A close-up of a modern, plush sofa adorned with a mix of textured cushions in shades of peach, gray, and charcoal, complemented by a taupe throw blanket elegantly draped over one side.

How to Choose a Sofa

Your seating arrangement is the nucleus of a good living room. It should be conducive to conversation, relaxation, and pleasant togetherness in any corner. This means that you will need chairs and sofas to suit different tastes and purposes. The Conran Shop's modern, luxury buying guide will help you make a perfect choice. 

A cozy living room setting featuring plush white sofas and armchairs, a circular marble coffee table, and a bookshelf filled with books against a dark green wall. An abstract art piece and modern lighting add to the sophisticated ambiance.

Space & Size

If you are thinking of buying new furniture, it’s a good idea to work out dimensions, cut out paper models to scale, and then try them out on the room plan before committing.

Just because the sofa fits into the room, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get it down the hallway on delivery, so take careful measurements. We do recommend you complete your own Access Check before ordering.

We offer a comfortable range of pricing; whilst furniture is an important investment, good design doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank.

A cozy living room featuring a large, cushioned sectional sofa in a muted tone. The sofa is decorated with colorful throw pillows, including one with a modern art-inspired design and another with a playful character motif.

Style vs. Function

Whether you’re decorating a city pad or a country house, you’ll want to consider some style options, as well as the functions to be served by the room in question. Children and pets will also need to be taken into consideration, if you have them.

Whether your space is modern and minimal or more cosy and traditional we offer a range of styles to suit all interiors styles. Choose from the contemporary curves of our award winning Arbor, designed by Matthew Hilton for The Conran Shop, or explore the more classic shapes of Chiltern or Harper. All ready to upholster in our extensive range of fabrics, from luxurious Italian velvet, to richly textured Boucle.

A modern living room featuring two gray sofas facing each other with a glass coffee table in between, set on a plush beige rug. Behind the sofas is a large bookshelf filled with books and various decorative items, and a cluster of pendant lights hangs from the ceiling.

How Many Seats?

Two-seater sofas are useful because they take up much less space than do two easy chairs. They also give deep mass and weight to the composition of your furniture, which might otherwise look disjointed.

Bear in mind that while three-seater sofas will look nice in a large room with generous proportions, neither great comfort nor any real conversation is achievable by three people sat in a row, although they will take three TV watchers or music listeners.

A stylish bedroom features a plush bed with pink bedding, decorative pillows, modern side tables with globe lamps, and a colorful geometric rug.

Sofa Beds 

For multi-purpose rooms and smaller spaces, you may want to consider a sofa bed. As the need has grown to make use of every inch of space, the ubiquitous sofa bed is one of many ways to camouflage a sleeping area, or to maximise hospitality options in place of a guest bedroom.

With the increase in popularity, sofa beds have become easier to use as well. The latest designs offer stylish sofa beds without sacrificing sleekness or functionality. Sofa beds will either have a back that folds flat or a collapsible bed frame concealed within the base.

A sophisticated home office setup with a dark theme. The room features a plush emerald green velvet sofa adorned with striped cushions in shades of green, yellow, and gray. A sleek wooden desk with a stylish leather swivel chair is set against a navy blue wall lined with an illuminated shelf displaying an assortment of colorful art and design books.

Caring For Your Sofa

Your sofa is an investment and should last you at least ten years; longer if you take good care of it. Care instructions will vary, so always check the individual requirements for your furniture. In terms of general guidelines:

  • An uneven floor will damage the frame, so make sure your sofa sits flat.
  • Regular shaking, patting, and plumping of the scatter cushions will maintain their shape.
  • Rotate your seating and backing cushions to keep the wear even and maintain shape.
  • Sitting on the arms will eventually cause the upholstery to distort.
  • Trying to prevent sticky finger marks often proves fruitless, so washable covers are the way to go.
  • Your chances of removing stains will increase the faster you attend to them. Always test your cleaning products before use.
  • Fixed-cover upholstery needs to be cleaned whilst on the frame and should be done using a professional cleaner, around once a year.