4 Things to Consider Before Buying a Sofa / May 1, 2023 by Margaret Chambers

This blue sofa with yellow throw pillows perfectly matches the colors we chose for this SMU Theta sorority house in Dallas.

Sofas are one of those “anchor pieces” that define the look of the whole room. Since they aren’t inexpensive, you’ll want to find one that you can enjoy sitting on and looking at for years to come. Following is a checklist of four things that I, as an interior designer, would suggest that people keep in mind as they shop.

1. Scale

Consider the different ways that you sit or lounge on a sofa. Do you like to sit with your legs up? Make sure that the sofa is deep enough to accommodate. Do you lie down sometimes? Your sofa will need to be long enough for you to stretch out. If you’re tall, you may also want to look for a sofa with a higher back for better back support. For couples, sofas that are between 80-90 inches are an appropriate width. Families should seek sofas that are 90 inches or wider.

Sectionals look best in large rooms, so for a small living room, I would recommend a pair of two-seater sofas instead. That way, you don’t have a large block of the same color fabric dominating one side of the room.

Sectionals, like the gray L-shaped sectional we used in this Kessler Park den, look best in large rooms.

When you’ve found a sofa that you like, try cutting out the shape of it from newspaper and placing it on your floor to serve as a visual guide. Check to see if you have enough space to walk around it and that any open doors or shelves won’t swing into it. Measure your doorways too to make sure you can fit your newest purchase into the house. If you’re going to have difficulty getting a sofa into the house, you can look for sofas with a low back style or removable legs, or modular sofas that can be brought in piece by piece.

To leave enough room for a side table, add about 20 inches of width to your measurement. You should also leave 20 inches of space between the edge of your coffee table and the front of your sofa. Don’t forget to measure the sofa’s height too, especially if you plan on having it in the middle of an open concept living space. You want the back of the sofa to be low so that it doesn’t cut across sightlines in the room.

When the seat is too low, it makes the sofa more difficult to get out of, especially as we age. 15 inches or less is considered a low seat height.

2. Comfort

For a casual living room, opt for comfortable cushions, but for a formal sitting area, you want cushions that are firm and keep their shape. Feather-filled cushions have a cloud-like feel; however, they need to be fluffed once a week to retain their shape. Foam-filled cushions are less plush, but they hold their shape better. Cushions with inner springs that are wrapped in both foam and down feathers are my top pick because they keep their crown longer.

3. Fabric

For families with small children, I suggest choosing stain-resistant outdoor fabric brands like Sunbrella or Crypton. These fabrics won’t fade in sunlight either, so they can be placed near windows. Leather is easy to clean but also scratches easily, so it might not be a good option for families with pets.

We used a combination of different upholstery textures to create variety for this seating area in a North Dallas home.

In choosing your fabric color, ask yourself: is this room intended to be calming, playful, or elegant? A colorful or patterned sofa can inject energy into a room. A neutral, solid color sofa provides harmony. Make sure to bring home a sample swatch. With a swatch, you can see how the scale of the pattern looks in your living space or how the light in the room changes the color of the fabric.

4. Style

When it comes to sofas, some people prioritize comfort over style, so they end up bringing home a sofa that looks completely out of place. It’s worth your time and money to find a sofa that matches your home and feels great.

Although it’s possible to mix different styles of furniture, the safest bet is to pick a sofa that matches the style of the rest of the room. Modern sofas often have tapered legs, track arms, block feet, and grid-tufted cushions. Traditional sofas tend to have a skirt with tape on the bottom, rolled arms, and contrasting cording. Modern sofas will be a lot sleeker, deeper, and lower to the ground than traditional sofas.

Finding the perfect sofa isn’t easy. However, arming yourself with a checklist of your top priorities will make the shopping process faster and easier. If you could use more guidance, try reaching out to an interior designer like myself. Interior designers have access to the most durable upholstery fabrics on the market. And once we see your space, we’ll know exactly what style and size of sofa will fit right in.

You can reach us by sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or calling us at our Dallas office: 214-651-7665.

What to Look for When You Shop for Upholstery Fabric / September 20, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Furniture with curves, like the Art Deco chairs seen to the right, often look best upholstered in solid colored fabric.

To work as a professional interior designer, you need to know your fabric. When I take on a new design job, many times my client asks me to reupholster an heirloom piece with beautiful bones but outdated fabric. Although antique and vintage furniture was built to last for generations, oftentimes these pieces need to be reupholstered to fit in with modern day décor.

If you’re thinking of updating the furniture in your Dallas home but have never shopped for upholstery fabric before, you might be feeling overwhelmed with your choices. However, once you know what to look for, you can narrow down your options pretty quickly.

For Heavily-Used Furniture, Look for Durable Fabrics

Before you think about color and pattern, consider durability. Will your furniture get everyday use? Do you have young children or pets? In either case, durability should be your top priority. One easy way to check the durability of a fabric is to look at its rub test score.

Fabric manufacturers test their products by performing a rub test, using a machine to rub the fabric in a back-in-forth motion until it finally shows signs of wear. As you shop, keep the following numbers in mind:

For the most durability, consider using outdoor-friendly fabric brands.

3000 double rubs: Light use only.
9000 double rubs: Medium duty. Suitable for infrequent use, like formal dining chairs.
15,000 or more double rubs: Heavy duty, suitable for frequent use.
50,000 or more double rubs: Suitable for commercial use.

Durable fabrics that are “life-friendly” include Sunbrella indoor or outdoor fabric, faux suede, and Crypton fabrics (which are water and stain resistant). You should also double-check whether your fabric will be fade resistant if your room gets a lot of sun.

For Decorative Furniture, Go for Style

On the other hand, if you’re buying fabric for a decorative piece that won’t be sat on very often, your options are wide open. Silk is a delicate fabric that should only be used in low-traffic areas where messes and spills are unlikely to happen. Tibetan wool and Belgian linen are other deluxe options if durability is unimportant. Bedroom headboards, decorative pillows, and chairs in formal living rooms are great places to use that delicate fabric that you love.

In this Dallas bedroom, you can see an example of an upholstered headboard as well as an upholstered, striped bench.

Mixing the Right Textures

Texture is something to think about when you’re redesigning a whole room. You can keep things interesting by mixing different upholstery textures in the space: leather, velvet, wool, linen, and cotton all have their own unique textures that can play off each other.

Lots of different upholstery textures play off of each other in this game room we designed.

For thread counts, generally the higher, the better, as they increase the longevity of the fabric. Long, natural fibers with a fluffy texture are not advised for allergy sufferers because they collect dirt, dust, and pet hairs.

Picking the Best Colors and Patterns for Your Piece

Whenever possible, try to see the fabrics you’re interested in in person, or ask for a swatch. Most designers recommend choosing a neutral color for your sofa upholstery instead of a bold color or pattern. The risk in choosing a trendy color or pattern is that you may tire of it in a few years. You can always add more color and personality to your sofa with patterned throw pillows.

A pair of upholstered mohair chairs provide additional seating in this north Dallas home office.

Keep in mind that curvaceous furniture looks best with solid color fabric. If you try to get your curvy furniture upholstered with a pattern, especially a striped pattern, it may look “choppy” and flow poorly over the lines of your piece. Solid color fabrics can also help tone down a piece of furniture with unusual shapes and lines.

Dark colors, beiges, and grays are the best colors for concealing dirt. That said, dark fabrics will also fade in sunlight more quickly, so light fabrics are better for sunny rooms.

There’s nothing quite like seeing an old piece of furniture come back from the upholsterer, transformed in its new fabric. Now that you know what to look for, you’re that much closer to finding the perfect fabric for your project.

If you still feel limited by the options you see in the store, you can also work with an interior designer—designers can connect you with a wider variety of fabrics and will know the best upholsterers working in your area. To schedule a free consultation with us, send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501.