How to: choose the perfect sofa for your home
The living room is the heart of the home. It’s where you cosy up to watch TV, share platters with friends, play board games with family, and kick back with a good book or podcast.
The teams on Three’s The Block NZ worked hard this week to create welcoming living and media rooms. As the week unfolded, the importance of choosing the perfect sofa became apparent.
To help with this crucial decision, we chatted with one of our stylists here at Città, Federica Contardi, and our head of furniture and 3D design, David Moreland. Here are their tips on choosing the perfect sofa for your home.
Size it up
First things first, you need to measure your floor area to know what you’re working with. Federica says you can visualise your potential sofa by marking the measurements on the floor with masking tape. David explains Città’s custom-made sofa collection works around your space. For example, the Aiko Sofa is fully customisable with modular chairs, chaise and ottomans that can be configured to suit your living room. For small spaces, Federica suggests going for the Eve Sofa. The sofa’s elegant, streamlined style makes it perfectly suited for apartment living. She points out spaces can appear bigger when a sofa is elevated by legs—such as with the Eve or Hem Sofa. “Seeing the ground underneath the sofa helps to make the space appear bigger,” she explains.
What’s your (life)style?
Knowing you and your home’s style should be an important consideration. To help define this, Federica suggests creating a mood board for your living room and wider home. You can do this on Pinterest or by cutting out images, colours and textures from magazines. Consider what complements your existing furniture and home. Straight lines feel modern, while round shapes feel traditional and cosy. Planning is high on David’s agenda, too. “Don’t rush into it,” he advises. “You’ll be living with this piece for a long time.”
How do you actually use your sofa?
David says it’s important to consider where your potential sofa will live and how it will be used. “Is it for watching TV in your living room or will it get trashed in a kid’s bedroom?” he asks. Federica further explains you should think about how you sit on your sofa. Do you sit upright with your feet on the ground? Do you lay down with your legs up? Keep these personal preferences in mind when trialling sofas in store.
Materials matter
The fabric and framing form the look and feel of your sofa. David explains here at Città we work with New Zealand’s leading fabric houses. Our sofas are customised with your choice of fabric type and colour—with options including luxurious velvet, snug wool and textured jacquard. Better yet, you can also order any number of scatter cushions in the same fabric as your couch. The Hem Sofa also allows you to choose between metal or wooden legs with the latter creating a softer, organic look.
Show your colours
And now for the fun part… choosing the colour of your sofa. Federica advises avoiding trend colours and opting for something neutral instead. If you have a pet who likes to snuggle on your sofa with you, she says it’s a good idea to go for a darker shade. Federica further explains you can easily inject colour and texture with cushions, throws or even an ottoman. “You can refresh the look seasonally by rotating cushion covers,” she suggests. “Cushions complete the look.”
Città’s sofas are designed in our Auckland studio by David Moreland and Nikolai Sorensen. They are made by a local manufacturer with 25 years of experience making both commercial and residential furniture. Check out the collection here.
We loved watching the teams renovate their living and media room on Three’s The Block NZ. Tune in on Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm or catch up ThreeNow.
