So, you’re buying some new living room furniture? You think you’re just going to go to the store and pick out a couch, take it home and have it be the most perfect couch ever? There are always things to consider before making important purchasing decisions such as lounge furniture, so today, we’ve listed a solid five things that you won’t want to forget.

Take Your Measurements 

This is a huge one for worst-case scenarios, and it happens all too often. Never go shopping for your home furniture without first taking proper measurements of the space – and writing them down. Imagine going into a store and absolutely falling in love with a three-seater without knowing if you can even get it home! In this situation people are prone to rushing to conclusions and thinking ‘that looks about the right size’ but this is not the time to take gambles. Imagine all the time and money wasted getting that hefty piece of furniture into your home only to discover it half covers the doorway.

Prototype

One step further than just taking down some quick measurements is to go the extra mile and visualise what furniture you can fit in the space. You can do this in the form of drawing a scale floor plan on some graphics paper, or if you’re tech savvy, try modelling the space on a CAD program. If these technical processes freak you out, a really simple way to do this is just to get some good ol’ fashioned masking tape and mark outlines of some furniture on the living room floor.

This allows you to actually see for yourself what furniture will fit in the room, and how you will be able to walk around it and interact with it. If you draw your masking tape lines and then realise you only left yourself a very skinny walking path between the couch and the coffee table you’ll be grateful you tested things out before spending any money.

Think about Logistics

If you’ve ever seen the TV show friends, you’ll remember the iconic episode where Ross buys a new sofa, only to get it home and realise – his apartment is on the third floor. Surely the image of Rachel and Chandler absolutely jammed between a sofa and a hard place while Ross screams ‘PIVOT’ in sheer panic at the thought of his new sofa not being able to make it up the stairs. I know I definitely learned my lesson when, at the end of the episode, he attempts to return it to the store and they don’t believe his story that the chair ‘just came like that’ after it split completely in two. All I’m saying here is, don’t let this be you.

Five-things-to-consider-before-buying-lounge-furniture

Prioritise Ergonomics

Technology is constantly evolving, and so are our expectations of comfort. Ergonomics – for those of you who aren’t aware, is the study of making products that have been optimised for human use. In terms of furniture, this can relate to comfort, accessibility and overall user experience. Ergonomic lounge suites are not hard to come by, and you shouldn’t settle for any less when buying your lounge furniture. 

Good ergonomics in lounge furniture was prevalent in federal American and mid-century Scandinavian furniture. Firm cushioning made with hand-tied coiled springs was a revolutionary breakthrough in comfort of these periods, so they can be good to look out for. Modern furniture is often filled with foam instead, which can still have good ergonomics if the foam-density is of high quality – at least 2.4.

Mainly, the easiest way to measure ergonomics is to try out furniture before you buy it. If a lounge suite has you seated comfortably in an upright position – not hunched forward or leaning horrendously far back as if you are in a racing car seat. You are the designed user of the furniture, so a good piece should be designed to be comfortable for you. If it’s not, it isn’t worth a place in your living room.

 

Consider Allium Interiors for Your Lounge Furniture

Once you have considered all these things, you’re about ready to buy your lounge furniture! If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by this article, don’t fret, Allium Interiors has a huge range of quality furniture that you can shop for online and in-store.

We are a group of interior designers that can also offer design consultancy services to any customer. Get in touch with us today to solve all your lounge furniture queries.