Picking a sofa can be quite a project. It needs to meet two big functions in your living room: it must be comfortable, not just for a moment but possibly a whole evening or longer, and it has to be gorgeous. It is the centre piece of your room and worth spending a little bit of time looking for.
Step 1 of this search is to do some online hunting. Check out brands and styles you like at a price point you feel comfortable with. Once you have narrowed down your selection, step 2 is to go and check them out in the showroom and sit on them. It can often be worth phoning ahead, as not every style of sofa is held in every showroom and you don’t want a long drive to result in disappointment.
To help you start your search, here are three of my favourite places to look for seating:
These guys have really nailed beautifully designed sofas at a High Street hero price point. There is often a twist on a classic style, like the Earl Grey Sofa that looks like a classic chesterfield but on retro legs. Their fabric selection is also interesting as they can do stain resistant velvets and linens, so perfect for families. If you can’t find the right match fabric-wise in their house collection, then they have lots of fabric books you can select from for a custom sofa. Their showroom can be a little tricky to find as it’s a barn in the Sussex countryside but it’s worth the trip as you are greeted with staff offering tea and all the help you could need.
There is always something quirky and cool about Graham and Green and their seating doesn’t disappoint. Though you don’t get as many options as far as the fabric selection is concerned, the shapes and styles are scrummy and are the show piece of a design. I love the Tiffany Sofa. It just oozes glamour. It’s probably not a great sofa for snuggling down for a long movie and it is not going to fit every room but, gosh, perching on it with a cocktail in hand would be great!
Sofa.com is most definitely a High Street hero. It has some fantastic styles of sofas and is all about the price point. They have a huge range of their own fabrics to pick from but if nothing amid that is making you happy then there is the option of using customer’s own fabric. They have a great mix of classic and contemporary styles. This little Harper Sofa took my eye and would be a great fit for a bedroom seating area. I would say that some of the stuff can lack an element of finesse in the attention to detail in the finish, especially around the arms, but they are a great product for the price they are sold at.
