Sitting in style

Above: Mowbrey tub chair

It is in the sitting room that we literally take the weight off our feet and engage in such activities as reading a book, watching the television, playing games or chatting with friends. Its function is to help us relax and unwind at the end of the day and it enables us to spend quality time with friends and family.

For it to provide a welcoming and comfortable environment the furniture needs to be inviting; there is no point in having a cream suede sofa that cost the earth if your best friend is too frightened to sit on it for fear of spilling a glass of red. Furniture should reflect you and your lifestyle.

Points to consider
When buying sofas and chairs, FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) suggests the most important thing to do, before even getting to the shops, is to measure not only the space that you want your sofa to fill, but also the doorways and access for getting it into your room. Other points to consider include:

? Upholstered furniture should be tried for a reasonable time, in a way that you would normally sit, in order to assess whether it suits you. Remember, foam softens naturally after the first few months of use until it finds its own balance.

? Sit on the furniture with your partner or a friend and check that the cushions do not push you towards the centre or tip you forwards. The cushions should fit snugly and there should be no gaps between adjacent cushions or arms.

? The back should provide firm support to the lower part of your back. Check you do not have to lean back too much; you should be able to sit with your back firmly supported with your feet on the floor.

? Ask how long the product has been on display – this will give you some idea of how the suite will appear and feel after a period of use. Feel the padding on the arms and back, and below the front rail. If you can feel the frame easily with little pressure, this may cause premature wear of the upholstery fabric.

? Check the overall shape, look at the fabric and if pattern matching is important to you, confirm if this is possible if not obvious on the display model. When the selected furniture arrives at your home, check that it is what you ordered and that it is fault free.

? Any problems or damage should be reported immediately, so that they can be dealt with promptly and satisfactorily.

Large pieces tend to dominate the room and make it feel cluttered, so if your room is on the small side, perhaps move away from the three-seaters and opt for a two-seater and a couple of armchairs.

Tub chairs are really fashionable at the moment and come in a great range of fabrics, while low-backed items give the illusion of space, as they don’t cut your line of sight in half. If storage is an issue in your home, remember that some footstools have hidden storage within them and for a handy spare bed, choose a sofa bed.

The frame forms the skeleton and can be made of materials such as wood, metal and plastic parts. They tend to be made from hardwood, or from a mixture of hardwood, softwoods in stress areas, chipboard, plywood or fibreboard. Many manufacturers combine hardwood and softwood.

Upholstered seating uses different suspension systems. Serpentine or zigzag springs, or rubber or fabric elasticated webbing are the most commonly used. As a rough guide, there should be at least five springs for each seat and you should not be able to feel any sharp edges, clips or springs through the upholstery. Elasticated webbing provides a flexible support system for the sofa or chair.

it is important to make the right decision about what is right for your lifestyle

As the cover fabric is the only visible part of the furniture and receives the most abrasion, it is important to make the right decision about what is right for your lifestyle. Textile covers are graded as follows:
Light domestic use – suitable for occasional use
General domestic use –suitable for most households
Severe domestic use – suitable for large families, and those with pets.

Leather can be a good option if you need something durable that provides unique characteristics, style and comfort. It can have various types of coatings and dyes, some still allowing the natural marks and blemishes to show through. Different leathers require different levels of after care, so get plenty of advice before you buy.

Nubuck and suede are buffed on the wearing (grain) side to give a velvet-like nap.They are not surface-coated and so are easily soiled, and the velvet surface can become flattened in use.They are not advisable for households containing children, animals or clumsy adults!

In terms of colour, neutral shades are a good option if your sofa is going to be in direct sunlight. Bright colours will more noticeably fade. You may love floral patterns now, but you may get sick off them in a few months time. My advice would be to choose a plain fabric for the sofa and accessorise it with colourful cushions, which you can easily change.

A haven from work
Cushions can be filled with foam, feather or polyester fibre and can be fixed, loose or detachable. Foam is resilient and can be easily moulded or shaped. Feather or fibre-filled cushions allow you to sit ‘in’ them rather than ‘on’ them. They will need lots of plumping to maintain their look.
Remember, your sofa will become your haven at the end of a long day, so if you take the time to choose carefully, you will be greatly rewarded.