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Our guide to maximising your living space by choosing a space enhancing sofa.
Making the best use of your living room space is a challenge for a lot of people. With the average family home size reducing by 22 sq. ft. over the past decade, this is not just a problem for city dwellers -where the average one-bedroom home is only 495 sq. ft. the equivalent to the size of a Jubilee Line carriage!
Modern furniture design is increasingly space conscious with new solutions and adapted designs to fit into the space constraints of the average home. Sofas are the top furniture purchase forhomes, so choosing the right furniture to fit both your life and space is one of the most important decisions you will make for your home. The choice is no longer just whether you want a 2-seater or 3-seater sofa or a matching set of sofas. The choice available includes lots of space saving or multi-functional sofa options to suit every budget and taste.
Innovative styles are available from niche furniture producers; however this guide focuses on products from online furniture retailers.
There are a few important factors to consider when investing in a new sofa:
Form
What is the most suitable shape for the room? Take into consideration whether or not the sofa is a statement piece or whether it is simply a place to rest. Would a corner sofa be most suitable? Or perhaps a slim profile sofa would be best suited to your needs.
Durability is also key. It is a wiser investment to purchase a strong and reliable sofa rather than settling for something pretty but which may not stand the test of time. If storage is also required (and who doesn’t need more storage!), it is possible to purchase a sofa with ottoman storage or maybe a raised leg sofa which allows space for items to be stored below can suit your needs.
Another important consideration is will it be able to fit through the doorway or staircase in your home? It is important to keep in mind whether the piece comes as is or part-built so it can enter the designated room with as little hassle as possible.
Aspect
What are the actual dimensions needed in relation to the size of the room? Or in relation to any other furniture within the room? When considering the aspect and ratio, the dimensions should be as space enhancing as possible.
Purpose
Is the sofa going to be comfortable? Perhaps a sofa that has more height (such as a raised leg sofa) than depth is more appropriate when its primary purpose is for reading or socialising. Some factors to consider include the levels of firmness, softness, depth, height and design impact. Is there enough room for additional cushions?
Do you intend to use the sofa as a place for guests to stay and rest? If this is the case, you might want to consider a sofa bed.
Appearance
Corner sofas
Corner sofas combine practicality with space efficiency. Also known as a ‘sectional’: the corner sofa creates a section where relaxing, reclining and entertaining can take place. Corner sofas are suitable for families and guests as the seating space can be shared collectively.
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£619.99
Right Hand Fabric Corner Sofa Bed Storage Grey Polyester Cushion Back Nesna
ManoMano UK
Please note that free >
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£2,899.00
Heal’s Portobello Corner Chaise RHF Velvet Platinum Black Feet
Heal's
The Portobello Sofa brings >
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£395.00
Habitat Paola Modular Single Corner Sofa – Grey
argos.co.uk
Paola is a modern >
Compact Sofas
Compact sofas are a great option if your living space’s primary focus is not the couch itself (i.e. in a bedroom, kitchen or hallway). These sofas serve its purpose as a place to sit which is neatly contained within the room. Despite their petite stature, there is no reason to sacrifice style or comfort when choosing a more petite sofa.
Small sofas
Small sofas can maximise space through their sleek design. Small sofas do not contain any extra or unnecessary padding. This provides a cleaner style lines (for those minimalist in persuasion) and in turn creates more space in comparison to other sofa types.
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£899.00
Small 2 Seater Sofa Bed Fabric and Leg Colour: Woven Wool, Mustard, Leg Natural
Cult Furniture
Sofas designed exactly the >
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£949.00
Small 2 Seater Sofa Bed Fabric and Leg Colour: Velvet, Blush Pink, Leg Walnut
Cult Furniture
Sofas designed exactly the >
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£1,649.00
Hoxton Small Sofa, Orange | Barker & Stonehouse
Barker and Stonehouse
Hoxton Small Sofa, Orange >
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£150.00
Habitat Dixon Small Fabric 2 Seater Sofa in a Box – Grey
argos.co.uk
Keep it compact with >
Sofa Beds
Sofas have been made to transform to sofa beds for many years, so this is no new concept. However, the styles of sofa bed have developed and changed over the years.
Sofa beds are ideal as they maximise space and can also provide added storage.
There are several examples of sofas which turn into sofa beds with a simple click-clack mechanism so you can go from sitting to reclining in seconds. Sofa beds come in a variety of sizes, most typically in a double bed size.
Sofa beds come in a variety of styles:
Fold Down Sofa Beds
The Fold Down Sofa Bed contains a ‘click-clack’ mechanism which folds the back of the sofa to become level with the seats in order to form a bed.
Sofas come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can view the full range of sofas by visiting our sofa section.
Sofa Measuring Guide
How to make sure your sofa fits >
There are a few steps to measuring the dimensions of a sofa in order to determine the appropriate size for your space.
Firstly, grab your measuring tape and collect the height, width, depth and diagonal depth/height measurements in cm.The diagonal depth measurement gives insight whether or not the piece of furniture can be moved through lifts, hallways, stairways and doors at an angle. The other measurements to collect include any door/hallways the furniture will be passing through and of course, the space in mind for your new sofa. Note whether there are any static fixtures or fittings in the path to the designated room (such as boilers, radiators or pipes), make sure to include the passable space, not just to the wall.
For a corner sofa, it is best to divide the sofa into two sections and combine the measurements together and which side the corner is situated.
The next step is to get an idea of the scale of the sofa within the room of choice. It is important to take into consideration any pieces of furniture with doors or drawers, as you will want to ensure there is enough space to utilise everything within the room with ease.
Once these have been calculated you will be ready to bring your sofa visions into reality.
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