Tips for Shopping for a Quality Sofa

Know What to Look for When You Buy a Sofa

A sofa is likely one of the ten biggest purchases you will make in your life. In addition, you will likely only buy a handful of them during that same span. So doesn’t it make sense that you would want to get the best quality possible for your dollar? It seems a lot of people do not know how to shop for a quality sofa, or they simply think that you get what you pay for. That is not always true, and if you know what to look for in quality you will know what is worth your hard earned dollars and certainly what is not.

Measure

When shopping for a quality sofa, there is one thing you should check before you even get into a quality check. As you approach a floor model that looks good to you, before you do anything else, make sure it will fit in your home. That doesn’t necessarily have to do with the quality of the sofa, but it will influence whether or not you are wasting your time looking at it. Measure your room, measure your space, and then check the measurements on the sofa before you do anything else.

The Sofa Frame

Once you know the sofa will fit, it is time to decide if it is a well made sofa. The most important factor is going to be the frame. The frame is the wooden “skeleton” of the sofa. You want to first make sure that it is made of a hardwood. Oak and alder are common frame woods and are both fine. This should probably even be the first question you ask to a sales person when you are shopping for a quality sofa: what is the frame made of? Once you confirm that the frame is made from a hardwood, find out if it is kiln dried. A quality sofa should have a kiln dried hardwood frame. The drying keeps the wood from warping or cracking during seasonal changes as well as changes in the humidity.

In addition, the wood should be thick and heavy. To check this yourself, you can reach under the front of most sofas and feel the front of the frame. Make sure that this area is at least 1” thick, but preferably about 1-1/4” thick. If everything checks out, then you have found a quality sofa frame.

The Spring System

A Comfortable Sofa For Your Home!

A Comfortable Sofa For Your Home!

By Mike Yeager

A soft, plush sofa can be so inviting...even if you're visiting in someone else's home. Sofas can really make a home comfortable and relaxing. Sofas come in a variety of styles such as sectional sofas, leather sofas and sleeper sofas. One of the first things both you and your guests will notice, each time they come into your home, is how comfortable and relaxing the furniture looks. Well chosen sofas will help to give your home furnishings the elegance and style you want.

Sofas are generally referred to as stuffed, padded, and spring-cushioned furniture. Sofas are also defined by the decorative materials and fabrics that cover them. The first furniture upholstery was probably leather, stretched on without padding. Italian Renaissance chairs were cushioned with leather, velvet, or embroidery; the French made ornate chairs covered with tapestries and embroideries; England developed upholstery in Elizabethan and Jacobean reigns. The use of springs is comparatively modern. Hair, fiber, flock, foam rubber, down, and kapok are used for padding in modern upholstery, and woven fabrics, plastics, leather, and synthetic leather serve as coverings.

There are thousands and thousands of sofas, sectional sofas and other home furnishings to choose from over the internet. Choose from only the best sofas representatives who offer quality, elegance, quick delivery to your home and, of course, great prices!

Tips for Shopping for a Quality Recliner

Shopping for furniture is not exactly routine. Aside from a home, there are few things you buy with less frequency. When you add in the factor of moving parts, shopping for reclining furniture can be that much more intimidating. Your best bet is to know a little bit about reclining furniture going into the process. To help you go onto that furniture show-floor properly prepared, here are some tips for shopping for a quality recliner.

1) Look for a Quality Frame

Whether you are buying a recliner, a reclining sofa, or a simple loveseat with no reclining mechanism, the quality of the piece of furniture starts with a quality frame. In furniture, the frame is the skeleton, and you want one that is strong and supportive.

Start by talking to the sales person. Ask what the frame is made of. What you should be looking, or listening for in this case, is a hardwood. Alder is a common hardwood frame, but Oak or even any of several Asian hardwoods (parawood or rubberwood for example) will work.

Next, ask to make sure that the wood is kiln dried. This is especially important with imported pieces of furniture. Many a retailer can tell stories of Brazilian or Asian furniture pieces cracking in the warehouse because the wood dries after coming from humid weather.

Also, ask about the frame warranty. Many manufacturers will offer lifetime warranty on the frame and most will offer at least 10 years.

Finally, reach under the front of the recliner you are looking at. Grab the front piece of the frame to get an idea of how thick it is. Anything over an inch is fantastic, but just remember that the thicker it is the stronger it is.

2) Test the Mechanism

If you are looking at recliners or any other type of reclining furniture, the mechanism is of the highest importance. As the part of the furniture that is going to move, it will also get the most wear. Test it out. Recline it and close it several times. Additionally, ask to see what it looks like. The sales person should be able to tilt the piece back and let you see the way it is fastened to the frame of the recliner.

Saturday, 6 February 2010

Retro yet Modern Lines in a Lifestyle Solutions' Convertible Sofa


I was recently looking online for a convertible sofa, and the ones made by Lifestyle Solutions really caught my eye. The reason why was because of its design and styling. The straight and simple lines reminded me of the mid-twentieth century, perhaps the 1950's and 1960's. Well, seeing many sofas that I liked, I decided to do a bit of research about the company.

Lifestyle Solutions is one of America's fastest growing furniture companies, founded in 1991. They have distribution centers in California, New Jersey, Florida and Vancouver, Canada. They have worked hard to build a reputation as a leader in style and design, as well as upholding a standard of exceptional quality and value that goes above and beyond what is expected in the industry.

One of Lifestyles Solutions goals, and the concept the company is built upon, is to design and create furniture that fit and individual's lifestyle (hence their name). They carefully consider every convertible sofa and other piece of furniture and try to conceptualize how that piece can style, compliment and enhance someone's living space.

What I had originally noticed, even with an untrained eye, the modern adaptation of retro styles, is what Lifestyle Solutions call their transitional design. This means a coming together of traditional and contemporary designs. They strive to achieve this marriage of modern and traditional through, not only the shape of the furniture piece, but also by the finishes, materials and fabrics that they use.

Not only does LS strive to cater to a growing customer base, but they do it without leaving a large impact on the environment. Environmental considerations are an important part of their business practices. All their furniture is constructed from plantation grown hardwood.

Lifestyle Solutions carry a wide range of types of furniture, but their largest collection is of convertible sofa beds. They group these under two main headings: Sofa Bed Convertibles and Casual Convertibles. The first group consists of futon style sofa beds. These are high quality and come in a large variety of styles and finishes. The second group, Casual Convertibles, range greatly in style and these are the ones I first saw that had the retro / modern lines. If you like unique furniture, then you will find something here that you like. Most of these convertible sofas do so in the click-clack fashion, where the back of the sofa reclines back fully. Looking at these, you will realize that there is a lot more to a convertible sofa than you may have thought.

A convertible sofa from Lifestyle Solutions not only is very functional, but the functionality is built into each piece in such a way that it adapts to contemporary living needs. And without compromising the design or functionality, each piece enhances your home or living space.

A new worry that has only cropped up in the last decade to the end user consumer is product packaging. So many large items are now sold on the internet, and you want to receive your item in pristine condition. Lifestyle Solutions is aware of this and uses modern technology to come up with the best packaging for every item they sell. They use injection molded foam to cushion each piece from movement and impact. Though they cannot actually control what happens during shipment, they do try to make sure that their furniture arrives perfectly at delivery.

If you are in the market for a new convertible sofa, definitely check these out. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you discover in this retro-modern line of furniture.
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Six Tips for Buying the Right Leather Furniture for You

There's nothing like the feeling of sinking into a plush leather sofa or kicking up your feet on a leather recliner. Once you experience the rich color and luxurious texture of real leather furniture, it's tough to go back to anything else.

And with good reason: Leather is the strongest upholstery material known to man, and its natural strength makes it much more difficult to tear, puncture, burn or melt than fabrics or vinyls. Leather also constantly adjusts to its environment, so it won't become hot and sticky in the summer or cold in the winter. This natural product also breathes and ventilates, wicking away body heat, and ages gracefully.

But before you start planning on giving your home the posh, natural look of leather, think carefully as you select your furniture. Whether you're dreaming of a sectional grouping or just a chair, leather furniture is an investment that requires you to give it the proper treatment it deserves.

So before you splurge, consider these basic tips.

1. Think Second Best

When you're shopping for leather furniture, it's easy to think that the highest-grade, most expensive leather equates to the best option. But this rule isn't accurate. For many consumers, the middle grade is the option of choice, as it can better withstand normal wear and tear while looking attractive.

2. Don't Expect Perfection

Oh, those scars, those veins, those stretch marks! Just like humans aren't all airbrushed perfection, neither are the cows used for leather furniture. But these characteristics aren't flaws, but rather are the qualities that give leather furniture its distinctive, natural appeal. If you look very closely, there's a slight chance you might even spot a brand, which is usually hidden in an out-of-the-way place.

3. Order Big

hose characteristics and differences in texture can be an issue if you're planning on purchasing more than one piece. Since leather is a natural product, it's difficult to predict whether your furniture's color and texture will match perfectly if you order several items over a longer period of time instead of all at once. This is especially important to consider with sectional pieces or matching ottomans. It can be a little easier on the pocketbook to build your leather furniture collection one piece at a time, but understand that this method might affect the overall look of a room.

4. Avoid Cat Scratch Fever

If there's anyone who should think carefully about their decision to purchase leather furniture, it should be pet owners. Pets do a number on leather furniture with their claws, so keep this in mind when deciding where your furniture will be safest in your home. Warranties on leather furniture don't cover animal damage, either. And manufacturers actually do extensive testing on materials, so forget about pulling one over on them by passing off Fluffy's scratches as a mysterious defect.

5. Sun Protection is a Factor

Just like you, leather furniture doesn't age well if it's exposed to the sun. So while you're mentally arranging a room around that leather sofa, look at whether it will be soaking up direct sunlight for extended periods. If so, search for alternate places to put it before you even bring it home, or consider another type of furniture.

6. Maintenance Matters

As you look at different leather options, imagine how much time you ideally want to spend on upkeep. Most varieties on the market only require frequent light dusting and the occasional wiping with a warm and slightly damp clean cloth. Take note if you find nubuck appealing, however: This higher-grade variety requires you to use a suede brush.

Now that you're enlightened about nature's most beautiful material, get ready to live the leather lifestyle. With these simple tips, you'll be lounging on luxurious, long-lasting leather in no time.