Sofa buying guide: how to buy a sofa

Buying a new sofa doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does take time and consideration. 

You need to pick a style that suits your space, a colour you love, a material that lasts and – after all that – it has to actually fit through the front door.

Get to grips with the various sizes, fillings and finishes before you part with your cash. 

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Sofa styles

Style is one of the most important considerations when choosing a new sofa.

Don’t just think about what you like the look of – consider the scheme of your living room, and the size of the space. 

Click through the gallery to see some of the most common sofa styles.

Not sure where to buy a sofa? Discover the best sofa shops, as revealed by our customer survey.

Sofa fabrics: pros and cons

Whether you go for soft leather or a relaxed-look linen, your sofa fabric will set the tone for your living room. Plus, according to our research, it can also determine the durability of your sofa. 

Here we summarise the key pros and cons of popular sofa fabrics.

Cotton and wool blends

Pros:

• There's a huge range of colours and patterns to choose from.
• Cotton and wool-blend sofas tend to feel comfortable and are easy to clean.
• They are super-durable fabrics. In our survey of more than 2,000 Which? members who had bought a sofa in the past 10 years, almost 80% of wool-blend sofa owners reported their sofa had no damage. Combining synthetic and natural fibres can bring out the best in both materials – for example, wool is naturally warm, and adding polyester can help it to hold its shape. 

Cons:

• Natural-blend fabrics, especially those including wool, are prone to pilling – so they do require some upkeep to remain looking as good as new. 

Leather

Pros:

• Leather ages beautifully – it softens with age, and scuffs or marks only add to its character.
• It's very durable and easy to clean. 

Cons:

• The main disadvantage to leather is the price. It's a real investment sofa fabric.
• Can feel chilly to touch when you first sit down in the winter and get hot and sticky in summer.

Synthetic materials

Pros:

• Once considered a poor alternative to natural fibres, new and innovative synthetic sofa materials are often brilliantly durable and low maintenance. Some of the most durable types include:

Microfibre – because of its tightly woven fibres, microfibre is a stain fighting, colour-holding champion.
Polyester – like microfibre, polyester is highly stain-resistant and durable, but it does need a little more upkeep than other options.
Olefin – this material was designed to be an even more fade-resistant alternative to polyester. A great option if you want a brightly patterned or dark-coloured sofa.

• Cost effective options are available.

Cons:

• Some synthetic fibres can be less durable than natural.

Velvet

Pros:

• It's on-trend. Velvet sofas are experiencing a resurgence in popularity at the moment, because they're a beautiful and luxury living room addition.
• Velvet is soft to the touch and gives depth to flat colour.

Cons:

• It can develop natural lines, bruises and shading over time.
• You'll need to treat it with care to keep it looking its best as it does show spills.

Faux leather

Pros:

• As a cheap alternative to real leather, faux leather can be an appealing choice.

Cons:

• Faux leather is not durable. It's prone to cracking, peeling and developing holes. In our survey, 45% of faux leather sofa owners reported their sofa was damaged in the 10 years since they bought it.

See our guide to the most durable sofa fabrics for more information. 

Sofa fillings

Although it’s not the most interesting part of buying a sofa, it's important to think about the filling as it affects how comfy the sofa is to snuggle up on.

The main three sofa fillings are fibre, foam and feathers. You might also opt for a blend of two or all of these options. 

Blended fillings

Sofas containing a blend of different filling types are becoming more popular. 

Feathers on their own can clump together, so feather is often mixed with foam to create a soft sofa to sink into. 

On the other hand, feathers can be combined with fibre to give cushions a little extra resilience.

Feather

Natural, luxurious and comfy, a feather-filled sofa invites you to sit down and sink in. Feathers provide a softer, less structured look than foam. 

However, that sink-in feeling comes at a price: cushions will need regular plumping and turning to keep their generous rounded look and soft support.

Fibre

Crafted from hollow polyester strands pumped full of air, fibre fillings compress when you sit, making it feel like your sofa is giving you a big hug at the end of the day.

Fibre sofas have a soft, relaxed feel and a plump appearance. 

However, they require a fair bit of upkeep to preserve their appearance. Plumping and turning cushions every day is important to maintain the feather-like feel.

Foam

Of all the fillings, foam provides the firmest support and a more structured appearance. 

Foam sofas keep their tailored shape even with constant use and require very little maintenance, although occasional cushion turn will ensure the sofa wears evenly. 

You can choose the density of your foam depending on how firm you want your sofa. A higher-density foam will be firmer (and better maintain its shape).

All new foam loses about 15% of its hardness over the first six months of use. This means that a foam sofa may initially feel a little firmer than it might have done when you tried out in store. Expect a foam sofa to lose a little volume in time.

Check out our guide to cleaning a sofa for more maintenance tips. 

Sofa styling tips

Styling your sofa starts with choosing the right one for your space. 

If your living room is small, create the illusion of space with a low-back sofa with slim legs and a gap between the sofa and the floor. A common mistake is squeezing a large sofa into a space that's too small for it. Let your sofa breathe by giving it the room it needs. 

If space isn't an issue, then high-back sofas look great in rooms with high ceilings. Modular sofas enhance open-plan rooms and offer flexibility, so consider a corner sofa with a removable chaise section or two.

Once you have your sofa, consider buying some accessories to dress it up. Click through the gallery for some sofa style inspiration.

Considering a sofa bed? See our guide to how to buy a sofa bed for more. 

Should you try a sofa before you buy it?

With more of us shopping online for anything from groceries to holidays, it might seem natural to buy a sofa online too. 

However, trying your sofa in the store is often the only real way to know whether it’s comfortable – and the only way you can judge its quality as well. 

If you can, it's a good idea to try out sofas in several shops to compare and contrast price, quality as well as comfort. Spend time trying different sofas out, even designs you might not obviously like, as you might be surprised by what you find comfortable.

If you aren’t able to visit the shop and test out your sofa before buying it, make sure you buy from a shop with a returns policy that allows you to return the sofa if you're dissatisfied with it when it arrives. 

Different shops have different return policies, so check this before you buy.

Our guide to the best sofa shops includes a section on the shops with the best guarantees and return policies.