Measure

Not sure where to start? We know it sounds obvious, but this step is often overlooked and should be your first move. Consider the size and layout of your space and start out by measuring it to understand how much real estate you’re working with. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even take it one step further and draw yourself up a floor plan to help you visualize the layout of your room. Another great option is to use painter’s tape to tape out the dimensions of your pieces on the floor to give you a good feel for the space. There are many factors to consider, such as, the flow of where people walk, where doors and windows are located, where your TV will hang, and which areas require easy and frequent access so that you’ll have enough room to fill the space but move around with ease.

You’ll also need to consider the scale of your room. If you have a really large room, a sectional sofa is a great option, but you’ll want to be careful to not overwhelm the room if you don’t have the space for it. If you have a small room, you can consider a two-seat cushion sofa or a loveseat. Our Sofette and Sofette Sectional are the perfect sofa style for a smaller space! Check out our Brooklyn Sofette below which is the perfect apartment sofa. 

Form & Function

Another important factor to consider is the primary function of your space, so as you start your quest for a new sofa, think about how you plan to use it! The best way to start your search is to consider the size of the sofa that you need, along with the room it will live in. For example, if you know that your sofa’s primary role is going to be supporting your TV binge-watching sessions, you’ll want to make sure that the large pieces of furniture in this space are oriented towards your television for easy viewing (on top of being super comfy and suitable for occasionally falling asleep on).If you’re a hostess-with-the-mostess and enjoy entertaining, you’ll want your sofa and other pieces of furniture centered around a custom coffee table or something that draws everyone into a common focal point for conversation. Think about how many people you are looking to seat on a regular basis, as well as how much wear and tear the furniture is going to get.

The way you arrange your seating should reflect the many ways in which you use the space. For example, use a sofa or a sectional sofa to create a comfortable area for group gatherings and a pair of custom armchairs off to the side for more intimate conversations. Being realistic about your sofa's main function will help guide you in choosing the right sofa design for you!

Choose A Style that Complements Your Home

An inviting living room starts with stylish furniture, so it's important to pick a sofa style that represents your personality and design aesthetic! Sometimes it can be difficult to nail down your own personal style, but follow your gut instinct when choosing the type of sofa that can naturally fit well in your living room. And if you really can’t decide without some help, just ask! Here at Inside Weather, we offer free Design Services. A team of design professionals are standing by, available to talk out your design dilemmas until you find something you’re totally in love with.

It’s important to consider the other furnishings that you might want to pair with your sofa; for example a custom coffee table. Or perhaps a credenza for extra living room storage. Would you like to include accent chairs in the arrangement? Are you wanting to make a big statement with this new sofa, or do you really just want to make sure the new sofa complements your two favorite lounge chairs? These are all considerations that will help guide your search.

When choosing the style of your new custom sofa or custom sectional sofa, it’s important to consider the current decor to ensure everything looks cohesive. If your home has modern living room furniture, choose a sofa design that features clean lines with neutral hues and patterns. On the other hand, if your living room is an eclectic mix of colors and designs, a sofa in a colorful fabric or print is a great option. For those whose decor is more traditional, a classically structured sofa with a durable fabric or a three-cushion sofa featuring rolled or padded arms might be the right choice for you. For a contemporary space, consider a two-cushion sofa or sectional couch with clean lines and a solid, neutral fabric. If you are working with existing furniture make sure to factor that in as well. It does not have to match, but it should be roughly the same seat height to keep the room uniform.

Check out some of our favorite product pairings below! 

Consider Materials

What’s inside the sofa is just as important as what’s on the outside! Consider frame materials, cushion options, and fabric choices when making your decision. When it comes to the sofa seat and back, feather-filled cushions are high on comfort (and price) but will require regular maintenance such as fluffing, while foam or fibre fillings may flatten out and lose their shape over time. Because of this, a combination sofa cushion is always a great option! At Inside Weather we have two cushion options: Classic Blend and Memory Foam Blend. If you like a supportive yet soft sit, then the classic blend is for you! This cushion is a medium density, high resilience foam topped with a plush layer of our signature 100% recycled down alternative. If you’re all about sinking in, then the Memory Foam Blend will be your best pick! This cushion has a smooth, transitional layer of temperature-regulating memory foam that sits atop medium density, high resiliency foam and is wrapped in a lush layer of our sustainable, recycled down alternative.

Selecting your upholstery is just as important as the construction and cushion type! Whether you go for a neutral, a pattern, or a bold color, your choice of fabric will have a huge impact on the room, so be sure to choose carefully to ensure it fits with your style! The chosen fabric also affects how to clean a couch. It's particularly important in a busy family home or in a home with pets to opt for a performance fabric that's easy to spot clean, such as leather upholstery. In this case, a slipcovered sofa is also a great option as the cover can be removed for cleaning, and some covers are washable too. All of our cushion covers are removable and can either be washed at home or sent to dry cleaning. Be sure to pay close attention to your sofa’s cleaning instructions, because how to clean a velvet couch will differ from how to clean a leather couch.

Price Point

While you want to make sure to invest in something that will last for years, you should not have to spend a fortune to get your dream sofa. Look out for retail brands that offer customization as this can allow you to spend money where you want to, but save on the overall piece. For example, if comfort is most important to you, you will want to be sure to invest in the right sofa cushion, but if having a highly durable fabric is number one on your list, you might want to consider upgrading to a performance fabric. At Inside Weather, we offer more customization options than any other retailer as we believe the customer should have full control over every element of the product to create something that’s perfect for them. Oh yeah, and we also believe you shouldn’t be paying an arm and leg just because it’s “custom”. In order to make this possible, we start by designing and building all of our pieces in-house, and with our 0-inventory model, we only make what you order. That means we’re able to cut out a bunch of production costs without sacrificing the quality of our product. No middlemen, wasted material, or warehouse costs. The result? A quality, custom-made piece of furniture that won’t cost you a fortune!