When thinking about your living room, what do you use it for? Do you use it as a gathering area for your family or Is it only used when you have guests come over? Choosing furniture for your living room not only has to create a pleasant and welcoming environment but also it has to be able to withstand the wear and tear of everyday life.
What Should I Do Before Choosing a Living Room Set?
When deciding to purchase a living room set there are three things that you must do first. You must always take measurements first. Think of the room where you are wanting to place the living room set. You will need to measure not only the length but also the width of the room and also take into consideration if you have any alcoves or other spaces the dimensions of those.
It helps to have a sketch of your floor plan, this only needs to be good enough so that you can determine whether you have space and how much of it can you spare. An idea when sketching and working out space is to add between objects about a meter, that way you can have free space between items and things are not cramped and squeezed in your living room areas.
This is an important one, check your doorways as in “can that item I have just brought fit through my door? This is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when purchasing any item, not just a living room set. They order it and then when it arrives at their home it’s like oh dear, how am I going to get it in my house as it can’t fit through the door.
Decide how you are going to use the space:
How will you be using your space that the living room set is for? If you are the type who is looking for a living room set as an informal entertainment space then you will be wanting a big enough living room set to accommodate family and friends when you have them over for the local rugby or Harry Potter evenings. This ideally would look like at least a minimum of two-three tables and plenty of seating.
If you have a family and little ones’ around, then the space you have will be something that needs to be clean and contain resilience as often items around children get a lot of wear and tear. It will also pay to avoid having anything that is easily breakable or costly around too and it does pay to think about your children and those who are using the room when picking out accessories as children love bright and colorful and fun.
If you only expect to use the space as a formal gathering area and not used very often and no grubby hands will be near the furniture, then you could use this opportunity to spend a bit more money and design the area with more high-end pieces that look sophisticated and elegant.
Buying Guide:
Room Shape and Size:
Once you have settled on a sofa that you think will fit perfectly into the designated space that you have measured taking into account the size and shape of not only the sofa but the room in which it will be displayed in. An idea is to grab a piece of string or masking tape and mark out the exact space and size where the sofa will be that way you can judge how much room there will be to be able to safely walk around or past it.
Frame Material and Construction:
Ensure that your sofa has a nice strong frame, a wooden frame is often your best bet especially if the wood has been kiln-dried. You need to make sure that the frame of your sofa has been secured strongly with either nails or dowels. The feet of your sofa should be either part of the frame or solidly attached to the sofa.
If you aren’t going to be moving the sofa anytime soon, then you could go with a metal frame rather than a wooden on but this will make the sofa hard and heavy to move if needed.
Suspension:
Most sofas especially ones that are designed with longevity in mind come with springs as suspension. However, like most options, depending on affordability then you can either go with the more expensive option of eight-way hand-tied springs or a cheaper way is pocket coil springs, these are similar to what you find in your mattresses to the cheapest option of webbing.
Comfort:
The comfort of course is one of the most important things that people look for when they purchase a living room set as you will have to sit on it quite a lot so you need to have a good understanding of what is happening under all the upholstery as it will be dependable on the quality and craftsmanship of the sofa on whether it will have that longevity or whether you will be having to fork out some more money in the next couple of years for another sofa.
The Pieces:
When putting your whole living room together and your living room set, you need to make sure that everything matches and goes well together. Mixing and Matching are fine as long as you don’t go overboard and have the whole thing mismatched and clashing as that is when you have stepped over the line. Make a list and do some research on what color scheme you have in mind before purchasing, that way you can also go in with a budget in mind.
Sofa, Sectional, and Loveseat:
It will be these above pieces that will take up most of the space and your budget so make it count when choosing either of the above three as remember it is costly, so you will be having to use it and look at it for years to come and you don’t want to end up regretting your purchase. A good idea is to go with either neutral colors as they tend not to go out of fashion.
The thing too with going a neutral color is that you can always brighten your room with the accessories you choose e.g. pillows, throws, and artwork around the room.
Accent Seating:
If you have space and remaining money in your budget, then you could add an accent or set of chairs for your guests. This can bring that zing of your personality into the room and take it to the next level.
Recliners:
Will you be using your living room area to sit back and relax while you watch TV or eat dinner? Then you might want to go for the full comfort package and purchase a recliner. These come in all sorts of designs from traditional old-school recliners to modern ones with all the bells and whistles.
Entertainment Center:
Now that you have your perfect sofa, sectional, or loveseat – the next thing you need to check out is whether you wish to add a brand-new entertainment center or media console to your room. Make sure again that you measure and that it will fit what you need. Nowadays, these come in various styles and designs from traditional and rustic to modern and sleek.
Occasional and Coffee Tables:
Imagine that you have just sat down and ready to watch TV with your beer or wine in your hand and you look around and there is nowhere to set your glass down. Various tables like coffee tables, end tables, and side tables, etc can help give your room the completed look and also fill any gaps in your room that are looking a bit empty.
Consider a new element added to your room as it’s not only visual interest but also functional all wrapped into one and when people walk in, they will not see half a living area but someone that has made sure their living area is warm and welcoming spot.