How to Choose a Sofa: The Complete Buying Guide

The 5 Questions to Answer Before Buying a Sofa

Choosing a sofa is one of the most significant purchases in a home — it will define the room, be used daily for years, and is expensive to replace if you get it wrong. Most people focus on appearance first and discover the practical problems later. This guide reverses that — answer the five practical questions first and the aesthetic decisions become much easier.

1. What Size Sofa Will Actually Fit?

The most common sofa buying mistake is size. People routinely buy sofas that are too small for their room — the sofa floats in the middle of the space and the room looks unanchored. As a rule a sofa should reach at least two-thirds of the length of the wall it sits against. For a standard UK living room (4.2 × 3.6m) a three-seater of around 230–250cm is almost always the right minimum. Leave at least 90cm of walkway in front of the sofa. For corner sofas measure the diagonal of the available corner space.

2. Will It Fit Through the Door?

This is the question that causes the most distress on delivery day. A standard two or three seater sofa on a fixed frame is typically 85–95cm deep and 200–250cm wide. Standard UK/EU doorways are 76–82cm wide. A sofa going in flat will not fit. The key measurements are: the height of the sofa (can it tip on its side to get around a stair bend?) and whether the legs are removable. Modular sofas solve this problem entirely — each section ships separately and fits through any standard doorway.

Merlot Modular Sofa — from EUR 1,099
Each section ships separately and fits through any standard doorway. Fully modular design means it can be reconfigured if you move.

3. Corner Sofa or Straight Sofa?

A corner sofa makes sense if you have an alcove or corner to fill, if you regularly seat more than three people, or if you want to zone an open-plan space. A straight sofa makes sense in a narrow room, in a room that is used in multiple arrangements, or if the corner position doesn't align with your window and TV placement. Do not force a corner sofa into a space that doesn't have a natural corner — it will look awkward and block flow.

Asti Corner Sofa — from EUR 999
Clean-lined L-shape with generous seat depth. Available in multiple fabric colours including warm neutrals and bold tones.

4. What Fabric Should You Choose?

If you have pets or children choose a tightly woven performance fabric — chenille, microfibre, or boucle — rather than velvet or loose weave. Mid-tone fabrics (warm grey, sage, sand, toffee) hide everyday use far better than cream or ivory. Darker fabrics (forest green, charcoal, navy) show lint more readily but rarely show stains. The best real-world sofa fabric is whatever you won't be anxious about.

Lugano Collection — from EUR 799
The Lugano range offers premium chenille fabric in Wolf Sand, Toffee, Light Grey, and Khaki — all designed for real-world durability.

5. Do You Need a Pull-Out Bed?

If guests sleep over even occasionally a sofa bed is worth considering. Modern pull-out sofa beds look and feel identical to standard sofas from the outside — the difference only becomes apparent when the bed is deployed. They are typically 5–10cm deeper than a comparable sofa which is often experienced as a bonus. Both the Riva and Torino offer this option.

Browse the Full Range at Furni

Explore the complete sofa range at Furni: modular sofas, corner sofas, and the Lugano collection.