5 Sofa-Buying Mistakes to Avoid

By Kailey Walters on September 8, 2018

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

When it comes to settling into your new place, such as your very own apartment or home for the first time, there are certainly a lot of things to keep track of. From transporting all your stuff to getting acquainted with your landlord, your head just might be spinning from dealing with all the responsibilities.

However, one thing you may not have accounted for — especially when it comes to buying furniture for your place — is what kind of sofa you should get. Although sofas may not be the priority on most people’s mental checklists, sofas are truly a very important component of any home. After all, the sofa is often the focal point of any living room or common room area; it’s the first place you plop down to relax after a long day (besides your bed) and it’s where guests gather to hang out.

With all that in mind, here are some mistakes to avoid when buying a sofa so that you make your sofa purchase the best it can be!

via Pexels.com

1. Getting a sofa that’s the wrong size.

A super important thing to know about your sofa is how big it is. If the sofa you’re considering is either too big or too small, it won’t fit properly and most likely will just look strange sitting in your living space. That’s why it’s a good idea to figure out beforehand where you’ll be placing the sofa and what the dimensions of that space are (and that’s where a measuring tape comes in handy). While you don’t have to bring a measuring tape to the furniture store to check every single sofa, keep the dimensions and measurements of the space in mind so that you can estimate potential furniture pieces while you’re walking around in the store.

2. Choosing the “wrong” color for the sofa.

Okay, so you technically can’t choose a “wrong” color. After all, a color is a color.

However, if you have a certain theme or color scheme going on in the room, you’ll probably want to choose a sofa that matches well with everything else. Thinking about the general tone of the room should be helpful — are there mostly cool colors or dark colors? Keeping that in mind can help you figure out generally what color sofa to get (e.g. if you want to stick with the beige/white/gray family) so that your sofa melds nicely with the rest of the room.

3. Selecting the wrong style of sofa.

Similar to the idea of getting the wrong color is selecting the wrong style of sofa. You’ll want one that fits with the style in the rest of your home. Is your space mostly simple and modern? Perhaps going for a sleek, no-frills sofa would work well.

Even if a particular sofa at the store looks particularly attractive and catches your eye, love at first sight doesn’t necessarily mean it will last or is even good for you in the long run. Think about what it would look like in the context of your own home and go from there.

via Pexels.com

4. Skimping on quality.

It may be tempting to just go for the least inexpensive sofa you can find, especially if you’re on a tight budget and want to use your money for other seemingly more pressing things. However, overlooking the quality of your sofa won’t do you any favors in the long run. Think about how long you plan on having this sofa and what you will be using it for (e.g. entertaining guests, late-night Netflix binges). Sure, a slightly more expensive sofa may have a little more impact on your bank account at first, but you should be allowed to splurge if you know just how useful it will be to you.

5. Forgetting to try it out.

One thing you definitely should do before you make a real decision is try out the sofa. Even if you feel a tad bit awkward doing so in the store, sit and lie down on it to get the full effect of what it feels like. You wouldn’t want to fall in love with the sofa, bring it home, and set it up only to find that it feels uncomfortable when you’re using it. With that being said, definitely make sure to try out your chosen sofa before you make a final purchase decision!

When it comes to buying a sofa, there may be a lot more options to consider than you initially think. The good news is that the sofa buying process doesn’t have to be overwhelming at all and can even be a lot of fun. Create some sort of list (whether mental or physical) of what you’re looking for in a sofa, and with that in mind, go forth and find your dream sofa. Happy shopping!

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

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