Upholstered furniture occupies an important place in the interior of the living room. A properly chosen sofa should add special comfort and coziness to any room.

Therefore, you should not buy the first sample you like. A sofa that will look great in a furniture center showroom may not always organically fit into the design of your room. In this article, we will tell you how to choose a sofa for the living room and not make a mistake.

Content
Size and shape

When choosing the size of a sofa for the living room, you need to start from the number of people who will have to fit on it. The most common models are designed for three people and are about two meters long. For a company of 5-6 people, a corner sofa is suitable.
Corner sofas have an additional bonus - they can easily be transformed into a large sleeping place. An interesting option can be a semicircular sofa. It allows you to comfortably accommodate an impressive company in front of the TV screen.
When the room is small, a new piece of furniture may make it difficult to access cabinets or block doorways. In such cases, it is better to think about the placement in advance by drawing a plan of the room with all the furnishings.
Design
If the sofa in the living room is to be used as a bed, it is worth choosing a fold-out model. There are several varieties.
The book is a classic option, very popular. The back and seat are folded into a single plane with one movement. The disadvantage of the system is the need to constantly move the sofa away from the wall.
Eurobook - unfolds in the same way, but has 2-3 additional positions for fixing the back.
American or French folding bed - extra sections are hidden down. When unfolded, it provides a large and durable bed with a good mattress.
Roll-out mechanism - provides a large sleeping area, but can leave tracks from the wheels on the floor or carpet.
Accordion - provides maximum bed area with its own minimum dimensions. Unfortunately, when unfolded, you have to do without a headboard, and this design is quite difficult to fold.
Each design has its advantages and disadvantages, it is impossible to say that one is better than the other. Someone needs a large bed area, for someone the speed and convenience of transformation are more important. The main thing is to make sure of the quality of the mechanism used in the sofa you like: made of metal at least 3 mm thick, no scratches or dents, evenly painted.
Frame
The durability of a sofa is largely determined by the material from which its base is assembled. The simplest and cheapest ones usually have a frame assembled from chipboard. You should not buy such a sofa at the market or from an unreliable seller - low-quality chipboard will not only shorten the life of your sofa, but can also emit harmful substances for years. But if the frame is assembled from high-quality material, then such a sofa should be considered a good purchase for reasonable money. The most common frames are made of wood: pine, birch, ash, beech, oak and other species. The highest quality furniture has a frame made of oak beams, which are reinforced with metal elements. Such sofas belong to the highest price category, but a long service life makes the purchase profitable.
Sofas with a metal frame stand a little apart. Usually, office furniture has such a frame. Chrome steel elements look good in rooms with a high-tech interior and have a serious margin of safety. The disadvantages of metal frames include their excessive weight and high cost.
Filling and upholstery
For seat cushions in sofas, either foam rubber or springs are used. Foam rubber filling is cheaper, but loses its original shape after several years of use.
Spring mattresses are more expensive and must be placed on a more solid base.
Sofas are upholstered with a variety of materials. Leather upholstery has become the standard for office upholstered furniture. Tapestry upholstery, a semi-synthetic material with a water-repellent impregnation, is a good choice for a living room.
Interior design experts unanimously recommend choosing neutral colors for upholstery of furniture in the living room that will not attract attention.
If you want to add some brightness, it’s best to do this with the help of replaceable throws and decorative pillows.
By carefully considering the choice of the sofa model you need before purchasing it, you will avoid possible disappointments, and the new sofa in the living room will delight you and your guests for many years.