How to choose a sofa to serve for many years?

Well-known manufacturers of quality furniture give advice on how to choose the right sofa: what materials should be used for the frame, filler and upholstery, why it is so important to pay attention to the quality of the seams and how to recognize a low-quality product. We hope our recommendations will help you make the right choice and enjoy your purchase for many years.

The sofa can be used for daytime relaxation, comfortable organization of a sleeping place or for zoning office space. Depending on the listed criteria, the shape of the sofa, the type of frame and filler, the material from which the upholstery is made, as well as the optimal transformation mechanism are selected.

So, a corner sofa with a high back and voluminous armrests will be optimal for the living room... It is advisable that its dimensions suggest 4-5 seats, especially if you often receive guests.

For a dining room or kitchen, it is necessary to select a functional model that meets all the requirements of practicality and ergonomics. The frame, upholstery and filler must withstand the effects of moisture and temperature changes, so stainless steel models will be the best solution. It is advisable to choose the upholstery that is wear-resistant and non-marking - it must withstand frequent washing without losing its presentable appearance.

For a bedroom, a sofa should be selected with a transformation mechanism, so that, if necessary, you can expand it and turn it into a full-fledged sleeping place.

Office furniture should be expensive and stylish. Compact models of neutral colors (gray or muted dark) will be a safe bet.

The degree of hardness of the sofa is selected taking into account personal preferences and, if necessary, medical indications. So, overweight people need sofas with a hard filler, and it is better to choose a frame made of dried wood - this material makes the furniture silent during use.

Modern manufacturers offer a fairly wide variety of transformation mechanisms, with which the sofa can be converted into a sleeping place.

• Book - such models are compact products. In order to unfold them, it is enough just to move the sofa away from the wall, raise the seat - and the berth is ready for use.

• Eurobook... This is an improved version of the book, rather wide with a reliable transformation mechanism. The difference from the book is that this sofa does not need to be moved to decompose.

• Click-gag. This is another type of modernized book. This model assumes the presence of a flat surface and a "reclining" position.

• Telescope. In this case, the berth is formed by two seats and a backrest. Such a sofa opens easily and quickly, it is comfortable to sleep on it.

• Pantograph... The transformation mechanism here resembles a "Eurobook", but this design is more convenient, and the berth is smoother - they cost an order of magnitude more expensive.

• Dolphin... The transformation is based on a lifting mechanism, such sofas are optimal for frequent unfolding.

• French clamshell... This is a triple folding sofa, during the transformation of which the berth is placed on an arc.

The reliability of a sofa largely depends on the quality of the frame. Modern manufacturers offer several options:

• With a metal frame - they are reliable and durable models that fit any upholstery.
• With timber frames - no less reliable material that meets all environmental safety requirements. The term of use of such sofas directly depends on the type of wood used. So, the most expensive and durable materials are beech, walnut and oak, while conifers and birch are less durable, but at the same time have an affordable cost.

The most commonly used fillers are of several types.

• Foam rubber - cheap material with an appropriate level of quality. Such filler quickly crumples under the weight of the user's weight, as a result, it loses its original appearance after a year or two after purchase.

• Latex foam - is the best filling option for expensive orthopedic furniture. Such a "filling" is characterized by resistance to fungi and mold, it is environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic. The foam material does not fall through and remains resilient after several years of active use.

• Polyurethane foam is very popular with upholstered furniture manufacturers. Such material is inexpensive, however, unlike foam rubber, it serves for a long time, creates conditions for a comfortable and physiological body position during sleep.

The upholstery of the sofa should be aesthetically pleasing and harmoniously fit into the overall decor of the room. At the same time, it is important to select such material so that:

• bed linen did not slip on it;
• the fabric did not fade after cleaning and did not fade in the sun;
• the linen was pleasant to the skin.

To identify a poor quality sofa, it is necessary to pay attention to the following factors.

• Condition of seams... The stitching should be straight and the stitches the same size. Looseness or interruption of the thread is not allowed.
• The quality of the upholstery. Regardless of what material is used, it must be taut and evenly stretched. Any sagging or creasing not provided for by the design is a sign of poor product quality.
• The elasticity of the filler. Do a little test - press down on the sofa with your hand and release. Practical models should immediately regain their shape. Depressions on the surface are a reason to immediately abandon the purchase.
• Ease of transformation... Even at the stage of selection, personally make sure that the sofa can be easily expanded and folded. A high-quality model minimizes any physical effort on the part of the user.
• Be sure to raise the seat - all internal surfaces must be even and smooth, without any roughness and splinters on the tree.
• Remember to pay attention to the back wall, in low quality models, it is usually made from technical canvas.

For information on how to choose a sofa, see the next video.