Buying a sofa

Buy the best sofa you can afford.
- A. Decorator

I've said it myself yet, "buy the best sofa you can afford" is little help to the potential sofa purchaser. Unlike other long-term investments such as a diamond engagement ring, Persian carpet, or original artwork, whose assets are in full view, a sofa's most meritorious assets are kept hidden from sight under layers of fabric, stuffing, and springs. Uncovering the true value of a sofa requires keen decision-making, exhaustive questioning, and finally a scientific experiment I call "The Bum Test".

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Who? How? Where? When? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before you even head to the furniture store.

Who is going to use the sofa? If children are in residence, sturdy, stain resistant fabrics are imperative. Loads of loose cushions look casual and are certainly comfortable, but if you have toddlers prepare to retrieve them from all four corners of the living room at the end of each day. Make sure the sofa is large enough to comfortably accommodate you and a sleeping child. Teens like to stretch out fully on a sofa, while the elderly prefer a firm seat and stiff back allowing them to exit the sitting position more easily.

How will you use the sofa? Watching television generally requires comfortable rolled arms for leaning or lying on and a minimum length of 5 1/2' if the viewer wishes to fully recline. Loose pillows may be a great choice, especially if a relaxed, casual look is preferred. If the sofa is used primarily for entertaining, hosting a variety of people in a more formal setting, a tight back makes a neater, more tailored impression. To enhance the opulence of a formal sofa, the cushions should contain roughly an equal mix of down to foam. When it comes to choosing the shape of the arms, a square edge is more contemporary and it discourages perching, which is ideal for adult entertaining. As well, a straighter back is generally considered to be stricter and therefore more formal.

Where is the sofa to be used? A position in the living room may warrant a neater, slightly more formal appearance, which a Knole sofa (a traditional English sofa that features hinged arms that can be raised or lowered) or a Chesterfield (an imposing sofa that has a tufted back and arms that are equal in height to its back) can deliver. In contrast, the family room sofa should be looser, larger, and more casual. The Lawson sofa (loose back and seat, low rolled arms) is easy to lie on, as is the Sectional sofa (modular pieces that offer maximum flexibility).

When is the sofa to be used? A piece of furniture that's used during the daytime only is likely to be upholstered in a brighter, more serviceable fabric with easy maintenance a high priority. For nighttime use more luxurious fabrics such as mohair velvet, silk, or damask are ideal. If the sofa has to stand in as an occasional guest bed, it will have to be at least 36-42" deep to accommodate an adult sleeper and should be upholstered in a fabric whose nape cannot be crushed such as a heavy cotton or chenille.

Regardless of the answers to the above questions, "Make comfort a priority," says Bill Muller of Louis Interiors, makers of custom furnishings since 1961. "A good sofa, like a good meal, is made with the best ingredients available. You can never fake quality and many consumers are surprised to learn that custom furniture is affordable."

What's on the inside

1. The frame
   The frame is the bones of the sofa so to speak and as in the human body, a solid structure is critically important. A good quality sofa in either the mid- to high-end range is typically made with kiln-dried hardwood that is free from knots. Kiln drying is the process by which the moisture is removed from the wood, preventing it from warping and twisting at a later date. The presence of knots in a piece of wood indicates a point of weakness. Lower-end sofas may be constructed of plastic components, laminated boards, metal, or a combination but most of these are less than ideal.
   
   Individual frame pieces are stabilized by dowels and glue, much preferable to nails or screws.
   
   
2. The seat and springs
   To create an even base for sitting, upholsterers sew, and then attach heavy-gauge seat springs individually to a jute webbing using clips. Then the springs are connected one to the other in a methodical eight-way hand tie process. To prevent shifting, a burlap layer is sewn over the springs and a hard edge is formed to add comfort and preserve cushion fronts as well as the outer layer of fabric. Some mid- to lower-end sofas use prefab coil units, which can still be quite good. However, experts agree it's best to avoid zigzag springs, (sinuous wires, stapled across a frame) which are an inferior method of production.
   
   To prevent shifting, a burlap layer is sewn over the springs and a hard edge is formed to add comfort and preserve cushion fronts as well as the outer layer of fabric. Some mid- to lower-end sofas use prefab coil units, which can still be quite good. However, experts agree it's best to avoid zigzag springs, (sinuous wires, stapled across a frame) which are an inferior method of production.
   
   
3. The stuffing
   Unless you cherish the idea of compulsive "fluffing" it's best to use down as only a part of the stuffing mixture. An excellent and practical choice is the down wrapped foam core recipe, which provides comfort and stability. Use 100 percent high-density foam and avoid lower quality foam, which crumbles within months. It's important to ask the sofa dealer or custom upholster for information on the exact down-to-feather ratio before you buy. The government allows for a 15% margin of error, which means a label that reads "20% down and 80% foam" could translate into as little as 5% down, which is insufficient to produce the luxurious comfort you may be expecting.
   
   
4. The finishing details
   Finally, better sofa construction calls for lining cushions; holding the cushions together, and reducing the stress on the decorative fabric. Linings also prevent errant feathers from poking through, which means the quality of down in a sofa is less important than say, the quality of down in a pillow.
   
   
5. The upholstery
   Finally, we get to the fun part, the upholstery, but there is still more to consider. Patterns, if any should match from top to bottom with the fronts of the cushions matching up to the rest of the sofa. If this is not the case, don't buy the sofa as it may indicate shoddiness throughout.
   
   Many dealers offer consumers the option of supplying their own fabric, known in the business as C.O.M. or customer's own material. This is the best option if individuality is important to you. Keep in mind that the average sofa requires fifteen to eighteen yards of fabric, and a large repeat (the frequency with which a pattern reappears) will use far more fabric than a solid or small pattern.
   
   

The Bum Test

At this point you're probably ready to lie on the proverbial couch but this time you're the analyst and your opinion is irrefutable. According to Muller, "There's only one, sure way to judge whether a sofa is right for you, you have to sit on it, lie on it, lounge on it, and sprawl on it. Beyond that, it helps to know who is making your sofa and to see the ingredients that will be used in it's creation."