Living Room Furniture-Maybe you've just bought a new
house, or are looking to spruce up your home decor. Shopping for home
furnishings and choosing your home living room furniture can be a daunting task. So get comfortable, look
around, and let us help you with your home decor shopping and finding the living room furniture perfect for you. If
you have no idea where to start, look in your closet and see what you choose to
wear. A closet full of neutral colors with few embellishments means modern
living room furniture might feel right to you. If you have always owned a leather
jacket, a leather sofa is probably going to feel more your style than a fabric
couch.
Next, take a list of the living
room furniture you'd like to have.Take
measurements of your room and place tape on the floor while figuring those
items into your measurements. Consider the traffic flow and allow space to
comfortably walk around your furniture.
Sofas
and Sectional Sofas -sectionals and sofas are the largest
pieces of furniture in living rooms. Decorating is inspired by the sofa;
friends and family use and abuse the sofa; but with all of the sofas, sofa
sets, and sectional sofas available, basing your choice solely on looks will
only get you so far. Let us help you know how to buy a sofa you'll love without
the usual confusion surrounding sofa shopping.
When
shopping online for your sofa, there are several things to keep in mind:
·Material
·Size
and type
·Style
Sofa Material
Pay careful
attention to sofa fabric.It needs to be
made to withstand serious wear and tear from children, pets, and everyday
use.Otherwise it will age rapidly.When selecting your sofa fabric, take into
consideration a few things:
·Intended
use for sofa:Is the couch going to be used occasionally or
everyday?
·Lifestyle:Do you sit
on your sofa to watch big sports games and invite the neighborhood, or will
pets and kids be on the couch bouncing around?
·Style:Does the
home reflect a casual or formal or casual style?
·Sofa
Placement:Will the sofa be in a family room where kids
play on it or in a room where only guests use it?
Tightly woven fabrics and blends
tend to last longer than other fabrics, like velvet, which can wear out over
time. Loosely woven fabrics have larger holes, which can catch on things, such
as a watch, belt buckle or clothing ornamentation. If you have a busy lifestyle
that includes kids, microfiber is durable and easy to clean.
Leather is also durable and easy
to clean (brushed leather will spot when wet). Leather is also more expensive.
Leather-match, which is a leather and vinyl combination, has made leather sofas
much more affordable.
Sofa Size and Type
Depending on your needs, there
are various sizes and types of sofas.
·Sofas: Regular sofas range anywhere from 6
to 8 feet long and can fit two to three people comfortably. This type of sofa
will fit comfortably in most living rooms. Make sure you leave enough room to walk
around your living room furniture. At ShipAroom.com we carry hundreds of Leather Sofa Sets and Microfiber Sofa Sets.
·Loveseats: Range from 5 to 6 feet in length and
can fit two people comfortably. Loveseats are perfect for small spaces, like
apartments, dens and even bedrooms.
·Sectional sofas: Sectionals are fantastic for many
spaces. They range anywhere from 9 to 14 feet and can fit many people
comfortably. For large living rooms and family rooms sectional sofas are
perfect. You can also separate pieces and use them in smaller spaces. At ShipAroom.com we carry hundreds of Leather Sectional Sofas and Microfiber Sectional Sofas.
Sofa Style
The sofa style you need depends
on your individual taste and preference.The main components of a sofas design include the arms and cushions,
back style, the feet, and the skirt.
·Sofa Arms:Sofa arms can be low,
high, curved, or square, upholstered, or bare wooden arms.
·Sofa Cushions:Sofa cushions can
be loose or strapped in place.The
number of cushions usually dictates how many people can sit on sofa.Loose cushions may be flipped over to hide
stains or wear and tear.
·Back Style:Tight back sofas can have
a formal or contemporary look.Formal
sofa features would include buttons, while a sleek, smooth one piece back has a
contemporary look.Loose back sofas are
casual and comfortable as they can be removed.
·Sofa Feet:Traditional sofa feet are
carved out of wood and ornate.More
modern sofa feet are sleek and straight, made of wood or metal.
·Sofa Skirt: Skirts are along the bottom of the sofa to hide the feet and
provide style.Some skirts look formal
and others casual.Not all sofas come
with a skirt.
Coffee Tables - There are a few important things to consider
before purchasing a coffee table.The
main areas of concentration: size, function, and form.
Size:
Before purchasing a coffee table, consider proportion.You don’t want a piece that dwarfs its
surroundings or vice versa.If you’re
thinking of a classic oblong table, go with one that’s half the couch’s length
of shorter (usually 44 to 48 inches) and about 22 to 30 inches wide.The oversize square is trendy these days, but
whether you choose that or a rectangle, make sure there are about two to three
feet between the piece and the surrounding furniture, so people can move around
easily.In tight quarters, a round table
(with a maximum diameter of 36 inches) may be your best bet, since a circle is
less difficult to navigate (no sharp corners) and works nicely with both love
seats and L-shaped sectionals.Whatever
shape you select, look for a table about the same height as your sofa’s seat
(typically 18-20 inches) to create a strong horizontal line that will help
unify the room.
Function:
As the architectural adage goes, form follows function – or at least is
should.So when deciding which table to
buy, as yourself how you’ll use it.Will
it hold your magazine collection?Be
your central serving spot at parties?Provide a perch for your favorite decorative items?People who love to entertain should consider
circular or elliptical pieces, which guests will naturally gather around.If you need more storage, check out lift tops
(great for storing blankets, movies, etc.), Mission tables (with a low shelf
for magazines and books), or tables with drawers, like apothecaries (for photo
albums).Glass is the easiest surface to
keep clean, if it’s one interrupted sheet, and some models are sleek showcases
for collectibles, protecting them from dust underneath a glass top.Two warnings:If you have young kids, steer clear of glass tables – the edges can be
dangerous unless set in a frame
Form:
If
you’re in the market for a bargain, you may be tempted to buy an under-$30
particleboard number covered in a veneer. But with regular to heavy use (think
everything from kids doing school projects to guests sitting down on it), that
kind of table will probably scratch and stain; plus, any veneer may peel.
Better budget choices: treated wicker, reed, or bamboo, are sturdy enough to
hold even the heaviest pile of books. (Bonus: Investing in sustainable
materials like these is a good green move.) If you’re looking for a family-friendly
piece that’s also a keeper, consider solid wood, which most experts recommend
for its durability and versatility. There are endless styles to choose from in
a wide range of prices.Also long
lasting, albeit not as warm looking: glass or molded acrylic, which create the
illusion of space.In truth, a coffee
table can be made of anything — cork, copper, aluminum, driftwood, or even an
antique door. What matters most is that it suits your taste
