How to Choose a Sofa: Size, Fabric, Comfort and Style Guide

Here is how to choose a sofa in a nutshell: measure your room and your doorways first, decide how many people need to sit and whether anyone lies down on it, pick a seat depth and height that suit the people who'll use it most, then choose a fabric that can stand up to your household. Style comes last. A beautiful sofa that won't fit through the hallway, or that swallows your shorter family members whole, is a sofa you'll regret.

We sell sofas at Easy Life Markets, from compact sofa beds to 129 inch modular cloud couches, and the questions we get most are about size, comfort and how the thing actually arrives. So this guide is practical. It covers measuring, sofa shapes, seat depth and height, frames and filling, fabrics and how to read durability ratings, cleaning codes, and which of our sofas suits which kind of home. Where we rely on an outside fact, we link to it so you can check it.

What This Guide Covers

• How to choose a sofa: the short checklist
• Measure the room, then the route in
• Sofa shapes and what they're good for
• Seat depth, seat height and comfort
• Frames, springs and filling
• Fabric, durability and cleaning codes
• Choosing for kids, pets and small spaces
• The sofas we sell
• Frequently asked questions

How to Choose a Sofa: The Short Checklist

1. Room size: the sofa should leave clear walkways and space for a coffee table.
2. Access: check every doorway, stair turn and lift on the way in, or choose a modular or compressed sofa.
3. Seats: count people who sit at the same time on a normal evening, not the maximum at a party.
4. Seat depth: shallow for upright sitting and shorter people, deep for lounging and taller people.
5. Seat height: lower looks relaxed; higher is easier to get in and out of.
6. Fabric: pick for your household, kids and pets included, and check how it's cleaned.
7. Function: do you need a sofa bed, a recliner, storage or a shape you can rearrange?
8. Style: once all of the above is settled, choose the look you love.

The rest of this guide goes through each point, with examples from our own range.

Measure the Room, Then the Route In

Every guide on how to choose a sofa says "measure," but most only mention the room. The room is half the job. The other half is getting the sofa into it.

Measuring the Room

• Wall length. Measure the wall or space where the sofa will sit. A sofa usually looks best with some breathing room at each end, rather than jammed corner to corner.
• Depth into the room. Sofa depth eats floor space quickly. A deep lounging sofa can be 165 cm (65 inches) or more front to back, and a sectional with a chaise more still.
• Walkways. Leave a comfortable path past the sofa and around the coffee table. Our living room layout guide covers common spacing rules for walkways and the gap between sofa and coffee table.
• Windows and radiators. Note window sill heights, heaters and sockets. A high-backed sofa in front of a low window blocks light; a sofa pushed against a radiator blocks heat.
• The TV. If the sofa faces a TV, think about viewing distance and screen height together. Our guide on how to choose a TV stand covers both.

A Quick Way to Test Size

Mark the sofa's footprint on the floor with masking tape or lay out old sheets folded to the right size. Leave it for a day or two. Walk around it, open doors, pull out chairs. It's the cheapest way to find out a sofa is too big before it arrives.

Measuring the Route In

This is where people get caught out. Measure:

• The width and height of every doorway on the way in, including the front door and the room door.
• Hallway width, and any tight turns, especially where a hallway meets a door at a right angle.
• Stairwells, including the ceiling height where the stairs turn.
• Lifts, if you live in a flat: door width, internal depth and height.

A sofa can often be tilted on end or angled through a door, so the key figures are its height and depth, not just its width. If the numbers are tight, there are three easy ways round it. Choose a sofa that ships in several cartons, choose a modular sofa that arrives in pieces, or choose one that's vacuum-compressed. Our 114.9 inch boneless boucle sectional is compressed for delivery, which is how a sofa nearly three metres long arrives in two cartons, and our folding corduroy sofa bed comes vacuum-sealed in a carton of about 12.6 x 12.2 x 37.8 inches.

Sofa Shapes and What They're Good For

Part of how to choose a sofa is picking the right shape. The same room can feel cramped or generous depending on this choice alone.

Loveseats and Two-Seaters

Good for small living rooms, bedrooms, dens and as a second sofa. Our recliner loveseat is 65.5 inches (166.5 cm) wide, with a separate manual recline on each seat and a centre console with cup holders between them. According to the listing, each seat tips back from about 105 to 140 degrees.

Three-Seaters

The default family sofa. Three adults can sit without anyone perching if the inside seat width is generous. Our 81 inch green fabric sofa has a listed inside seat width of 60 inches, and our 87 inch navy velvet channel tufted sofa gives a little more length for a bigger room.

Sectionals and Corner Sofas

L-shapes, U-shapes and sofas with a chaise seat more people and give space to stretch out. They need more floor area and work best when they define a zone, for example backing onto a dining area in an open-plan room. Think about which side the chaise goes on before you order, unless the sofa lets you swap it.

Modular Sofas

Modular sofas come as separate blocks you arrange yourself, and they're the most flexible option if you move house often or like to rearrange. Our 104 inch beige modular sofa clips together with rings and carabiners, and the tufted modular sofa sections are sold piece by piece (left arm, right arm, armless, large and small footstool), so you can build exactly the size you need and add to it later.

Cloud Couches and Deep Lounge Sofas

Low, wide and very deep, with thick loose cushions you sink into. Great for lounging, films and naps; less great for sitting bolt upright. Our oversized cloud couch is listed at 129.8 x 66.1 x 31.1 inches with four seats and two ottomans, and the U-shaped grey chenille cloud couch uses two ottomans to close the U.

Curved Sofas

Curved sofas soften a square room and work well floating in an open space, facing a fireplace or a view. They take more floor than a straight sofa of the same seat count. Our curved five-seat sectional in orange eco-leather is listed at 128.74 x 63.78 x 26.37 inches, with a rounded chaise at one end.

Sofa Beds and Futons

For studio flats, home offices that double as guest rooms and anyone who has visitors stay over. Check two sizes: the sofa size and the opened bed size, plus the floor space it needs when opened. Our green teddy fabric futon sofa bed is 70.1 inches wide as a sofa and opens to about 79.9 x 37.8 inches as a bed.

Floor Sofas and Lazy Chairs

Legless loungers and folding floor chairs suit small rooms, gaming corners and kids' spaces. They're easy to move and store. See our tatami floor chair, folding chair bed with six-position backrest, legless folding floor chair, wave lounge chair and teardrop bean bag chair.

Seat Depth, Seat Height and Comfort

Comfort is personal, but it isn't a mystery. Three measurements decide most of it, and they're the part of how to choose a sofa that online shoppers skip because they can't sit on it first.

Seat Depth

Seat depth is the distance from the front edge of the seat to the back cushion. It decides whether you sit upright with your feet on the floor or sink back with your legs tucked up.

• Shallower seats suit shorter people, older people, anyone who likes to sit upright, and rooms used for conversation more than lounging.
• Deeper seats suit taller people, nappers and families who curl up for films. Our 78 inch boucle sofa has a listed seat depth of 26 inches, which is on the generous side.
• Mixed households can split the difference with a deep sofa and a few firm back cushions or throw pillows, which effectively make the seat shallower for whoever needs it.

A simple test at home: sit on a dining chair pushed back against the wall and measure from the wall to the back of your knees. That's roughly the depth that lets your back reach the cushion while your feet stay on the floor.

Seat Height

Seat height is the distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. Lower seats look relaxed and modern, but they're harder to get out of. Higher seats are easier on knees and hips. The boucle sofa above has a low 15.5 inch seat height, which suits its lounge-style look; if anyone in the house struggles to stand up from low chairs, look for a higher seat.

Back Height

Low backs keep a room feeling open and look good floating in the middle of a space. High backs support your head and shoulders and are better for long TV sessions. If you nap on the sofa, check the arm height too, since the arm is where your head ends up.

Arms

Wide, padded arms like the pillow-top arms on our green three-seater double as headrests. Slim arms give you more seat width for the same overall length, which matters in a small room. Armless modular pieces give the most seating in the least space. Arm style looks like a small detail, but in a tight room it's a real part of how to choose a sofa.

Cushion Feel

• Firm cushions hold their shape and give support. Good for upright sitting and people with back niggles.
• Soft cushions feel cosy straight away but need plumping and may slump over time.
• Slow-release foam, as the supplier describes the filling in our oversized cloud couch, gives way gradually as you sit and recovers when you get up.
• Shredded foam and fibre gives a squashy, cloud-like feel, as in our U-shaped cloud couch. Expect to shake and plump these regularly.

Frames, Springs and Filling

You can't see inside a sofa in a photo, so this is where product listings matter. When you look at how to choose a sofa that lasts, read the listing for the frame material, the seat support and the filling.

Frames

• Solid wood frames are the traditional choice. Our modular sofa sections list a birch wood frame, and the futon sofa bed a eucalyptus wood frame.
• Engineered wood (plywood, particleboard or MDF) is common in more affordable furniture. It works, but quality varies.
• Frameless or "boneless" sofas have no wooden or metal frame at all. Our boneless boucle sectional is made from blocks of high-density foam with pocket springs inside, so there are no hard edges to knock into, which is handy with toddlers.

Seat Support

Under the cushions, sofas usually sit on webbing, sinuous (zig-zag) springs or pocket springs. Pocket springs, where each spring sits in its own fabric pocket, tend to give a more even feel. If a listing doesn't say, ask the seller.

Filling

Foam density and the mix of foam, fibre and feathers decide how a cushion feels and how it ages. Denser foam usually lasts longer. Our kids play couch, for example, lists 25D sponge. Loose fibre-filled backs need plumping; fixed backs stay neat but can't be turned. If you're working out how to choose a sofa on a tight budget, the filling is often where quality differences show up, so read that part of the listing closely.

Load Ratings

Some suppliers give a weight rating per seat. Our oversized cloud couch is rated at 300 lb per seat by the supplier. Where a listing gives a figure, it's a useful sign the maker has thought about it. Where it doesn't, ask us.

New-Furniture Smell

New furniture can smell for a while, especially when it arrives compressed and sealed. The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that pressed wood products such as particleboard and medium density fibreboard used in furniture are a source of formaldehyde indoors, and it recommends increasing ventilation after new sources are brought into the home. In plain terms: unpack a new sofa in a room with the windows open, and let compressed foam breathe and expand for the time the instructions give before you judge the feel.

Fabric, Durability and Cleaning Codes

Fabric is the most visible choice and the one that decides how a sofa looks in two years' time. This section of how to choose a sofa is where a little knowledge saves a lot of disappointment.

Common Sofa Fabrics

Reading Durability Ratings: Double Rubs and Martindale

Some fabrics come with an abrasion rating. In North America this is usually the Wyzenbeek test, given in "double rubs," and elsewhere the Martindale test, given in cycles. Sailrite's guide to double rubs and the Wyzenbeek test explains that one double rub is one back-and-forth stroke, and it describes 9,000 to 15,000 double rubs as medium duty, suitable for living or family rooms, and 30,000 or more as heavy duty for high-traffic areas.

The Association for Contract Textiles, which sets voluntary guidelines for commercial fabrics, uses similar thresholds. As summarised on Architex's page of ACT performance guidelines, low-traffic upholstery should reach 15,000 Wyzenbeek double rubs or 20,000 Martindale cycles, and high-traffic upholstery 30,000 double rubs or 40,000 Martindale cycles.

Two caveats. First, many home sofas, including most of the ones sold online, don't publish an abrasion figure at all, so you'll often be judging on fabric type and reviews. Second, abrasion is only one measure. Pilling, fading, snagging and how well a fabric cleans matter just as much day to day.

Cleaning Codes

Many upholstered sofas carry a cleaning code on a tag under the seat cushion or on the base. Rainbow Restoration's guide to furniture cleaning codes explains the usual letters:

• W: water-based cleaners are safe. That doesn't mean the cover can go in the washing machine.
• S: solvent-based cleaners only, for spot cleaning; no water.
• S/W or SW: either water-based or solvent-based spot cleaners can be used.
• X: vacuum only.

Cushion covers can carry their own tags with different instructions, so check each one. If you want covers you can take off and wash, look for that in the listing. The supplier says the covers on our tufted modular sofa sections can be removed and washed, and the kids play couch has zipped covers.

Colour

Light colours make a small room feel bigger but show marks. Mid-tones, heathered and textured fabrics hide everyday wear best. Strong colours like navy, deep green or tan make the sofa the focal point of the room, so keep the rest of the room calmer. If you're nervous, pick a neutral sofa and bring in colour with cushions, throws and accent pieces. Our living room collection has tables and storage that tie the room together.

Choosing a Sofa for Kids, Pets and Small Spaces

Homes With Young Children

• Pick removable, washable covers, or a wipe-clean finish such as eco-leather.
• Mid-tone or patterned fabrics hide spills better than pale plain ones.
• Rounded or frameless designs have no hard corners. Our boneless boucle sectional is soft all the way round.
• A kids play couch gives children their own seating and building blocks, and saves the main sofa from being used as a climbing frame.

Homes With Pets

Pets change how to choose a sofa more than almost anything else, mainly because of claws and hair.

• Tightly woven fabrics and faux leather resist claws better than loose loops like boucle.
• Velvet and teddy fabrics show hair, so plan on a regular brush or lint roller.
• A throw over the pet's favourite spot is cheaper than a new cover.

Small Flats and Studios

In a small space, how to choose a sofa mostly comes down to scale and doing more than one job.

• Choose slim arms, raised legs (you can see the floor underneath, which makes a room feel bigger) and a lower back.
• A sofa bed or futon means you don't need a separate guest bed. Our futon sofa bed only needs its legs screwed on, according to the supplier.
• Floor sofas and folding chairs like our tatami floor chair can be put away when you need the space.
• Pair the sofa with smart storage. Our storage and shelving and storage and organisation collections help keep a small living room tidy.

Rooms That Change

If you rent, move often or like to rearrange, a modular sofa is the safest bet. You can go from a straight sofa to an L-shape to two separate seating areas without buying anything new. That flexibility is a big part of how to choose a sofa you'll keep for years rather than just for this flat.

The Sofas We Sell

Here's our current range of sofas, with the figures taken from each product listing. Prices, colours and current availability are on each product page. If you're still deciding how to choose a sofa from our range, the table is a good place to start: match the size column to your room and the "best for" column to your household.

Boucle Sofa, 78 Inch, 3 Seater

Round, soft and cloud-like, with thick rolled arms, three puffy back cushions and three small throw pillows. It sits low with a deep seat, so it's made for leaning back rather than perching.

Short spec: 78 x 31.5 x 30 in; seat depth 26 in; seat height 15.5 in; boucle fabric in beige; 3 throw pillows included.

Channel Tufted Sofa, 87 Inch, Navy Velvet

A tailored three-seater with vertical channels down the back, front and square arms, on low gold-tone block feet. The supplier describes it as a modern take on a Chesterfield.

Short spec: 87.01 x 33.86 x 27.56 in; navy blue velvet; ships in three cartons according to the listing.

Oversized Cloud Couch, 129.8 Inch

Four wide, deep seat modules and two ottomans that slot in front of any seat to make a chaise, or push together into a daybed. Each module moves on its own.

Short spec: 129.8 x 66.1 x 31.1 in assembled; 4 seats plus 2 ottomans; antique grey; supplier rating 300 lb per seat; slow-release foam filling.

Boneless Boucle Modular Sectional, 114.9 Inch

No frame at all, just foam-and-spring modules upholstered all round, two of them with curved ends. It arrives compressed in two cartons and expands after unpacking.

Short spec: 114.9 x 64.5 x 30.7 in as shown; seats 6; grey boucle; 6 pillows included; high-density foam with pocket springs.

Curved Sectional Sofa, 5 Seat

A sweeping, kidney-shaped front and a rounded chaise at the right-hand end as you face it, in warm orange eco-leather on a wood frame.

Short spec: 128.74 x 63.78 x 26.37 in; 5 seats; orange eco-leather; ships in two packages; loose back cushions and pillows.

Recliner Loveseat With Centre Console

Two seats that recline independently, with a storage console and cup holders in between. A good fit for a TV room where a full reclining sofa won't fit.

Short spec: 65.5 in (166.5 cm) wide; manual recline about 105 to 140 degrees per seat; brown; ships in three boxes according to the supplier.

Futon Sofa Bed, 70.1 Inch, Green Teddy

A compact two-seater whose back folds flat into a bed and whose arms fold out or down. It suits a studio, or a home office that doubles as a guest room.

Short spec: 70.1 in wide as a sofa; bed about 79.9 x 37.8 in; eucalyptus wood frame; foam filling; gold-tone metal legs; one carton, legs screw on.

Want help choosing between them? Contact us with your room size, doorway widths and how many people need to sit, and we'll help you narrow it down. You can browse everything in our sofas and couches and sofas and sectionals collections.

How to Choose a Sofa for Different Rooms

Living Rooms

This is where most people start. A three-seater or a sectional usually anchors the room, facing the TV or the fireplace, with a coffee table in front. If the living room is also where the family eats, plays and works, lean towards durable, easy-clean fabric and a shape you can rearrange.

TV Rooms and Dens

Comfort over looks. Deep seats, high backs or recliners, and somewhere to put a drink. Our recliner loveseat has cup holders built in, and a cloud couch with ottomans turns into a daybed for film nights.

Bedrooms and Guest Rooms

A small sofa or sofa bed gives a guest room a second job. When you think about how to choose a sofa for a room that also holds a bed, measure the opened bed size as well as the sofa size.

Home Offices

A compact sofa gives you somewhere to read, take calls or put up a visitor. A futon or folding sofa bed works well here. Our home office setup guide covers the desk, chair and lighting side of the room.

Playrooms and Kids' Rooms

Soft, low and washable. The kids play couch and floor sofas are made for exactly this kind of room.

Finishing the Room Around Your Sofa

Knowing how to choose a sofa is half the job. A sofa rarely works on its own, and these pieces make the room feel finished.

• Coffee table. Scale it to the sofa: roughly two-thirds of the sofa's length is a common rule of thumb. Our round lift-top coffee table with hidden storage doubles as a laptop desk, the round nesting coffee tables pull apart when you need more surface, and the upholstered corduroy nesting tables have soft edges, which helps around toddlers. More in our coffee tables collection.
• Side tables. A 2-tier side table at the end of the sofa holds a lamp, a drink and the remote.
• Glass tables for small rooms. A 2-tier tempered glass coffee table takes up less visual space, which helps a small living room feel open.
• TV stand. If the sofa faces a screen, see our TV stands and media units, such as the mid-century walnut console or the floating LED TV stand.
• Extra seating. A bean bag chair or wave lounge chair adds casual seats without crowding the room. See our chairs collection for more.
• Outdoor seating. For a balcony or patio, our outdoor furniture range includes a wicker coffee table with a glass top.

Buying a Sofa Online: What to Check

Since you can't sit on it first, a little homework goes a long way when you're figuring out how to choose a sofa online.

1. Read the full dimensions: width, depth, height, seat depth, seat height and arm height if given.
2. Check the packaging: how many cartons, how big, and whether it's compressed. This tells you if it'll get through your door.
3. Look for assembly notes: legs only, backs that slot on, or full module assembly.
4. Check fabric and care: removable covers, cleaning method and anything the listing says about the fill.
5. Look at every photo, including close-ups of fabric and legs, and the dimension diagram.
6. Read the delivery and returns terms before you order. Ours are on our shipping policy and return and refund policy pages.
7. Ask questions when the listing doesn't answer them. It's much easier to ask before the sofa arrives than after.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Sofa

Most sofa regrets come from a handful of slips. Keep these in mind as you work through how to choose a sofa.

• Forgetting the delivery route. The room fits; the stairwell doesn't.
• Choosing seat depth for the showroom, not the household. A deep lounge sofa can be awkward for shorter family members.
• Going too big. An oversized sofa in a small room blocks walkways and makes the space feel cramped.
• Ignoring the fabric's real-life use. Pale boucle and a muddy dog are not friends.
• Picking the wrong chaise side. Check which way a fixed chaise faces before ordering.
• Not budgeting for the rest of the room. A coffee table, side table and cushions finish the look.
• Judging compressed foam on day one. Give it the expansion time the instructions recommend.

Looking After Your Sofa

Part of how to choose a sofa is knowing how much looking after it will need. These habits help any sofa last longer.

• Vacuum regularly with an upholstery brush, especially in the creases.
• Flip and rotate reversible cushions every week or two so they wear evenly.
• Plump loose fibre or shredded-foam cushions often.
• Deal with spills straight away by blotting, not rubbing, and follow the cleaning code.
• Keep the sofa out of strong direct sunlight to slow fading.
• Brush velvet, teddy and boucle gently to keep the pile even.
• Check feet and fixings now and then, and tighten anything that has worked loose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first step in how to choose a sofa?

Measure. Measure the space, the walkways around it and every door, hall and stair on the way in. Size and access rule out more sofas than style ever will.

How do I choose a sofa size for my living room?

Measure the wall and the floor space, then leave room for walkways and a coffee table. Mark the footprint with tape for a day or two before you order. Check doorways, halls and stairs too, or choose a modular or compressed sofa.

What is a good seat depth for a sofa?

It depends on who uses it. Shallower seats suit upright sitting and shorter people; deeper seats suit lounging and taller people. Our 78 inch boucle sofa, for example, has a listed seat depth of 26 inches, which is on the deep side.

What is the most durable sofa fabric?

Tightly woven synthetics and faux leather tend to wear well and clean easily. If a fabric has an abrasion rating, 30,000 Wyzenbeek double rubs or 40,000 Martindale cycles is a common benchmark for heavy-duty use.

Is a modular sofa a good idea?

Yes, if you move often, have awkward access or like to rearrange. Modular sofas arrive in pieces and can change shape later. Our modular sofa sections are sold individually so you can add to them over time.

What does a cloud couch mean?

It's a low, very deep sofa with thick, soft, loose cushions that you sink into. Our oversized and U-shaped cloud couches both come with ottomans for stretching out.

What is a boneless sofa?

A sofa with no wooden or metal frame. Each module is upholstered foam, often with springs inside, so the whole sofa is soft and can usually be delivered compressed.

How do I know if a sofa will fit through my door?

Measure door width and height, hallway width, tight turns and stairwells, and compare with the sofa's height and depth as well as its width. If it's tight, choose a sofa that ships in pieces or compressed.

What do sofa cleaning codes mean?

W means water-based cleaners, S means solvent-based cleaners only, S/W means either, and X means vacuum only. Check every cushion tag, since they can differ.

Is a sofa bed comfortable enough for regular use?

It depends on the mattress or cushion and the frame. For occasional guests, a futon or folding sofa bed works well. Check the opened bed size and the floor space it needs when opened.

Should I buy a sofa with removable covers?

If you have children or pets, it helps a lot. When you think about how to choose a sofa for a busy home, washable covers or a wipe-clean finish like eco-leather save a lot of stress. The supplier says the covers on our modular sofa sections can be removed and washed.

Where can I buy a modern sofa online?

Easy Life Markets sells boucle, velvet, chenille, eco-leather and modular sofas, plus sofa beds and floor sofas. Browse our sofas and couches or see answers to common questions in our FAQ.

The Bottom Line on How to Choose a Sofa

Start with the tape measure, not the colour chart. Check the room and the route in, decide how many people sit and how they like to sit, pick a seat depth and height that suit them, and choose a fabric that matches your real life, kids, pets and all. Once that's settled, the style is the fun part. That's really all there is to how to choose a sofa that you'll still be happy sitting on years from now.

When you're ready, have a look at our boucle sofa, the navy velvet channel tufted sofa, our oversized cloud couch and the rest of our living room furniture and home furniture.

Sources and References

• Sailrite: What are double rubs and the Wyzenbeek test?
• Architex: Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) performance guidelines
• Rainbow Restoration: How to identify cleaning codes on furniture and upholstery
• US Environmental Protection Agency: Formaldehyde and indoor air quality