What makes

a perfect sofa?

These five tips will help you make a sound decision on your next sofa.

TEXT Melanie Wong

Go with sturdy, quality hardwood

Frames can be made of metal, furniture-grade plywood, engineered hardwood or solid wood.

Ronald says that solid wood frames are ideal as they help maintain the sofa’s shape and structure. Furnituregrade plywood frames are cheaper to produce but lack the strength of hardwood or metal, while engineered hardwood frames are not as strong as solid wood ones but are definitely stronger than plywood. They are also cheaper than solid wood.

Metal frames, Ronald adds, are sturdy, but they are vulnerable to oxidation in our humid climate.

Choose premium cushion fillings

Most cushions are filled with premium high-density foam, feathers or polyester fibre, or a combination of two or all of these materials.

“High-density foam offers great support and retains its shape for longer,” Ronald explains.

“Feather fillings – usually composed of down feathers – are softer, but they can clump up and need regular “plumping”. Polyester fibre is robust and adaptable but doesn’t automatically return to its original shape after pressure is applied, plus they need to be plumped up often. And they might feel soft at first because there’s air trapped between their fibres, but they compress easily as the air is forced out.”