Sofas make people very happy, or you curse them every time you see them in your living room. Who knew that this 300 pound wad of wood, stuffing, springs, stuffing, batting, and fabric could be the stuff dreams are made of, or the bane of your existence?
Here are 5 warning signs that you bought the wrong sofa.
#1) It doesn’t fit on the front door.
You laugh. But last week, we had to call a customer to tell him that the delivery truck carrying his furniture would be late. The reason was because they were held up at the previous delivery site with a sofa that didn’t fit in the front door. Fortunately, he is not one of my clients! Do yourself a favor and measure all entry points to your nest, to include any required 90-degree turns on the way to the sofa’s final destination. Please do this BEFORE placing your order. A designer will know how to do this. If you’re working alone and know ahead of time there might be a problem, here’s the million-dollar tip: Remember to ask if the legs can be removed to accommodate delivery.
#2) It’s squeaky.
There is no mouse infestation here. The culprit is framework issues. Just like your old bones creak and break, the places where pieces of wood meet, called the “joint,” are your sofa’s weakest points. The lower the cost and quality of your sofa, the lower grade “joints” likely were used when it was manufactured. In all likelihood, that squeak is telling you that your wood is warping somewhere, and your frame is weakening as a result. Most likely it is a union.
#3) The seat cushions look torn and are less than 3-5 years old.
All you and I are to a sofa is “a burden.” That’s not an insult. It’s a truism in the world of sofa engineering. The spring system inside your sofa works 24/7 to “spread your load,” and your poor cushions have the thankless task of cradling your dead weight. If your seat cushions are made of foam, they can compress over time. The cheaper the sofa, the lower the quality of the foam used in the cushions, so they will degrade sooner. If your cushions are stuffed, you’ll need to pulp them to revitalize the loft. To me? I’m a fan of high-use upholstery spring-wrapped seat cushions. Here, each seat cushion contains a group of coils, which are then wrapped in foam and Dacron®, feathers, or some combination of these to cover the inner coils. The spring-mix cushions cost more up front, but will hold their custom shape exponentially longer than their springless cousins. Do you want a tip to prolong the life of all seat cushions? Flip your seat cushions at least twice a year (Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day for the forgetful) or every 2-3 months for softer cushions.
#4) It’s awkward.
This is a tough question. My best advice is this: don’t go couch shopping when you’re tired and numb. Go when you feel really alert. And when you are “testing” a sofa, sit on it for a few minutes. Try recline. Know that it will break in slightly with time and use, but no more than a 10-15% difference. If you feel hard and stiff in the showroom or store, walk by. Also, beware of sofas that are too deep for you, as these will require pillows for proper support and comfort or your lower back may injure you.
#5) It’s plain, old, ugly, or outdated.
I can’t help you here. Instead of trying to liven up a grass-ready couch by buying new items in the room around it, though, know when to throw in the towel. Or reupholster or change. Nothing looks worse in a room than a worn, tattered, or poorly dated item. After all, there’s a collector’s item, and then there’s the old, used, or dated one. Keep trying to ignore a big bad item like a sofa in the overall scheme of a room and you’ll be wasting good money after bad trying to get over the dead cow in the room.
Hopefully these sofa tips will help keep you sitting nice and comfortable for 10+ years. That’s the minimum amount of time I’d like to see your ideal sofa look and feel great to you. Do you have a sofa that you love or hate? Send me a picture and tell me in 75 words or less why you love it or hate it. The best photography and essay response of 2014 will get a prize.
