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Keeping Your Garden Alive And Well

Look For These 5 Essential Qualities In A Sofa

27 April 2020

Soham Diaz

The sofa is the king of your living room. It's the largest item of seating in that room — probably in any room. What's more, a quality sofa represents an investment. It's not a purchase you want to have to make every couple of years. Therefore, you want a sofa you'll love for years — and one that will last for years.

So, as you're out shopping for a sofa, look for the following essential qualities.

1. Enduring Profile

Everyone has their own tastes when it comes to furniture, and you have quite a few sofa styles from which to choose. Trends change, though, so you want to choose a sofa with a classic profile. Famed lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart recommends the following styles:

• Tuxedo
• Chesterfield
• Lawson
• English roll arm
• Camelback
• Midcentury

Those styles should fit in with a variety of décor.

2. Quality Fabric

The quality of the fabric should affect its durability. That's not to say that the more expensive fabrics will last the longest because some, like silk, won't stand up to rugged use. However, look for higher thread counts because they represent a tighter weave. The tighter weave makes the upholstery more durable. Examples include cotton and wool.

3. Firm and Resilient Cushions

Seat cushions are very important both in terms of quality and comfort. They should feel firm but resilient. Press the cushion down to see if it regains its shape as soon as you release it. If it doesn't you will soon have a flat cushion. All cushions need to fit snugly within the sofa frame. Ill-fitting cushions quickly lose their shape. High-resilient foam is a good material option.

4. Sturdy Joints

The frame must be sturdy enough to withstand you and your family plopping down on a regular basis. Much of that sturdiness comes from the joints. Sofas held together with nails or staples aren't durable. Look instead for the following joinery options:

• Wood corner blocks
• Corner blocks with glue and screws
• Wooden dowel
• Double wooden dowel
• Metal brackets and screws

A quality sofa will feature one of those kinds of joints.

5. Close-Spaced Springs

Sofa springs come in two levels which affect how comfortable it is and how long it will last. A good option is the serpentine spring, which is what you have in box springs. The top tier is hand-tied springs. The important quality here is that they are firm and spaced close together for good support. When shopping, lift the cushions up and press down to feel for those qualities.

Find a sofa with the above qualities so you'll have an item of furniture you can enjoy for years.

For more information, contact a furniture store that has sofas such as Alenya Sofas for sale.

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