Which sofa to choose for the living room

The living room in any apartment is a special place. Conditions of increased comfort are created here for a good rest, heart-to-heart conversations and an interesting pastime. It is here that a special taste, a sense of proportion, a desire to create a special atmosphere of beauty and comfort, knowledge of how to choose a sofa for the living room are required.

It is difficult to imagine it without upholstered furniture, especially without a sofa: soft, beautiful, comfortable. However, in order not to disturb the harmony of the interior, it is important to choose it correctly, especially since the purchase involves serious financial investments and the duration of the use of upholstered furniture.

Features of the living room design

Despite the fact that not only the owners, but also friends spend a lot of time in the kitchen, the living room remains the main room in the apartment. It is here that family holidays are celebrated, invited guests are received, the most comfortable atmosphere is created, conducive to friendly communication.

It is customary to attach special importance to the design of the living room: it is distinguished by expressive accents of decor, which can be paintings or reproductions from them by your favorite artists, photographs of loved ones, a fireplace and a carpet that create coziness, and a piano or a music center.

When decorating a living room, the layout of the room, its illumination, and the presence of windows are taken into account. According to this:

• choose wallpaper: plain or with patterns, light or dark colors;
• selection of curtains is made;
• the possibilities and necessity of general and local lighting are determined;
• arrangement of furniture is planned;
• the carpet is selected.

If the living room is combined with another room, the room is zoned using partitions, including mirrors, as well as a large aquarium, an arch, a column, a bar counter, a split-level floor. A sofa, as well as a couple of armchairs, can become zoning elements. To them you can add a small coffee table, a spectacular floor covering.

The arrangement and selection of furniture is another condition for a cozy and pleasant-looking living room.

The living room can be decorated in various style solutions, while focusing on your own ideas about beauty, convenience and comfort.

Why do you need a sofa in the living room

Before buying a sofa, you need to ask yourself the main question: what exactly is the sofa that is purchased for the living room intended for:

1. to receive and accommodate guests;
2. watching TV, reading or doing what you love;
3. completing the equipment of the room and completing the soft corner;
4. as an extra bed.

How to choose a sofa in the living room

To make the room cozy and comfortable, it is important to know how to choose a sofa in the living room and be guided by certain criteria:

• appointment;
• taking into account the area of ​​the room, on which the dimensions of the furniture depend;
• interior features.

If the sofa is chosen correctly, you can visually expand or reduce the space.To increase it, double or corner and modular designs are suitable. That being said, it is important to understand that the best sofas for the living room are the ones that customers love.

Style selection

The choice of style when purchasing a sofa is just as important as its size, color and shape.

Upholstered furniture is made in classic and modern style solutions, of which the following are distinguished:

1. minimalism is characterized by simplicity of forms and the possibility of using the sofa in any furniture combinations;
2. French style is a triumph of luxury and beauty, a sofa with chic upholstery, with curved backs and legs, decorated with gilding will suit it;
3. for the English style, massive structures with round armrests and wooden legs are suitable;
4. German assumes laconic forms of the 50s of the last century.

If the furniture in the "retro" style cannot be purchased, it can be made to order.

Modern furnishings are characterized by simplicity and softness of lines, neutral colors. Furniture, as a rule, is plain and unpretentious, table lamps, with metal trim.

The rustic (country) style, not often used by Russians, involves a large number of antique items in the design, and the sofa here can become the center of the composition.

When purchasing a sofa, which has to be "inscribed" into the modernist style, it is worth considering that it requires a minimum of furniture. And if there are already several armchairs in the living room, it is worth considering whether another "soft element" is needed.

And the timeless classic, with its comfort and homeliness, will require a soft large sofa, next to which you can install a bronze candlestick.

Selection of the size and shape

The shape and dimensions of upholstered furniture are essential for the correct interior design. They depend on the number of households to be accommodated and the size of the living room itself.

Long-term practice has determined that the most popular are three-seater models. At the same time, the corner sofa is very comfortable: it is roomy and quite compact. In addition, it can be used as an extra bed.

For a studio apartment and in the presence of a bay window, a semicircular sofa is suitable; it can be used for zoning or placed in a niche.

Small apartments do not allow placing large heavy sofas: they visually reduce the already small space. In such premises, it is advisable to choose a multifunctional sofa with secret drawers or a cabinet for storing bed linen, which is part of the furniture structure. Neat small sofas without decorative elements fit perfectly into the limited space.

Depending on the shape and design, sofas are presented in the following versions:

• classic design: it is most advisable to place them along the walls if the living room is small in size, and in the middle - in a spacious room;
• modular and corner structures;
• the sofa island is suitable for zoning.

Upholstery material and color

Upholstery is an important element in the design of upholstered furniture and can play a decisive role, bringing harmony to the interior or completely violating it. How to choose the right sofa for the living room, will tell you about the material of the upholstery.

Sofa upholstery is divided into three categories:

1. Fabric, durable is presented in a wide range of colors and textures, some species have anti-vandal properties that protect against damage by cats. The most commonly used are chenille, velor, folk, jacquard.
2. Eco-leather is able to give not only a sofa, but also the whole room a luxurious look, as it is very similar to natural. But this will only happen if high-quality material is initially selected.Otherwise, not only aesthetic disappointments are possible, but also serious material losses: a cheap coating will very soon crack, fade and look extremely sloppy.
3. Genuine leather upholstery will serve for a long time and at the same time maintain a presentable appearance of the product, but only on condition of regular proper care. Leather upholstery is expensive, but durability can be decisive when choosing a sofa.

   One should remember that on a hot day you should not sit on it without first covering it with a blanket: the sweaty parts of the body will leave stains on it in contact with the upholstery, and the seated person will experience discomfort.

The color and material of the sofa upholstery can visually adjust the size of the living room:

• light colors will visually increase the size of the furniture and the size of the room itself;
• a large "cage" and a small floral pattern will visually enlarge a massive structure in the same way;
• jacquard has a rather rough texture, it will also give the furniture a feeling of heaviness and massiveness.

The choice is up to the transformation mechanism

The market offers a large selection of upholstered furniture with various types of transformation, the most popular of which are:

1. "Elf" seem to be the simplest: they are easily unfolded and fixed in the desired position;
2. sofa-book, durable transformer;
3. the euro book differs from “just a book” and is laid out differently;
4. "Tango" is a version of the "book": it has a different principle of alignment and the possibility of using it in a half-open state;
5. "Pantograph" and "Puma" are similar to the Eurobook, but they have a slightly modified transformation system and take up little space;
6. "Accordion" is considered a universal model and is laid out according to the "accordion" principle, pushing one structural element after another, when assembled it is quite compact.

There are other types of transformation mechanisms, but they are much less common.

How to properly position the sofa in the living room

The location of the sofa can play an important role: visually enlarge or reduce the room, bringing comfort and coziness. Experienced designers use three main methods of furniture arrangement, including combinatorial one.

• The symmetrical method is suitable for a square or rectangular room. In the first case, it is advisable to place a sofa of a standard shape in the center. The rectangle shape allows you to choose a comfortable corner sofa for the living room.
• The sofa is asymmetrically placed in a walk-through or an irregular room.
• Circular furnishings will create cozy areas. The center of the design solution can be a carpet, fireplace or TV, around which all the furniture is installed.

How to choose and where to put the chair

If space permits, the installation of the sofa is supplemented with an armchair, but you need to choose it carefully so as not to disrupt the composition of the room.

There are two types of chairs:

1. frame, with a wooden frame and increased strength;
2. frameless, representing the shape of a bag with a filler.

The latter are actively becoming fashionable, they are easy to remove if they are not needed at the moment, which is convenient in a small room. Available in the form of a bag, pillow, pear.

The traditional ones are presented in classic models of an unchangeable form.

How to properly care for your sofa

Caring for sofas is not difficult and depends on the material of the upholstery, but it requires regularity and strict adherence to the instructions for keeping it clean:

• removing dust from the upholstery with a vacuum cleaner from a fabric surface or a napkin moistened with a special composition - with a leather one;
• fresh stains must be removed immediately with appropriate preparations;
• wipe wooden decor elements with a dry clean cloth.

Regular proper care of upholstered furniture is a guarantee of its durability.

Video: how to choose a sofa for the living room

Options for sofas for the living room in the photo