The sofa plays a central role in family life, setting the stage for movie marathons, imaginative childhood games, half an hour with a good book or just a cheeky afternoon nap. Finding the perfect sofa that meets the needs of every member of the family, while still appealing to your sense of style is easy with our helpful tips to help you choose.
How to get the most out of family room seating
Choosing the right size sofa for your room is much easier with our made to order sofa ranges which allow you to choose from an extensive collection of designs and sizes to suit your needs. While a large three seater sofa is always a popular choice for families an L-shaped sofa configuration might make better use of your space. Modular sofas such as our Lyon collection allow you to design a sofa arrangement to fit your family’s needs and can actually be more practical in compact spaces than trying to accommodate a small two seater sofa and some armchairs. A corner sofa is always a comfortable option, offering space to stretch out when it’s just one or two of you, and a seat for everyone when there’s a crowd.
How much seating should you have in a family room?
A comfortable space for every member of the family is essential, but do factor in preferred sitting styles and accept that these will change as families grow. Small children will happily cuddle up in a loveseat, but longer limbed teenagers may want space to sprawl. A chaise sofa is the perfect balance offering flexibility for everyone. For those who combine hobbies such as crochet or sewing with watching television, a separate armchair with a side table may be added to your living room layout. Adding in armchairs also gives the opportunity to choose a higher back or deeper seat to suit disparities in height between couples – simply choose matching upholstery for the different styles, or roll with an eclectic miss-matched scheme. If you regularly entertain, you’ll want to offer more permanent seating, but if space is an issue, find hardworking versatile pieces such as footstools and ottomans which can double as both coffee tables and comfortable occasional perches.
How can a sofa make a family room look bigger?
Resist the urge to place all the furniture tight up against the walls – a little breathing space behind the sofa will actually give the illusion of more space. Go large with rugs and slide them under the front edges of sofas and chairs to blur the boundaries and make your floor area appear more expansive. The slim arms of our Colmar range provides more actual seating area, while furniture with low arms such as our Kiruna, Annecy and Visby collections offers a low profile to make the room seem more spacious – also seek to draw the eye upwards with compelling wall art and go as large as possible with mirrors.
What is the best sofa fabric for busy homes
The family sofa whether in a home full of toddlers, growing teens or shedding pets has a lot to live up to. As well as a resilient solid wood frame and well sprung support, you'll be looking for upholstery that can withstand the rigours of inevitable spills and rough play for years to come. Our cotton linen is durable but soft and perfect for a scatterback sofa like our Floro or Umea ranges. As well as its luxurious look and feel, our velvet is stain-resistant and hardwearing option. For those who aspire to an elegant living room scene, Sarnia, our Chesterfield style buttoned corner sofa in velvet combines both space and a sophisticated formality. A coastal classic, our French Blue stripe looks crisp but relaxed in any scheme and the pattern cleverly camouflages minor stains. Lightly buffed to achieve a soft buttery feel, our supple leathers will only look better with age and easily repel cat and dog hair.
What's the best colour for a sofa?
The colour of your sofas can set the tone for a whole room and be the springboard for all your styling choices – but is there a perfect colour for families? We’ve given great thought to producing a colour palette for our made to order furniture that is fresh and inspiring but will also stand the test of time. If you think the opportunity for stylish cream sofas went out with the arrival of the pram in the hall, don’t be too disheartened. Our cream sofa options are surprisingly durable and easier than you might think to keep looking good. The loose cushions on pieces from our Umea range can be turned regularly to keep the best side front - @mrsjessdaines styles her Umea Chaise Sofa extra cushions in seasonal tones. With our for more fitted styles, spot clean regularly and protect with throws to suit the season. A grey sofa is the perfect all-rounder. It will work in neutral or bold colour schemes, stand up to the rough and tumble of family life and is a blank canvas for seasonal updates with fresh cushions. Green sofas are having a moment and are wonderfully practical. The Laurel velvet gives that classic dark green velvet sofa look, while our Vintage Olive linen and Fern herringbone fabrics are softer in hue and pair effortlessly with natural materials such as wood and rattan. Blue is another classic – and we offer our linen in the mid-toned Pebble which is as forgiving as a grey. Our blue velvet sofa choices include the drama of Navy or the calm serenity of Mineral.
Explore our made to order upholstery range for more family sofa inspiration.