- and how to look after them
Sofa buyers are faced with a bewildering array
of choices from the huge variety of different designs and fabrics,
at different quality levels and prices, currently on offer. Many
sofas are promoted at knock-down prices, with little attention paid
to other considerations, such as the appropriateness of particular
designs for different styles of interior and the importance of
choosing a design that has lasting appeal and that doesn't
date.
At Sofasandstuff we are often asked for advice
on how to choose the most appropriate sofa and, while it is
impossible and unnecessary to formulate hard and fast rules, here
are some general suggestions based on our many years of experience
in the sofa business.
Here is a summary of our thoughts, some general
operating principles that apply to the purchase of all sofas.
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Choose a design that you are going to be happy
with for a long period of time. Don't rush your decision, and look
carefully at classic designs, either in the modern or more
traditional genres. Classic designs remain universally popular for
a reason - because they have proven themselves to be 'fad-proof'
over a long period of time. Using the website features of the
Sofasandstuff site, for example, allows a wide variety of different
design styles to be viewed and then matched with a huge range of
fabrics, so that even the choice of a classic design can be made
original and individual through the fabric it will be covered
with.
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Feel free to mix and match different design
styles, such as an accent chair with a sofa - thereby giving
variety. Sofas do not always have to be bought with a set of
exactly matching chairs.
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Additional variety can also be achieved by
considering some of the sofas and chairs that are 'classics with a
twist', traditional designs that have been tweaked to freshen up
their look, a hallmark of the Sofasandstuff range. The
Sofasandstuff Wing Chair is an excellent example of this innovative
approach to achieving an interior design 'wow factor'.
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Consider other original styles as well, such as
sofas supplied with sets of different cushion coverings, such as
those supplied with the Melrose Eastern Promise and the Melrose
Seashore.
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Take care of practical matters as well, such as
specifying fabric protection and ensuring that your sofa is built
to the highest standards of quality. Sofas often have a pretty hard
life and they need to be robust and spill-proof. Sofas from
Sofasandstuff can be stain protected, are constructed to very high
standards out of hardwoods, pinned and glued (with a five year
guarantee), and use Duratech foam, the only seat cushion material
ever to receive a gold star from FIRA (the Furniture Industry
Research Association). They are built to last.
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Measuring up is also essential, to ensure that
your new sofa and chairs will fit in their allotted spaces in the
correct proportions. Sofasandstuff sofas come with all dimensions
marked (see the website) and are also available in different
configurations, such as two or three seat sizes, to give you extra
flexibility. To prevent damage or cracking, allow for safe
distances between sofas that may be susceptible to heat, such as
those with leather coverings, and radiators.