Nothing may do more to “make” a room than a sofa.
“It anchors the space,” says Mitchell Gold, a manufacturer whose line is carried at Marshall Field’s, Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. And almost everyone finds one to love, be it overstuffed and sumptuous or tailored and sleek.
But it takes more than falling in love to pick the perfect sofa. Although aesthetics usually come first, far more important a consideration is quality, which is dictated by proportion, comfort and construction.
So we asked a few experts for advice on the finer points of choosing a sofa.
Aesthetics
A sofa should have personality and style, and it should also be able to last for many years. Sofas are far from cheap; prices can hit five figures if fillings and fabrics are upgraded or measurements are expanded.
Look for classic lines regardless of design, suggests Sally Sirkin Lewis, a Los Angeles designer who makes and markets furniture through the J. Robert Scott showrooms she owns throughout the country, including one in Chicago. And “don’t opt for anything too trendy,” she says. Sirkin prefers pieces that are “lean and clean,” but gussied up with “dressmaker details such as pleats, skirts or double-faced hems.”
Fabric and color choices may seem crucial, but “actually come last,” says James Jennings, a Los Angeles furnituremaker whose line is sold through Holly Hunt Ltd. in the Merchandise Mart. These are just options, he says.
Proportion
“A sofa’s scale and size are driven by lifestyle,” says Nasir Kassamali, the Miami-based owner of Luminaire. Look at the way you intend to use the room, he suggests. For example, it’s logical that “if you entertain a lot, you need lots of seating.”
Space is also a consideration. “First decide whether you want the sofa to take center stage or merely blend in as part of the landscape,” says Gold, pointing out that a sofa “can be a room’s biggest building block.”
Finally, the way a sofa is designed affects proportion. “Legs make any sofa look smaller than it is,” says Kassamali, so opt for this style if space is limited, or to prevent the massive sofa you need from overwhelming its space.
Comfort
“First see how a sofa sits,” says Jennings. The seat should be about 27 inches deep. Any more and you can’t get up easily; any less and you’re falling off.
Great cushioning is also important, and it can be either down or foam. Down is still considered the primo packing material, but “it can be messy (fabric must be very closely woven) and needs constant plumping after you sit in it,” says Gold. “Fillings are usually a blend of down, feathers and fiber.”
“Foam really holds the shape and has come a long way today in terms of quality,” says Jennings.
“Ask for high resiliency foam (known as HR foam) that’s at least 1.8 pounds in density,” suggests Gold.
Construction
A good sofa has “a kiln-dried, hardwood frame that is at least one and a quarter inches thick, double-dowel construction and corner blocks that are both glued and screwed,” says Gold, and “spring construction should consist of eight-gauge, S-shaped wires spaced closely together.”
“The very best sofas use an eight-way, hand-tied spring system attached to a jute webbing base (each spring is hand-tied eight times),” says Jennings, but Gold says good cushioning can compensate for a less deluxe system.
Another story, however, are the slim-lined sofas from Europe. Thanks to new Italian technology, spring mechanisms are built right into steel frames, then surrounded with cold-poured foam, says Kassamali.
“This makes the sofa much stronger structurally,” he says, “so it can be minimal and raised off the floor on legs.”
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RESOURCES:
SEATING POLICY
Pg. 60: Sir Gregory sofa by Sally Sirkin Lewis, $4,725, at J. Robert Scott.
Pg. 62 (top to bottom): Kathleen II sofa, $1,500 to $2,000, by Mitchell Gold; call 800-789-5401 for stores. Lune de Miel sofa by Pascal Mourgue, $1,710 to $2,600, at Ligne Roset. Adrianna sofa by Sally Sirkin Lewis, $5,565 at J. Robert Scott. Allison sofa, $1,900 to $2,200, by Mitchell Gold; call 800-789-5401 for stores.
Pg. 63 (top to bottom): Moove sofa by Pascal Mourgue for Cassina, $3,600 to $11,000, at Luminaire. Jane sofa by Kerry Joyce for James Jennings Furniture, about $4,400, at Holly Hunt Ltd., Merchandise Mart. Safran sofa by De Padova, around $4,000, at Luminaire. Burlingame sofa by Madeline Stuart for James Jennings Furniture, about $5,200, Holly Hunt Ltd., Merchandise Mart.
