How To Pick A Couch (Lessons We Learned From Buying A New Couch)

In this post, I am going to share how to choose the right sofa or sectional for your living room.

After 15 years we finally decided to replace our old chocolate couch. This couch is very comfy and the material is made of a very soft (velvet-like) microfiber. We had this before the kids were born and now we decided to upgrade.

Our old brown couch really made the living room dark.

We like the midcentury-modern style. We went to different furniture stores like West Elm, Bob’s, NB Liebman and La-Z-boy. Hubby is all about quality. He is willing to pay more for better quality.

Our friend got their new La-Z-boy furniture from Boscov’s. Back then I did not realize that Boscov’s carry La-Z-boy furniture at a lower price. Our old couch was big and bulky, so we wanted a smaller one to fit the room nicely.

We picked the Dillon sofa and loveseat. We liked the tufted look with a midcentury-modern flare. We waited about 3 months to receive the furniture because of Covid. The couch finally arrived, but we were disappointed that the parts were missing 4 screws. Hubby had to run to Lowe’s to get 4 additional screws for the loveseat. It was really annoying!

I called and explained to the customer service what happened and they told me that they will send us the missing screws. Two days later, I noticed that my back felt sore from sitting on the couch. My back is used to firm cushions. The new couch back cushion is not as firm as our old couch so it’s giving me back pains.

You know that feeling when you spent all that money but you did not feel you got your money’s worth? Yup. That’s how we felt.

Boscov’s is willing to give us a refund and pick up the furniture for free! We then started shopping for another La-Z-boy furniture. Unfortunately, Boscov’s doesn’t carry the couch that we liked. It’ll take about 4-6 months because it’s a special order. We were worried that the stores would close again due to Covid so we decided to keep it.

Three weeks later and the back cushions are starting to go flat. Geesh!! We are so disappointed because we did not feel like it was well made. I don’t think this couch will last us 5 years without filling in the cushions. I contacted Boscov’s again and surprisingly they are still willing to give us a full refund.

Then we started to look for a new couch once again. We both liked my sister’s sectional from Bob’s Furniture. We went to Bob’s to check it out but unfortunately, it’s way too big for our living room.

We went to Ashley’s and found a sectional that we like. We liked 2 sectionals but hubby preferred the one with a firmer cushion.

Our couch was scheduled to arrive in February. Hubby and I were so excited and cleaned the living room. Finally, the delivery guys came in the afternoon. The guy said that there’s no way the couch would fit in the door. What?? My heart sank and couldn’t believe that we did not measure the longest piece which is about 95 inches long.

Hubby and I were so upset because we waited a long time for the sectional only to find out that they couldn’t get it in the house. We went back to Ashley’s Home Store and ordered another sectional. The silver lining in all of this is, I got the sectional I love. It was hubby’s second choice but it was my favorite sectional because I love the color and the style.

After waiting for over 3 months our new carnaby sectional finally arrived and I couldn’t be happier! The color looks more beige and cream than white which I love because white would be difficult to keep clean. When you have young kids you know that white turns brown over time ha ha. I love the body style and the arms and of course, the tufted ottoman. This oversized ottoman gives the sectional a luxe feel. Everybody can now put their feet up and relax.

This sectional fits our family to the T. We love to lounge and relax. I love to take a nap on the couch and this sectional is perfect for that. We’ve been enjoying movie nights as a family. We just had a 4th of July party at home and everybody looked so relax with their feet up on the ottoman.

So, what did we learn from buying a new sectional or couch?

Lounging or sitting

Do you like to lounge or sit? Comfort is very important to us. We like to chill and put our feet up while we watch TV. Higher-back with slope profile couch works best for us because it will give us the back and neck support we need.

If you are looking for a couch mainly for sitting. Opt for a sofa that has a straight back and low back profile. It also important to note that the sofa is not too high from the floor. Your feet should be able to touch the floor when sitting. These sofas usually have narrow seats compared to the lounging sofa for sitting upright.

Look vs. Comfort

We were going for the look vs the comfort when we were shopping for a sofa. We learned that lesson quickly when we bought our new sofa. The only problem is, you won’t get a sense of how comfy the couch is until you sat on it for a few hours or days. In this instance, it would be wise to look for reviews online. Unfortunately, the most nice-looking couch is not made for lounging.

Choosing material

Do you have kids or pets? Opt for stain-resistant material if you have pets or kids. I prefer soft materials like microfiber. That is one of the things we like about La-Z-boy because we were able to choose from different kinds of colors and materials. Most furniture stores won’t have this option.

With our new sectional, we decided to get the 5-year warranty for stain or rips. We normally don’t get any type of insurance when buying stuff. However, we decided to get it because we have young kids. It’s almost impossible to keep the couch in perfect shape when you have children at home.

Back Cushion Filling

I did not realize how important filling is until recently. We currently have fiber filling which will flatten out over time. Our old couch had foam filling which lasted 13 years until it started to flatten. The best kind of filling is the combination of feather-filled and foam cushion as it gives comfort and holds its shape for a long time but this comes with a price tag. Nowadays, most back cushions are made of fiber filling.

Choose a neutral color

Color is also very important in choosing a sofa. I personally like beige, cream or gray. Please don’t pick anything with a pattern. Solid-colored sofas are so much easier to dress up with different pillows than patterned ones. Do you have lots of windows in your living room? Direct sunlight will fade the dark-colored sofa over time. This is something you need to consider.

Measure, measure, measure

This is one of the most important lessons we learned from couch shopping. You need to measure the dimensions of the furniture and the doorway. We had to wait 6 months for our sectional to be delivered because the first sectional did not fit in the door.

Can you believe that we had to saw our old sofa in half so we can fit it through the doorway? There was nothing wrong with it but we had to destroy it just to get it out of the house. Bummer!