Sofa Buying Guide – Part 1

At Darlings of Chelsea, you’ll never be short of choice when it comes to buying your new sofa. So, faced with so many great options, how do you find the perfect sofa for you and your home?

We’ve compiled some top sofa buying tips to help you find your dream sofa:

Material choices

For some people, the luxury of a leather sofa can’t be ignored. Similarly, others swear by fabric sofas. If you don’t have a particular preference though, you need to try out the options and get a real feel for the benefits of each.

Fabric sofas will usually offer you more choice in terms of colour schemes, while leather sofas are more limited. A leather sofa will often look better with age though, where a fabric sofa may not fare quite so favourably – so there really are pros and cons to each.

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, but by making this decision up front you’ll save yourself a lot of time sofa searching.

Don’t forget your tape measure

The road to sofa success is littered with the stories of those who forgot to take a tape measure to the showroom!

When you’re making an investment in high quality furniture, the last thing you want is to come home and find it doesn’t fit the space. Measure your living space carefully and make sure you can fit your new sofa comfortably – without having to site it too close to a radiator (leather sofas in particular need to be positioned at least 30 centimetres away from heat to avoid them drying out).

Get digital

Can’t quite picture how your new sofa might look in your lounge? Try using computer software such as Photoshop to merge a photograph of your potential sofa with one of your living room.

It’s a great way of seeing if the colours and styles in your home match those of the sofa – a modern day alternative to colour swatches.

If you’re not confident with computers, you’re sure to find a friend or family member that can help out. Failing that, try contacting an interior designer – they’ll be only too happy to provide a consultation.

Find a bargain

To that end, here’s our best snippet of advice: Shop at the end of the season for the best deals. As summer ranges are phased out for Autumn ones, for example, you can pick up some great bargains.

Keep your eyes firmly on the Darlings of Chelsea website too, for news of our latest special offers.