This article was written by Ryan Podnar, furniture expert at La-Z-Boy South Texas
If you’re currently in the market for a new sofa, it can be overwhelming to see how many options you have to choose from. From reclining sofas to a sofa with a chaise, there are plenty of options you may find yourself happy with.
Since there are so many sofas to choose from, it would be helpful to get a full breakdown of the sofas, their cost, and other important information.
This article will provide you with a complete guide to buying a sofa by breaking down all of the information you need to make an informed decision.
Key Takeaways
- There are 4 categories of sofas (stationary, reclining, power reclining, and sleeper)
- It's important to consider your body type, the size of your room & your style preferences when choosing a sofa
- On average, La-Z-Boy South Texas sofas range anywhere from $900 to $4,600
In this article...
- Types of Sofas
- Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Sofa
- How Will You Customize Your Sofa?
- Differences Between a Leather Sofa & a Fabric Sofa
- Cost of the Sofa
- Sofa Shopping Tips
- Ready to Find the Perfect Sofa For You?
Types of Sofas
From the leather recliner sofa to the queen sofa sleeper, the furniture market is full of comfortable couch options. The first step to finding the perfect sofa for you is to see what your options are.
Let’s take a look at the types of sofas.
Stationary Sofas
Some of the stationary sofas come in both fabric and leather, but the defining factor of a stationary sofa is its fixed position. These sofas do not recline and are typically held up by stylish wood legs.
Sleeper Sofas
Sleeper sofas, also known as sofa beds or pull-out couches, are versatile couches that serve dual functions as both a comfortable sofa and a convenient bed. Ideal for small spaces or accommodating overnight guests, sleeper sofas feature a fold-out mattress hidden within the sofa's frame.
Reclining Sofas
Reclining sofas are designed to offer exceptional comfort and relaxation by allowing users to adjust their seating position. Featuring built-in reclining mechanisms, these sofas can tilt backward while raising the footrest, providing a customizable lounging experience.
Power Reclining Sofas
At certain furniture stores, you can upgrade your recliner sofa to power! Our power reclining sofas are controlled by either power toggles on the sides of the arms or handheld remote controls.
Additionally, some power recliner sofas feature upgrades such as adjustable headrests and additional lumbar support.
Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Sofa
Size of Your Space
When shopping for a sofa, you must keep a few things in mind. Before you decide between a power recliner sofa or a sofa bed, we at La-Z-Boy South Texas encourage you to measure the size of your room first.
Knowing the exact size and dimensions of your space is very important to finding the right sofa for you. Whether you have a spacious room and desire a larger sofa, or you need a space-saving wall-hugging reclining sofa to perfectly fit against the wall, the size of your living space will be the deciding factor in determining the ideal sofa for your needs.
While measuring the size of your room is important, understanding the size of your room isn’t just about taking measurements. You also need to take into account existing furniture, windows, and walkways.
Some good measurement tools to use would be tape measure and a laser measuring device. A good tape measure can be found at your local department store, and laser measuring devices can also be found on Amazon.
Once you have the measurements of your room noted, we at La-Z-Boy South Texas also recommend that you take pictures of your room and every angle of it. This will help make the job easier for an interior designer if you intend to work with one.
Your Body Type
Whether you are 5'5" or 6'1", the furniture market has options to fit you. However, this does not mean you'll fit well in a sofa meant for a person 6 inches shorter or taller than you. Size does matter!
Seat depth, width, and height are major contributing factors in determining what size group a sofa is designed for.
While it is important to know our height guidelines, it's also important to note that height guidelines are not set in stone. Different furniture fits everybody differently, which is why it's ultimately important to sit in the sofa yourself.
Design & Functionality
Knowing the design and style of the space you want is also important to picking the right sofa. With so many different types of sofas available, this is an effective way to narrow your search.
If you already have existing furniture in your living room, such as a swivel gliding recliner or a high-leg recliner, you may already know what style sofa you’re looking for. For example, if you have a high-leg reclining chair in a formal living room, a formal sofa like the Meyer Sofa at La-Z-Boy South Texas would be a great fit.
However, if you don’t know what style you’d like and don’t know where to start, there are helpful resources at La-Z-Boy South Texas! You can schedule a meeting with one of our interior designers who will work with you.
Functionality is also an important factor to consider when choosing a sofa. Since there are so many different types of sofas to choose from, knowing what type of sofa makes sense for you helps you narrow down your search as well.
A stationary sofa is great for those who want a traditional sofa. Sleeper sofas are great for guests. Reclining sofas take your comfort to the next level, while power reclining sofas take comfort to the maximum.
All of these factors will help you make a decision. However, maybe you don’t really know what type of sofa you like the most. If you’re in this position, the best thing for you to do is to get fitted for your La-Z-Boy furniture in your local store.
How Will You Customize Your Sofa?
Customizing your sofa is the most enjoyable part of the process for many. Whether you’d like to upgrade to a power recliner leather sofa or just a simple wood leg finish customization, you could do both, depending on the model.
Would you like to customize your cushion into a TEMPUR-Response memory foam cushion?
What about adding additional headrest and lumbar support?
All of these upgrades are optional with certain models of sofas at La-Z-Boy South Texas. You are also able to upgrade your fabric or leather to performance fabrics and leathers.
If you would like any of these upgrades, you’ll be best served to communicate with an in-store designer about which models offer these upgrades.
Differences Between a Leather Sofa & a Fabric Sofa
Determining whether you lean towards fabric or leather furniture is another essential aspect to consider when selecting the perfect sofa for your space.
There are definitive advantages and disadvantages between the two types of materials, so the decision you make should be based on personal preference. To learn more about both, this article walks you through fabric furniture vs. leather furniture.
Leather furniture will present both elegant and classic appeal and is more durable than fabric. It is also hypoallergenic material, which makes a leather sofa perfect for someone with allergies.
The downside of leather furniture is that it is generally more expensive than fabric furniture. It also can crack and become discolored over time if left near a heat source, such as a window or a furnace.
If you want to see the issues leather furniture could present, this article walks you through 6 common problems with leather furniture.
The advantage of fabric furniture is it can create a warm and inviting feel to your living room, and it’s also generally more cost-effective than leather. However, it is not as durable and typically does not last as long.
Cost of the Sofa
The cost of the sofa is also an important factor for many customers looking for a sofa.
It is affected by a multitude of factors, from type of material to certain upgrades. To better understand the cost of sofas at La-Z-Boy South Texas, we’ve broken down the cost according to the type of sofa.
- Stationary Sofas: $995-$2,800
- Sleeper Sofas: $2,200-$2,800
- Reclining Sofas: $1,200-$3,000
- Power Reclining Sofas: $1,900-$4,600
For customers who are looking for our most affordable options, you will be best served looking in the direction of stationary fabric sofas as opposed to power sofa recliners or leather power reclining sofas. This is because our power sofas are more costly with the upgrade and leather is more costly than fabric.
On average, La-Z-Boy South Texas sofas range anywhere from $900 to $4,600.
It is important to note that La-Z-Boy South Texas is considered more expensive than other Texas furniture. Since we look at furniture as an investment that should last a lifetime, we use only the highest quality materials and our furniture is all handcrafted to fit all of your needs.
Sofa Shopping Tips
Online Vs. In Store Shopping
With the ever-growing trend of online shopping, it has become less popular in certain areas to shop in stores. It’s easy to understand why.
By shopping for furniture online, you can find a great dual power reclining sofa from your home and set up a delivery as soon as possible. You can also filter your search to make the process more efficient.
While those are certainly enticing advantages, you will lose out on some key elements of buying a sofa by shopping online. You will be working with a computerized system rather than an in-store expert, which widens the margin for error.
Most importantly, you will not be able to sit on the sofa to see how it feels beforehand! There are many accounts of online shopping customers who are unhappy with their selection because they were not able to sit in it first.
In-store furniture shopping will always have that advantage over online shopping, as well as the ability to work with design experts and even furniture sales, which oftentimes only apply to in-store customers.
Try Before You Buy!
The single most important factor to finding the right sofa for you is to sit on it before you make a decision. Sometimes furniture looks better than it fits you, and you may find a better fitting sofa after looking further.
It’s also very important to note that different furniture fits everybody differently. You need to keep in mind what kind of body type you have, which is why you can’t simply just take a recommendation from a friend and buy it before you sit on it yourself.
Ready to Find the Perfect Sofa For You?
Finding the right sofa for you isn’t easy if you don’t have the information you need. Once you get the information you need broken down into digestible bits, it becomes much easier to identify what type of sofa you want.
That is the reason this article exists!
If you’re ready to buy a new sofa, it’s important to remember the points outlined in this article. When shopping, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I prefer comfort over style?
- How big is my space?
- What is my budget?
After asking yourself these questions, you’ll have a more clear picture about what direction you should be looking. If that direction is La-Z-Boy, come into your nearest La-Z-Boy South Texas store to sit on our sofas yourself!
