People don’t really have guests in their homes anymore because there aren’t enough living rooms. It seems that it really is about people not having a sufficiently large place to live, so they don’t have any room whose sole purpose is to meet, eat, and enjoy their free time. I can understand that probably not everyone wants to sit on someone’s bed while visiting them, which would be the case of meeting in someone’s studio flat.
Yet I can’t quite comprehend why a bed should be the only option in this context. As a long-time fan of plushiness, my preference has always been for a multi-purpose furniture piece that works well in many different contexts. Let’s dive into what works best for any imaginable home setup to help mitigate ‘the crisis’ and enable people (especially introverts) to connect in their cosy houses.
What to consider before acquiring a new sofa
Rather obviously, there is a tremendous difference between living in a small flat and living in a house. If your case is the former, you’ll probably be better off with a sofa bed, and if you’re living in a rather large residence, your options are significantly broader. I like to think of the sofa as the heart of the living space. Ultimately, it’s where we spend most of our time when we’re not sleeping. A well-arranged space acts as a centrepiece of your home.
There is no one-size-fits-all in here. Each place is different and should reflect the owner’s character and preferences. The first thing to consider would be your room layout. This is probably the single biggest thing influencing your furniture choice. Think about whether your space is more open-plan or rather constrained. The bigger ones could benefit from U-shaped sofas that offer plenty of seating for the family and eventual guests. The smaller ones might use more of the convertible appliances.
Key criteria before deciding on what works
After high-level mapping of the interior, let’s get down to business. To properly understand your space, it’s essential to measure the room accurately. Make sure to check whether your walls have 90-degree angles, verify wall socket placements, and map your door frames. It might be worthwhile to check whether opening doors can block a piece of furniture, and whether a wall plug would be impossible to use if a piece of furniture were placed right in front of it.
Once you get the basics right, check what is the focal point of the room. You may walk into the living room from another room and notice what most easily captures your attention. This will also give you an impression of how the walkways work in relation to your future sofa. Additionally, it’s worthwhile to consider whether the actual purpose of the room is rather a TV (home cinema) den or a place mainly used to invite people over.
This brings us to another aspect: your plans. You don’t need to make any big life decisions now, but if you envisage getting a dog or having kids in a few years, it might be sensible to get a couch that fits all of them. Some people even work on their sofas, but my own preference is to work by the desk and chill on comfy furniture.
Flats versus Houses
Given the usability, it would perhaps be better to get a sofa bed for a smaller flat. A piece like this can easily transform into a bed, returning to its original couch form in less than 1 minute—a perfect match for any space where every inch counts. I lived much of my life on such sofa beds, and I can honestly say that they can work very well. It’s also an excellent fit for a teenager’s bedroom, which doubles as a cool chill spot.
In bigger spaces, whether an apartment or a standalone house, it would be fantastic to have a piece of furniture which can accommodate 4 or more people. This way, you can always chill with your family in front of the telly or invite your friends and have a cosy sofa to host them. Make sure to place a coffee table in front so you can put your beverages and TV remote on it. Some of the bigger models include storage space, so it might be a nice place to put some of those extra cushions or blankets.
If you’re taking a less conventional approach, a modular sofa could be an excellent fit. More and more manufacturers are offering fully modular sofa segments. With furniture like this, you can rearrange the pieces to suit your current needs. It’s also a fun one for the kids who might use it to create a blanket fort!
The devil is in the details.
Now that we have the essentials covered, let’s figure out the details. As a long-standing pet lover, I prefer pet-resistant fabrics. Given my clumsy nature, I also enjoy the fact that those are generally “human-resistant” as well. If you spill something or scrub your belt over it, they tend not to leave any bigger marks. This is also fantastic if you have children, as you don’t always need to obsess about whether a kid will leave a lasting mark on your dream sofa.
Many models today also feature rounded edges and low legs, which is excellent for your child’s, pet’s, or even your own overall safety. Who hasn’t hit their toe with those older type square wooden legs? I remember the hurt even to this day. That’s why I generally settle for those cosy, modern designs.
Once you get those right, you only need to decide how to orient your sofa, and you’ll be pretty much done. A couch might act as a divider between different zones in your home or as a focal point of the whole room. Alternatively, place it against the wall and enjoy all of the free space in front of it. This needs to feel “you,” not like film scenography.
A sofa which complements your life
You’ve just learned how to really read your space and make style decisions that also maximise the utility of your home. Make sure that your furniture tells a story and emits good vibes, and you’ll enjoy every moment at your house. We’ve never had a bigger range of different models to choose from, and it really helps to be able to get your dream sofa in just the right colour and size. With so many of them, you can really settle on a model that is both cute and useful. Your body, other dwellers and guests will all appreciate that.
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