.
1. Measure the Room Properly
Start with the wall, not the sofa.
Measure your longest clear run at floor level, then subtract anything that eats into it. Skirting boards, radiators, a chimney breast and the swing of a door all count. What remains is your real working width, and it is usually less than people expect.
Measure the depth of the space too. A sofa that fits the wall but projects into the walkway will annoy you every day.
Once you have a shortlist, tape the footprint onto the floor and leave it down for a day. Walking around it teaches you more than any measurement on a screen.
2. Measure the Delivery Route
A separate job, and the one most often skipped.
Plenty of sofas that fit the living room never get into it. Measure the narrowest point on the whole route, including the front door, hallway bends, stair returns, internal doorways and any communal entrance.
Measure height as well as width, since a sofa can often be turned on its side to get round a corner.
Then check the packaged dimensions rather than the assembled ones, and ask whether the piece arrives whole or in sections.
The three seater is the piece most likely to fail on access. If your route is tight, that alone may decide the size before anything else does.
3. Be Honest About Seating Capacity
Seat counts describe a sofa, they do not measure it.
There is no standard width for a two or three seater. A generously proportioned two seater from one range can be wider than a compact three seater from another. Always compare the stated overall widths of the specific products.
Think about a normal weekday evening rather than the maximum you could ever host. Also remember the middle seat of a three seater is the least popular position in any household.
Compare our 2 seater sofas and 3 seater sofas collections on dimensions rather than labels.
4. Check Seat Depth and Height
This is where comfort actually comes from, and almost nobody checks it before buying.
A deep seat suits people who curl up and lounge. A shallower one suits sitting upright, and is easier to get out of. Neither is better, but one will suit you and the other will not.
Seat height matters just as much. Too low and standing up becomes an effort, too high and your feet do not sit comfortably on the floor.
If you are shopping in person, sit properly rather than perching. Lean back, put your feet where they would naturally go, and stay there for a few minutes.
5. Understand the Cushion Fillings
Fillings decide how a sofa feels on day one and how it looks in three years.
Foam holds its shape and needs little attention, giving a firmer, more structured seat. Fibre feels softer and needs regular plumping to stay looking good. Feather is the softest and the most maintenance, since it settles quickly and needs daily attention to look its best.
Mixed fills aim to balance those characteristics. Back cushions are often filled differently from seats, so check both.
Whatever you choose, look for removable and reversible cushions where possible, since being able to turn and rotate them spreads settling across the set.
6. Look at the Frame and Suspension
The parts you never see are the parts that hold everything together.
Ask what the frame is made of and how it is joined. Joints that are glued, screwed and reinforced at the corners generally hold up better than staples alone.
Suspension is the layer between the frame and the cushions, usually webbing or springs. Press firmly on the seat platform with the cushion removed if you can. It should feel supportive and even rather than slack in patches.
In a showroom, lift one front corner a little. A well-built frame tends to come up as one piece rather than twisting.
7. Choose the Covering Carefully
Coverings affect appearance, upkeep and how the sofa suits your household.
Know what leather means
The word covers several different materials. Genuine leather is hide and behaves like a natural material. Faux leather is a synthetic surface. Bonded leather is a composite containing leather fibres, and some sofas combine hide in the seating areas with other materials elsewhere.
These have different care needs and are not interchangeable, so check which a product actually specifies.
Fabric varies just as widely
Tight, flat weaves generally cope better with everyday use than loose or looped ones. There is less for crumbs, hair and claws to work into. Mid tones disguise marks better than pale or very dark shades.
Order samples if you can, and look at them in your own room. Colours shift considerably between showroom lighting and daylight at home.
8. Decide on the Configuration
One sofa, a pair, a set or a corner shape are genuinely different propositions.
A single sofa keeps the room simple. Two pieces give you flexibility over layout and let you spread wear by swapping them. Our corner sofas collection seats more people per metre of wall, though a corner commits two walls and is harder to rearrange.
Matching pieces bought together also share a production batch, so the covering matches properly rather than nearly. Our sofa sets collection shows what is available as a set.
9. Match It to Your Household
The same sofa can be an excellent choice in one home and a poor one next door.
- Pets: leather sheds hair easily but marks from claws, while tight fabric weaves resist catching better than looped ones.
- Young children: removable, washable covers are a genuine advantage where the label permits washing.
- Sunlight: prolonged direct sun fades most coverings, so think about where the sofa will actually sit.
- Radiators: keep any sofa clear of constant dry heat.
- Lying down: if someone naps on the sofa, you need a piece long enough for it.
Write down the two or three that apply to you and use them to filter, rather than deciding on looks alone.
10. Know What to Check When Buying Online
Buying online is straightforward provided you read the specification rather than the photographs.
- Overall width, depth and height, plus seat depth and seat height.
- Packaged dimensions for delivery access.
- What the covering actually is, in specific terms.
- Cushion fillings for both seats and backs.
- Whether cushions and covers are removable.
- Frame and suspension details.
- Whether assembly is needed, such as fitting legs.
- The retailer's own delivery and returns information.
If something is not stated, ask before ordering rather than after. A specification available on request is still a specification.
Before you click buy: read the description out loud and note anything vague. Words like leather, firm and hardwearing mean different things to different manufacturers, so ask what they mean here.
A Quick Pre-Purchase Checklist
- Longest clear wall measured, with obstructions subtracted.
- Delivery route measured at its narrowest point, height and width.
- Overall width compared across specific products, not seat counts.
- Seat depth and height suited to how you sit.
- Cushion fillings understood for seats and backs.
- Frame and suspension details checked.
- Covering identified specifically, with samples seen at home.
- Configuration decided.
- Household factors listed and applied.
- Footprint taped out and lived with for a day.
Final Thoughts
Most sofa regrets trace back to one of three things. It did not fit the room, it did not get through the door, or it was not comfortable for a whole evening.
All three are avoidable with a tape measure and a specification. Measure twice, compare dimensions rather than labels, and sit on something properly before deciding.
When you are ready to compare, browse our sofas with dimensions listed on each product page, or visit Furniture Instore to try them in person.
Furniture Instore is rated 4.8★ Excellent on Trustpilot, with more than 4,800 reviews. Delivery is free, by a two-person team to the ground floor across England and Wales, typically within 7–10 working days, with ground floor installation included.
