How to Choose the Right Sofa: A Practical 7-Step Guide

1. Choose the Right Size

How many people need a seat?

Use these approximate overall lengths to begin comparing straight sofas. All lengths include the armrests.

Simplified illustrations of the same sofa design; lengths include both armrests. These are teaching examples, not measurements of a BUNISE product.

Overall length is not seating width

Overall length runs from the outside of one armrest to the outside of the other. Seating width is the usable space between the armrests.

For a simple example, a 220 cm sofa with a 20 cm armrest at each end leaves:

220 − 20 − 20 = 180 cm of seating width.

Divided between three people, that is about 60 cm each. This is a measurement example, not a promise that everyone will find it spacious. Allow more room when you prefer to spread out.

Measure the room, not just the wall

Measure the sofa area in both directions. Mark the proposed footprint on the floor, then check the main walking route, door swings, coffee table, TV cabinet and any side tables or lamps.

For example, a 340 cm wall with 40 cm reserved at each end leaves 260 cm for the sofa. You still need to check its depth and the space in front of it.

2. Choose Your Layout

Straight, chaise or modular?

Do not judge capacity by the number of cushions alone. A chaise for one person to stretch out on is not automatically an extra full upright seat.

Confirm the direction visually. A label such as “left chaise” can be misunderstood. Before ordering, confirm a plan-view drawing that shows which side the chaise is on and the viewpoint used.

3. Find Your Comfort

Overall depth is not seat depth

Illustrative measurement definitions only. No universal ideal depth or height is implied.

Overall depth is the sofa’s complete front-to-back measurement. Usable seat depth is the space from the seat’s front edge to the back cushion where you actually sit. Seat height is the distance from the floor to the sitting surface.

Compare these measurements separately. Two sofas with the same overall depth do not necessarily offer the same usable seat depth.

Try the way you actually sit

For upright sitting, test the sofa with your back against the cushion and check how your feet rest. For lounging, try your normal relaxed position rather than judging from a quick sit on the front edge. Stand up again and decide whether the seat height and feel suit you.

When more than one person uses the sofa, compare it together. A cushion that suits one person may not suit another.

Softness and foam density are different. Density describes mass per unit volume; firmness describes surface feel. A higher-density foam is not necessarily harder. Compare the finished seat and the specification for the exact model rather than relying on a density number alone. [Source: PFA]

4. Choose Your Upholstery

Start with your household, not a material label

Do not assume that “removable” means machine-washable, or that a material description guarantees resistance to every spill or scratch. Confirm the selected upholstery’s instructions before cleaning.

View the actual sample with the other materials in your room. Treat screen images as a guide, then confirm the final material and colour code for your order.

5. Match Your Room

Compare proportion before picking a colour

Look at the sofa’s outline alongside the other furniture you plan to keep: arm width, back height, base, visible legs and cushion proportions. Compare these features in the context of the room, not only in an isolated product photo.

For colour, start with the fixed finishes—flooring, curtains, rugs and existing furniture. Decide whether the sofa should blend in or become the focal point. Then compare upholstery samples in the room.

When comparing colour options, use the same sofa and viewing angle wherever possible. That makes it easier to decide whether you are responding to the colour or to a different shape.

6. What’s Inside Your Sofa?

A closer look at a real BUNISE construction example

Russian pine wood frame · Spring support · Foam cushioning

The construction shown here combines a Russian pine wood frame, springs and foam. The photographs show the frame and underside before the base covering conceals these details. You can see the timber members, zigzag-shaped springs, support webbing and foam around the exposed perimeter.

Ask about the complete specification

A construction photograph helps show details that are normally hidden, but it is not a substitute for the specification of your order. Ask which frame, support and cushioning are included in the exact model you are considering.

7. Check Before Ordering

Confirm the sofa and the delivery route

Before paying a deposit, check the model, configuration, overall length and depth, chaise direction, upholstery code and any agreed customisation.

Measure the complete delivery route: building entrance, lift door and cabin, corridors, staircase turns and the room entrance. Ask for packaged or delivery-unit dimensions, not just assembled dimensions. Where applicable, confirm which parts can be separated and reassembled.

Confirm what your quotation includes

Check the final price and tax treatment, estimated delivery window, payment terms, delivery and installation scope, warranty coverage and care instructions. Confirm any additional requirements—such as difficult access or old-sofa removal—before they become part of the order.