A sofa is a ten-year purchase that most people make in forty minutes, in a showroom, sitting on it for ninety seconds. Four things matter, and the fabric is not one of them.
01 — Seat depth
The single measurement that decides whether you will actually use it. Under 550 mm is upright and formal. Around 600 mm suits most people for evening use. Over 650 mm and you will need cushions behind you or your feet will not reach the floor — which is fine if you intended it and miserable if you did not.
02 — Seat height
Between 400 and 450 mm for most adults. Below that, getting up becomes an event, which matters more with every passing decade. This is the measurement people regret most.
03 — What is inside it
- Frame: kiln-dried hardwood, jointed and glued. Ask. A stapled softwood frame will sag in four years.
- Suspension: webbing or serpentine springs, not a solid platform.
- Cushions: foam core wrapped in feather is the best compromise — pure feather flattens, pure foam never softens.
- Fixings: a sofa that comes apart for delivery is a sofa that can leave the flat again one day.
Ask what the frame is made of. If nobody in the showroom knows, you have your answer.
04 — Whether it fits the route, not just the room
Measure the lift, the stair turn and the narrowest door on the way in. We have seen a six-week lead time turn into a fourteen-week one because nobody measured a landing. Ask for the diagonal depth — the diagonal, not the width, is what has to clear the turn.
And then, colour
Once those four are settled, choose whatever colour you like. If the sofa is right in every other respect you will keep it long enough to reupholster it twice, and the fabric is the only part of the decision you can change your mind about later.
