Have you ever felt eager to come back home and just flop down on the Sofa after a long day? How about feeling like you’re on vacation when you’re finally able to relax in your own living room? Having a good sofa can help you achieve all of those things and more.

Not only is it a place to rest your weary bones, but it’s also where you’ll share intimate conversations, binge-watch your favorite shows and create lasting memories with family and friends.

Even though we often overlook its importance, it’s arguably the most important piece of furniture in our homes. But before going out and buying comfy Contemporary Sofa Beds, you need to know a few things so you can make the right choice. It’s a long-term investment and you shouldn’t take this lightly.

Focus On the Materials

You would be buying just a wooden frame if it wasn’t for the upholstery. This includes the padding, stuffing, foam, springs and cushions. Its quality, durability and comfort depend largely on the Material you choose. There are 2 main categories, synthetic and natural materials, and each of them has its own properties. Here are the most common ones:

Viscose Rayon

This is a material that looks like cotton or silk but offers more durability than any of them. It’s made by pulling cellulose into long strands to make it easy to weave. This is a high-quality, durable material that’s soft to the touch and pleasant to the skin. It gives out the luxury of silk’s looks but with less money invested. But, on the other side, viscose rayon is prone to wrinkles and will show stains and spots easily.

Polyester

Polyester is a synthetic material that’s very durable and easy to produce. It’s made from petroleum, but oftentimes manufacturers combine it with other materials. It’s very strong and stretchy and holds its shape well. It’s resistant to fading, there will be no wrinkles and it’s easy to clean and maintain.

Nylon

The nylon used in sofas is often blended with other materials to make a durable, timeless piece of furniture. It’s very lightweight yet strong and wears and tear-resistant. It won’t wrinkle and cleaning and maintaining it won’t be a hard job. Plus, it’s on the budget-friendly side so you’ll spend less money and still have a comfortable seating area.

Velvet

True velvet is made from pure silk, but the one used for furniture is a mix of rayon, silk and cotton. You can find velvet in many rich and vibrant colours. This is a durable material that won’t wear out easily. The only downside is that it requires special and professional solvents to clean it.

Leather

The most elegant, durable, and iconic natural fabric option for sofas is leather. You will find that it complements practically any style, from the ultra-modern to the traditional. Leather is simple to maintain and clean, and as it ages, it becomes softer and better. Although it’s more expensive than almost any other material, the investment is justified.

Silk

Silk makes any piece of furniture a statement piece. It’s a luxurious option that requires a bit more maintenance. So, if you’re okay with it, silk is a great sofa-material choice. It’s a soft, shiny and strong material, but it can fade under constant sunlight and water stains are difficult to remove.

Cotton

Cotton has no equals when it comes to comfort and softness. It’s a durable fabric that’s easy to make and dye. That’s why you can find it in a variety of colours and patterns. It doesn’t last as long as leather does, but it’s still very durable and strong. It’s fade resistant and easily blends with other materials. Plus, the cleaning and maintaining process is simple and easy.

Think About the Size

Size is one of the most important things you should think about when getting a sofa. If you choose a smaller or a bigger one, it’ll make the place look disproportional and out of order. It has to fit the right way. If you don’t like to measure and calculate every parameter, you can use the 2:3 rule. This means that the sofa should be around two-thirds of the whole room.

If you want to add a coffee table to it, it should be two-thirds of the sofa. Just be careful if you add any living room armchairs or other types of seating options. They can close up the space even more. This is an easy method to measure the right size.

But if you’re not too lazy to take the measuring tape out and get the dimensions properly, there’s another way. You can get a big piece of paper and cut it to the desired shape and size. This way you can easily imagine where would your new modern sofa bed be, and will it interfere with the rest of the furniture. If you don’t like cutting paper and cardboard, you can simply use tape to outline the sofa area and measure it that way.

Figure Out the Placement

When you arrange your furniture it’s important to have balance. You shouldn’t make your living room a visually overwhelming place. Sofas can overtake the whole room if it’s not placed properly. Consider the foot traffic and where will you move.

Will you have enough space to walk around? There shouldn’t be any tripping hazards. People usually put the sofa too close to the wall, but if you have some space, move it away from there. Make it a centrepiece and leave it in the middle of the room.

There are a few placements you can try out and see which one works best. You can put it in front of a window if the sofa back is low. You can do the opposite and place the sofa across the windows if it’s a bit bigger and bulkier.

If you have a mantel, you can face the sofa that way and accentuate the gorgeous mantel. If you have a big room, you can put 2 sofas facing each other and have the perfect place for gatherings and conversations.

Consider the Cushioning

You can find a variety of materials in the sofa cushioning. Certain materials give couches a hard and supporting structure, while others make the sofas soft and comfortable. Every material has a different purpose. Foam is the most common sofa filling as it is relatively cheap, holds its shape well, and is comfortable.

The next cushioning type is hollow-fill fibre. This is a soft and squishy material that is perfect for napping or resting for a short period of time. It’s recommended that you rotate these cushions because they’ll soften and ware out just on one side. Feather cushions are custom made and you decide on the number of feathers. But these cushions require a lot of fluffing, so they don’t clump together.

Polyester sofa cushions are one of the most budget-friendly options for your contemporary sofa beds. You can find them in different densities, but they’ll flatten easily.

Another filling option is batting. This is a combination of cotton, polyester and wool. It provides good insulation and it’s very tough. You have many options on the market, the choice depends fully on you and your personal preferences.