The Fabulous World of Sofas By Derek Rogers At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Beginners Guide to Sofas

When furnishing a home or office, the perfect choice of sofa is important. It is the place in the home where you're going to spend a lot of your time. For this reason, like a good bed, it is essential that when you purchase a sofa, you really buy the best quality sofa that you can afford. You won't regret it.

Origins

The word 'sofa' comes from the Arabic word for a raised area of the floor decorated with rugs and cushions. However, the American word 'couch', which is taken from the French se coucher meaning to 'lie down', is much closer to the piece of furniture we use today.'Settee' is another word that also relates to the modern sofa, it was traditionally a wooden resting bench and gives its shape to the modern sofa.

The sofa dates back to the Egyptians in 2000 BC. However it developed into a piece of home furniture only towards the end of the 16th Century. In the 18th and 19th Century, sofas became more ornate and decorative.

Today, sofas come in all different shapes, sizes and colours. They are typically available as Two Seater, Three Seater, Corner, Chaise Lounge, Fabric and Leather varieties. The choice is the difficult part.

What makes a Great Sofa?

They say if you want a good sofa, you need to pay attention to all of the factors that went into its creation, and not just the price! The trouble is that most sofas hide their finer qualities deep within their frames, stuffing and cushions.

What considerations need to be taken into account when buying a sofa?

Take a look at the frame of a sofa and what you are looking at is the supporting skeleton. Most good sofas are made out of high quality hardwood. Cheap sofas are made with weak knotted wood or plastic.

Down is still the best way to stuff a sofa. This prevents a constant need to fluff the sofa to keep its shape. You can ask the shop or manufacturer what percentage is foam and what percentage is down and make your own decision.

The upholstery is a further consideration; patterns and colours should be carefully considered against your existing décor. Patterns should run front to back and match on the arms; poor quality is visible in a lack of matching patterns. The quality of the upholstery tells a great deal about the sofa.

Next consider the shape; will it fit in your room? Do you need a particular shape or size of sofa? Would a corner sofa help define or divide a living room/dining area? Would it be better to get a two seater or three? Would a two seater offer more space but less comfort? It's essential that you measure the space you have in your home or office before you purchase your sofa to avoid embarrassment or carpentry.

Finally, a quality sofa deserves to be sat upon and that's the final test, if you like it when you sit, sprawl or lounge on it, it's the sofa you should buy.

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