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Buying guide

How to choose a sofa

Good interior design should elevate life's rituals and experiences. A great sofa can be an experience, that if designed, made and chosen well can transform the hearth of your home.

When designing any room, the first thing to figure out is what you intend to do in the space – what energy level should the room embody, and what rituals it needs to support most often – generally for the living room it’s either for entertaining or for watching TV. The sofa is always the anchor point, with everything else built around it.

materials

the feel good factor

Choosing the right material is very emotive. It’s what we touch, and how it makes us feel emotionally and physically has a huge effect on us. Colour is also an intensely subjective choice. Do you want your sofa to be a neutral anchor or statement piece?

Leather sofas

Warm, tactile leathers

A leather sofa is durable and timeless. Our renowned leathers are finished purely by hand, using only the best hides from South America, tanned in our own sustainable tannery in Brazil. The leather is finished in our workshops using aniline dyes that become one with the hide, creating a rich and warm hand feel with a beautiful patina.

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Velvet sofas

Silky, sumptuous velvets

A velvet sofa always brings the drama. Velvets are rich and sumptuous with that soft 'strokability' factor. They always look sophisticated and glamorous, and make a standout statement in deep tones or eye-catching patterns. Our tufted Chesterfield sofas and accent chairs particularly suit the exotic patterns of our Acid Jungle and Faded & Degraded velvets.

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Linen Sofas

Soft, casual linens

A linen sofa is the perfect choice for a more relaxed interior. Linen feels immediately fresh, light, and casual, and drape beautifully over feather-filled seat and back cushions. Our Pennines linens are a durable viscose blend with a beautifully soft texture, while our Noble Souls linens are 100% pure linen, coloured using natural, organic vegetable dyes.

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CONSIDER YOUR LIFESTYLE

ARE YOU A LOUNGER OR AN ENTERTAINER?

When do you use your sofa? Who sits on it? What do you DO on your sofa? If you use your sofa predonimantly for kicking back and watching TV then you probably want a more slouchy sofa like the Nest sectional sofa or Shabby sectional sofa that you can sink into and lie back on. If your sofa is going into a room where you entertain often or you use your sofa to read or work, a more formal and supportive model like a Chesterfield sofa is better suited.

Engage and Entertain

An upright back and higher seat is more formal, and great for entertaining when you want to be able to lean forward and engage in conversation. Perfect for spaces where you host, or if you eat and drink on your sofa. A regular depth and sit-on rather than sink-in seat is also more suited to sitting rather than lounging.

View Supportive Sofas

Sit back and Chill

Laid-back sofas tend to sit lower to the ground, with a sloped back for lounging. Great for casual evenings with the family and friends, kicking back together. Perfect for watching movies or lying back listening to music. A deeper seat is suited to taller people or if you like to curl up on your sofa.

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measure up

Size Matters

How many people do you need to seat and what does the shape of your room lend it to?

If you need to seat 6 people for instance, a sectional sofa is modern, fits into corners, and is great for getting cosy together. Whereas two 3 seater sofas create a pleasing symmetry, and when placed facing each other across a coffee table encourages a more sociable scene for conversation. Or, a 3 seater sofa, 2 seater sofa and striking accent chair around a coffee table allows you to contrast materials and inject personality.

To ensure your sofa will fit your space, ask our Gallery Ambassadors for a 3D room plan as part of our complimentary Interior Planning service. You can also read our handy Will It Fit guide.

BUY WITH CONFIDENCE

Visualise our sofas in your home

See how our sofas would look in your home with our complimentary 3D Interior Planning available through your closest gallery. You just need to provide your room dimensions and we’ll recreate your space on screen.

You'll experience how our sofas would look and feel in your room, compare models and fabrics, and ensure the size fits your space.

Book Complimentary Interior Planning

perfect partners for your sofa

Once you have an idea of your perfect sofa, you can build out your living space to complement it. Footstools double up as extra seating, side and coffee tables start to build more layers of texture into the space, and lighting and wall art add the finishing yet all important touches.

For further advice

Live Chat with our gallery ambassadors 24/7 for expert advice. Or visit your closest gallery to try our sofas in person, explore our leather and fabric walls, and enjoy complimentary 3D Interior Planning.