While buying a sofa for living room

Furniture pieces and other decor adorning the formal living area are to be chosen meticulously. Photo: Karyakupratama/ Shutterstock.com

A modern living room is the telltale of the luxury, taste and elegance of a house. That is the reason why people buying a house or constructing one invest a considerable amount of time and money in burnishing the front hall. A set of couches is something on which people speculate a lot in terms of design, material, size, its position, among other things. While pursuing a highly standard unit, the cost may sometimes exceed the budget which forces many to go for a used set of furniture as well.

However, there are chances such materials get damaged soon after they are brought into the house. As the formal living area is the space that creates a first impression in the minds of the guests, such a situation is distressful. So, the furniture pieces and other decor adorning the formal living area are to be chosen meticulously.

Earlier, the furniture was mostly done in teak, rosewood, xylia xylocarpa (irumullu) or jackfruit timber. These antique pieces were sturdy and were passed down to generations. But, in recent times, full-cover couch sets and corner settees have become the trend in most homes.

To keep up with the trend, I too purchased a full-cover corner settee for the formal living area in my house. However, the stitching began to loosen within five years. Besides, the seat cover tore and the cushion foam began disintegrating.

These corner settees are comfortable to sit on and kids love playing on the soft upholstery and cushions. But, not all couches may be of great quality and built using good materials.

You should be careful while purchasing couch sets from furniture shops as you have no idea what wood or materials are used inside the upholstery. Those who rush to furniture shops that announce fabulous discounts on social media are the ones who often land in trouble.

After the cushion and the upholstery of my couch set decayed, I tore it up to see what its insides looked like. I was shocked to see the pathetic condition of the sofa that I had bought to keep up with the trend. Besides, it would cost a bomb, almost as much as a brand-new sofa, to recondition the upholstery.

As I didn’t have the heart or the budget to experiment with new-age couches, I entrusted a carpenter to build a regular wooden sofa. He constructed the couch at our house premises. So that we could see the product shaping up. Although it was a bit expensive than the corner settee, this sturdy wooden couch could be handed over to the coming generations too. Besides, you could revive them by just giving a coat of polish five or six years later.

Those who buy full-cover settees from furniture shops should ensure that the furniture pieces have quality for the price we have paid. You could also ask opinions and reviews from other customers who have bought such couches.

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