Sofas shipping for the sofas the easy way

In today’s ‘throwaway’ society, if you are decorating your living room, it often means replacing sofas. Here in the UK, there are some fabulous schemes that make use of furniture that’s not yet considered to have ‘had its day’ so the less financially fortunate can take advantage of other people’s supposed frivolity.In some districts of Sydney, Austrilia, ‘council clean-up time’ sees people’s discarded items adorn the pavements for all to peruse.Not only that, but it’s now been made legal for people to pick up items that others have cast aside.

Salvage Sister Matilda Campbell observes in the Sydney Morning Herald:

“(O)ur parents and grandparents… had sheds and sewing rooms where things that were broken, out of fashion or no longer needed were fixed, remodeled and stored for use at a later date… They passed things down from one generation to the next and
“made do when things weren’t quite to their taste or standards. Do we really no longer have space or time for this, or is it that we have become so style conscious we have to have the latest in everything or be judged critically by our peers?” [Read the full article here]

At some time, it appears we got less appreciative of our belongings.However, we have to ask the question:”Since we started to take more of a detailed interest in our homes, have we created living spaces that are less homely?”

Wikipedia defines ‘home‘ as ‘a place of residence or refuge’. A residence can be wherever you lay your hat, but a refuge is somewhere that an individual can feel safe and protected.When we discard the things that make home feel like ‘home’, is there a negative impact on emotional security?

The argument for renewing rather than restoring is sound.In the past, women traditionally stayed home, so there was the time – and the mindset – to fix, rather than simply replace. Also, steps have been taken to increase academic opportunity in recent years, with the result that many people in UK society are missing those vital ‘mending’ skills that previous generations have taken for granted.

Another sound argument for new furniture is the fact that, if you know where to look, you can find good quality cheap sofas. The term ‘cheap sofas’ is no longer restricted to sofas that are cheaply/badly made, but encompasses a whole collection of discounted items waiting for buyers to snap them up to make way for new stock in the showroom. In fact, you can find some real bargains if you check out clearance sales or look for special offers online.

In modern times, sofa beds are much more than simply a fun-filled dining discussion theme or a weighty home furniture item that only gets utilised when family and friends arrive for an overnight stay. Yes, these days sofa beds tend to be impressively practical and quite eye-catching – and that is a lot more than one can say about the styles available in the 1970s!

Suppliers of sofa beds these days are offering them in a multitude of materials and styles and finding discounted sofa beds is simple once you begin shopping around. Looking at the regular newspaper and TV ads will point you in the direction of the one you want in no time at all.

The selling price of sofa beds has a tendency to reflect the different types available.

For example, a compact loveseat or futon design with metal support bars is going to be charged around the low-end, whilst a queen-sized couch with spring loaded unfolding functionality, plus a thicker bed mattress, is going to be around the high-end. The most typical of sofa beds is possibly the two-cushion design.

Sofa beds now are definitely far less uncomfortable than those of days gone by. Often, making reference to sofa beds revives memories of couches, with a thin mattress that had a metal bar in the centre for support that could dig in your poor back all night long, bringing you soreness each and every morning. Conversely, today’s more sophisticated models are built to take the discomfort away while you slumber,

with innovations such as lateral webbing which can help to provide the body with much better support.

One other popular function of present-day sofa beds is the fact that the mattresses tend to be thicker and, consequently, offer a lot more by way of comfort. Also, the improved polyurethane cushioning that many now possess gives the body a chance to breathe as the cushions expand and contract along with the user’s body weight.

Sofa beds may have once been an afterthought, were often the worst kind of cheap, and comfort factored little in some of the aesthetically dubious designs. However, today’s improved styles that fit so well into the lifestyles of smaller home owners, combined with the need to provide last-minute accommodation as friends and family grow geographically further apart, have resulted in sofa beds experiencing a well-deserved growing increase in popularity.

Sofas are big investments for many households so it is important to choose well. Value for money is top of the list for most buyers, but what does exactly do we mean by this term?

It is tempting to think of good value as being low cost or cheap. Though it is true to say that some cheap sofas offer very good value, other factors need to be considered, such as the quality of the item you are purchasing.

The News-Leaders’s Jan Peterson points out that the inside of sofas is just as important as the exterior, and quotes advice from Interior Design Cheryl Duncan from Wheeler’s Furniture:

“I think you have to look at budget and get the best within your budget. Of course, a $1,000 sofa would be good, but a $2,000 would be better… Better construction means you’re likely to get a lot more mileage out of that sofa, and it’s likely to remain comfortable for longer.” [click here to read the full article]

If you’re looking for longevity, then opting for a sofa that is well constructed seems like great advice, and the full article goes into more detail on this. However, we think there are many buyers out there who are happy to make a short term purchase, knowing that they are likely to want a change of style within a few years which won’t be satisfied by reupholstering in a new shade or pattern. In this case, then cheap sofas may well be a better option.

It is also worth remembering that sofas are often heavily discounted, which means that it is possible to buy cheap sofas without getting poor quality. To find the best deals, you could look for special offers online, which will give you a good idea of the wide variety of discounted and cheap sofas available.

These days, it’s pretty easy to find fabric sofas online or in furniture showrooms in vibrant colours or with striking patterns that instantly catch your eye. But how can you avoid your perfect fabric sofas or armchairs transforming into a garish nightmare the minute they land in your lounge? 

Many people might be tempted to play safe and stick with a neutral sofa colour rather than risk a purchasing mistake, but the key to fabric sofas that fit into your room may not be the colour of the fabric sofas themselves, but in your choice of paint.  This video explains how people often make a big mistake when choosing paint colours and gives advice on how to avoid poor decisions on this.

Taking the points one by one:

Colour concept…

You need to think about whether you want a neutral colour (such as beige, tan, taupe, grey. etc) or a ‘wow’ colour, which encompasses all colours that are not neutral.

Light reflectivity value (LRV)…

Consider how light or dark you want to paint your room. The lower the LRV number, the darker the shade will be. If you want your room to feel light, opt for an LRV of 60 or higher.

Before you choose a colour…

Look at what furniture you already have that you are planning to keep – and what fabric sofas you might be interested in buying!  You may well find that the paint colour which will work best will be based on what you already own. Avoid the temptation to choose a colour just because you like it, because it may not fit into your room as well as you imagine.

Go shopping…

Take swatches from fabric sofas, cushions, etc, into the shop with you when choosing a paint colour.

When you are faced with the colour swatches on the wall of the paint store, look for the ‘dull’ shades rather than the bright options if you want to be sure to avoid a garish look.

Off-whites…

These shades are very popular because they fit with any decor.  There is a huge range of off-whites to choose from. Good choices include cream off-whites, taupe off-whites and blush off-whites. These are typically an LRV of 75 or more.

If you are looking for another paint colour to complement your off-white choice (e.g., for a feature wall, or if you have used an off-white on paintwork, etc), choose a colour with an LRV of at least 20 points lower than the off-white.

A common mistake…

Many people choose a paint colour that is too bright. It is worth remembering that choosing paint is not like choosing clothing and you really need to aim for colours with an element of dullness.

You can have fabric sofas you love…

If you follow this advice when choosing your paint colour scheme, brightly coloured fabric sofas or armchairs can look fabulous in any room.

The Daily Mail reported today that Syria’s first lady, Asma al-Assad, went on a furniture spending spree online, importing thousands of pounds worth of items from London stores to spruce up one of her palatial homes (click here to read the article), at the same time as Syria was descending into civil war.

Whilst both the scale of the purchasing and the unrest in Syria may make the lady’s actions seem insensitive, we do not think it is unusual to want to improve a living space when times are hard.  Fresh decor or furnishings in your home can impact hugely on emotional wellbeing, and give an individual the temporary boost they need to tackle the deeper issues that are causing heartache in their lives.

Look at accessories for cost effective changes

However, this kind of emotional purchasing is often done on a whim, which is rarely a wise move if you’re making a major furniture purchase. Instead of spending thousands of pounds without thinking things through, it might be worth considering more cost effective ways of experiencing the same result. For example, if your current decor is neutral, buying new cushions or a smart throw could completely change the ambiance of the room, especially if this is teamed with vases, bowls, etc, in complementary colours.

Cheap sofas can be great value

If you are determined to change your couch, why not check out the huge range of  cheap sofas that are available? Cheap sofas are not necessarily cheaply made. If you search around, there are many big discounts available, which means you could get a new look for your room that is extremely good value for money, without needing to compromise on quality. A good place to look at what’s on offer is through an online comparison site, where you have quick access to deals at a number of stores without having to visit lots of different websites, thereby saving you valuable time.