The sofa is one of the commonest as well as the most vital furniture in any space. It is usually the largest furniture. A couch or sofa is a major furniture investment, and one you may live with for decades, so it’s important to make a good decision. Style preferences are a personal matter, but when it comes to choosing a good-quality sofa, there are objective criteria you can use to ensure you’re getting a sofa you can be happy with for many years.

Following common mistakes are done while selecting sofa or couch.

1.The size of the sofa doesn’t fit my living room’s layout.
2.The color of the sofa doesn’t match with my expectation level.
3.The sofa doesn’t fit into my requirements.
4.the comfort of piece isn’t what was expected.

When you are shopping for a new sofa avoid these common mistakes and follow these primary and secondary tips to ensure a great purchase.

Primary Tips

1. Decide the purpose of purchase

Firstly ask few questions to yourself, discuss with your family members and decide for what you’re going to purchase this sofa .

How will the sofa be used?
Who will be using the sofa?
Are you going to arrange formal parties and gathering?
Are any important guest visit your house frequently to whom you wanna impress or entertain?
Are you purchasing for casual use like spending time with friends and family members?
Are you having kids or any pets in house? who run or jump from here and there.
Will you be watching TV on the sofa? So that you can watch movies and enjoy comfortably for 3/4 hours.

So these steps will help you to take some sensible decisions.

2. Check the suitability

There is no sense in considering a couch if it doesn’t fit you well. Seats should be comfortable for all members of your family. If you’re buying a recliner sofa, make sure it is comfortable in all the different positions. The primary fit consideration is the depth of the seats. Select deep or shallow seats, depending on your height, the couch back should support your back adequately with your feet flat on the floor and the backs of your knees just slightly forward of the lower seat cushion. And if the couch is where you like to nap, make sure to lay out on the couch and see if it is long enough for comfortable snoozing.

3. Measure up the size.

There is honestly nothing worse than buying furniture that doesn’t fit into your home so before you do anything, measure up. Get out the tape measure and make sure you’re certain of the maximum sofa dimensions that will fit, and suit, your space. If you have a bigger living room, you’ll need to decide exactly how much of the living room you want your couch to fill. Do you want to include other couches or chairs? Do you want a coffee table? If so, a simple sofa, or one with a slight L-shape is probably the best fit. If you’re looking for a sofa that will be the focal point of your living room, look for rounder couch shapes that take up a bit more room and provide a lot of seating.

4. Determine which shape will suit the room best.

Now that you’ve decided your sofa’s function, it’s time to figure out which shape will help it fulfill that purpose. A clean L-shaped is great for open areas that need to be divided — such as separating the living room from the dining room. A rounder shape is a bit more conducive for a smaller space meant to serve as a gathering area for groups of people, but could be perfect for a great space room. If you want to implement more chairs and tables in your living room, a daybed could be a good alternative to a traditional couch. It still provides seating for several people, but is compact and can work as a more sophisticated version.

5. Pick a color: bright, printed, or neutral?

Re-upholstering furniture has become a relatively inexpensive option for anyone who wants to personalize a piece of furniture. Don’t be afraid to choose a couch with a fun or unique print! It can quickly transform the feel of the entire room. If you’re too nervous to experiment with bolder colors and patterns in your sofa, you can always go with funky patterns. It’ll add a more subtle sense of diversity to your living room, while complementing more classic couches and chairs.

Secondary Tips

6. Examine the frame

Upholstery fabric and cushions can be replaced when they get old and worn, but no couch can be considered a good piece of furniture unless it has a solid, quality inner frame. If your goal is to buy a good sofa, start by learning about the frame. Cheaper sofas may have frames made from particleboard, plastic, or metal, but a good-quality couch will have a solid hardwood frame—made of oak, beech, or ash. Pine frames are cheap, but they often begin to become weak and warp within five years or so.

So examination of frames is must for long run use.

7. Test the Arms

It is a good idea to forcefully test the arms of the sofa to make sure that they are very tight. In a family with active children, the most common area of failure on a couch (other than the upholstery) is the arms. As you test the couch, push hard on the arms and look for any sign of wobble. Avoid any couch that isn’t rock-solid.

8. Look out for the Springs

Does your sofa gives you a bouncy feel? Yes it is because of the spring. Some couches provided with spring some may not. Spring make us feel comfortable and relaxed.

Feel the springs through the upholstery. There should be good support without too much give when you sit on the couch.

9. Feel the Padding

The frame and all the corners of the couch should be well padded. Run your hand over all corners to make sure you can’t feel the edges of the frame through the upholstery. If you can feel the edges your couch will not be very comfortable to use.

10. Evaluate the Upholstery

Quality upholstery may not be the sitting comfort of your sofa, but it is visual appeal.
Mismatched patterns or stripes will give you the sense that something is “off”. Stripes that match at the expected level make a sofa look well finished. when it comes to upholstery, the endless amount of choices can make picking the right fabric. Pattern or solid? Bold color or neutral? Fabric or leather? There are infinite possibilities to express yourself while setting the tone of a room with upholstery.