How to Pick the Right Sofa

Figure out how you are going to be using it. If you will use it a lot then you will want to get something that is well made, which means more expensive.
Test drive a sofa before you are going to buy it. Sit on it, lay on it. Is it comfortable? Does the back fit nicely on your body?
Find out how it is made. You have to ask about what you don’t see. Make sure the frame is made of kiln dried hardwood and that there is has a wharfing spring system (if it doesn’t have this system you couch will bottom out, meaning the bottom will dip in the middle of the sofa).
When deciding on size the rule is measure the longest wall in the room that you are going to place the sofa and look for a sofa that is two-thirds of the wall length.
Measure your door ways and make sure the sofa will fit though the door.
Foams firmness of the sofa is going to be and how long it is going to last. Go for a firmer cushion.
Fabric makes a different in the coast. Ask a lot of questions about fabric claims.
Make sure the fabric is upholstery fabric. Look at the back of the fabric it should have an abrasion number of 50000 double rubs, meaning it’s a upholstery fabric.

Types of Fabrics for Sofas

Vinyl
Crypton - stain resistant. Usually used in high traffic places.
Leathers – Aniline it the most expensive leather and is hard to maintain. If you stain or get it dirty it is impossible to clean. Pull-up leather will leave marks but the nice thing is you can use the oils from you hangs to remove those marks. What you end up with is an old Ralph Lauren look. Fully corrected leather is that has had it's surface removed and replaced with a grain imprint on it. There are also Bycast and Cast leathers, which are low end leathers.

Design Tips:

A great way to change the look of a sofa is the change its legs. Use metal legs on a wooden frame, however you can’t use wooden legs on metal frame. If your sofa is in a small space raise it off the ground. If you can see under the furniture it will make the room feel bigger.