Two seaters, three seaters, and the ones that have to get up a narrow staircase. Here is what to look at before you buy, and how to be sure the one you like gets through the door.
Measurements are in inches, as supplied by the maker and in the order given. Anything this size is worth measuring against your doorway and the turn at the top of the stairs first.
ROYAL-7SWSWO
A sectional with a matching ottoman that opens for storage. Deep cushions, cup holders built in, metal legs. It comes in linen, velvet or corduroy.
ROYAL-L4S
An L-shaped sectional in soft corduroy, with a large armrest and three piece cushions. Grey.
ROYAL-4SIS
A sectional with a chaise, in a textured bouclé-style fabric with channel stitching. Matching cushions are included. Black.
ROYAL-5SL
An L-shaped sectional in a leather-look finish, with adjustable headrests and a wide chaise. Black.
ROYAL-SB4SWSC
A corduroy sectional with a storage chaise, storage hidden in the arm, and a centre console with cup holders. Beige or grey.
ROYAL-4SWS
A corduroy chaise sectional with a large built-in storage chaise and cup holders built in. Grey.
ROYAL-SBUS6SC
A U-shaped sectional in soft corduroy, with deep seating and storage compartments in the chaise sections. Black, grey or beige.
ROYAL-SBUS6SF
A U-shaped sectional in soft linen, with deep seating, storage compartments in the chaise sections, and a pull-out bed. Light grey.
ROYAL-SB2S
A sofa bed that converts from a sofa to a bed. Channel-tufted, with two matching pillows included. Black velvet or beige corduroy.
ROYAL-123
A velvet sofa set in a Chesterfield style, with deep button tufting and gold-finish legs. The set is a one seater, a two seater and a three seater. Black.
7SGLWO
A corduroy sectional with an ottoman that opens for storage, a centre console with cup holders, and gold-finish legs. Grey or black.
A sofa that fits your living room can still fail at the front door. Measure the narrowest point on the way in: the doorway, the turn at the top of the stairs, the lift, the corner of a hallway. Write down the width and the height of each one. Then measure the wall the sofa will sit against, and leave room to walk past it. Most three seat sofas need about 2.1 to 2.3 metres of clear wall. If the way in is tight, a two piece sectional or a sofa with legs that unscrew will get in where a single frame will not.
Seat counts describe cushions, not people. A three seat sofa with two cushions seats two adults comfortably and three at a squeeze. Think about how the seating you have now gets used. If one person always stretches out, a chaise on one end is worth more than an extra seat. If you have people over often, two smaller pieces facing each other work better than one long one against a wall. Buying the biggest sofa that fits is a common mistake, and it is the one that makes a room feel smaller than it is.
The frame is the part you cannot see and the part that decides how long the sofa lasts. Kiln dried hardwood is the sturdiest. Plywood is lighter and costs less, and a good plywood frame will outlast a poor hardwood one. Ask what the frame is made of. Then sit down hard in the middle, and again on the front edge of the seat. It should not creak, shift, or feel hollow. Lift one end off the floor. A sofa that feels weightless usually is.
Foam cushions hold their shape and feel firm from the start. Feather and down feel softer, need plumping, and flatten in the spots you use most. A foam core wrapped in fibre or down sits between the two and is the most common thing you will find. Whichever you choose, ask whether the covers unzip. Being able to take a cover off and clean it is the difference between a sofa that looks tired in two years and one that does not.
Fabric is warmer to sit on and comes in more colours. Tight flat weaves hide wear better than loose weaves and pale solids. If you have a dog or small children, ask about the rub count and whether the fabric has been treated. Leather costs more at the start, wipes clean, and softens with use rather than wearing out. Bonded leather is not leather and it will peel, usually within a few years. If a label says bonded, or leather match, ask exactly which parts of the sofa are real hide.
Give it five minutes, in the position you actually sit in at home. Feel where the back meets your shoulders and whether your feet reach the floor. Seat height and seat depth decide comfort more than firmness does. A deep seat is right if you curl up and wrong if you sit upright with a laptop. None of this can be worked out from a photograph, which is the main argument for coming in.
Rough figures to measure against before you come in. Anything you are unsure about, bring the measurement with you.
About 2.1 to 2.3 metres for the sofa itself, and a little more if you want a lamp or a side table beside it. Measure the wall first and take the number with you.
Usually nothing. Loveseat is a size, not a shape. It describes a sofa built for two, generally around 1.4 to 1.6 metres wide.
No. Bonded leather is leather scrap bound with adhesive onto a backing. It looks like leather at first and tends to peel with use. If leather matters to you, ask which parts of the frame are covered in real hide, because many sofas use it only where you touch.
On some sofas, yes. Look for a zip along the back edge of each cushion. It is worth asking before you buy, because it makes a real difference to how the sofa looks after a couple of years.
Measure the narrowest point of the turn, including the height to the ceiling, and bring both numbers. A two piece sectional, or a sofa with legs that unscrew, will often get round a turn that a single fixed frame will not.
Bring your measurements. The doorway, the turn at the top of the stairs, and the wall it has to go against. Those three numbers prevent most of the problems.
