Buying a Sofa That's Right for You

Buying a sofa is one of the biggest furniture investments you’ll make—and one of the most permanent. “You’ve got to love your sofa,” says Seattle interior designer Amely Wurmbrand, “because you’re going to have a very long relationship with it.”

Wurmbrand maintains there’s no such thing as a “temporary” sofa. “Expect to have it for at least 10 years,” she says, “even if you plan on having it for just two.” What happens is that the sofa gets demoted, moving from the living room to the family room to the basement to the dorm. Before you know it, a decade has passed. And that impulse buy has become a part of your life.

To make sure your selection will appeal to you over the long haul, consider some of the following questions when buying a sofa:

Style

Make sure you're buying a sofa that complements the style of your décor. If your interior is traditional, look for a sofa with rolled arms, a contoured back, skirting or tufted cushions. Contemporary sofas tend to have cleaner lines, fewer flourishes and understated upholstery.

Scale

Consider the proportions of the room and determine what height, length and depth of sofa would look best in the space. If you’re uncertain, mock up a footprint on the floor using masking tape or blue painter’s tape. (If that’s not enough, consider “building” a sofa out of empty boxes, then living with it for a day to see if the size feels right.) Allow at least three feet of circulation space on each side that traffic must pass.

If you plan on spending a lot of time laying on the sofa, figure out the length you need to do that comfortably, and buy a sofa that has at least that much space between the arms. (Don’t choose a sofa based on length alone, because a sofa with wide or rolled arms may have less space between the arms than a shorter piece with straight arms.)

A common furniture shopping mistake is buying a sofa and discovering that it won't fit through the door or into the elevator. Make sure you measure all the openings the sofa has to fit through, and check to see whether the legs are removable.

A Farewell to Arms?

If you’re short on space, consider buying an armless sofa—it’ll make your room look larger.