How to Tell If a Sofa Is Well Made: 5 Checks Before You Buy
From the outside, a $400 sofa and a $2,000 sofa can look the same. The difference is in things a photo doesn't show: the frame, the cushion and the fabric. Brian has been in the furniture business for 20 years, and these are the checks he does every time, whether he's standing in a showroom or reading a listing online.
1. The 10-second test: corner, edge, cushion
Three things, in this order:
- Lift one front corner. If the other front leg comes off the ground right away, the frame is flexing. A solid frame lifts together.
- Sit down hard on the edge of the seat, not the middle. If you feel the rail under you, there's not enough cushion.
- Unzip a cushion if it has a zipper and squeeze what's inside. If it's all loose fluff with no core, it'll be flat in a year.
2. Ask about foam density
Every foam cushion has a density: basically how much foam is packed into the same space. Low-density foam feels great in the showroom and then sinks in a year. Higher density holds its shape longer.
Most listings don't tell you, so ask. If the seller can't answer, that's an answer. Brian wants at least 2.0 to 2.5 lb/ft³ for a seat cushion. What you're looking for inside: a firm core wrapped in a softer layer.
3. Look for "kiln-dried"
Wood holds water. If a frame is built before the wood is properly dried, it keeps drying in your living room: it shrinks, the joints loosen, and two years later you have a creak and a wobble. Kiln-dried means the wood was dried in a kiln before it was cut and built, so it's stable from day one. If a listing says "hardwood frame" but doesn't say how it was dried, ask.
4. Measure the path, not just the room
The most common delivery problem is a sofa that fits the room but not the door. Measure your front door width, every hallway and turn on the way, and if there are stairs, the ceiling height where the stairs turn. Then compare those numbers to the sofa's depth and height, not its length, because sofas go through doors on their side or tipped up. If the legs come off, that buys you a couple of inches.
5. Buying a sectional? Check the chaise side
Left-facing and right-facing are named as you're looking at the sofa, not sitting on it. Stand where you'd face it, decide which side you want the chaise on, then check the listing. Even better, buy one that's reversible, where the chaise can switch sides, so it still works if you move.
Six sofas to start with
Ezra Boucle Sofa (White), $899
Ultra-soft white boucle in a thick, curvy shape on round rubberwood legs. Seats up to three.
Palmer Boucle Sofa (Grey), $799
Textured boucle with a single bench cushion made from high-density polyurethane foam, removable back cushions and two bolster pillows.
Nora Velvet Sofa, $632
Smooth velvet over two plush seat cushions, sloping armrests and solid wood legs.
Matilde Luxe Sofa, $899
Luxe Soft Weave upholstery, a single block-tufted seat cushion, two back cushions and two round bolster pillows.
Ashton Reversible Vegan Leather Sectional (Midnight Vegan Leather), $1,099
A sectional with a reversible chaise, so it still works if you move.
Elaine Sofa (Light Gray), $549
Mid-century Scandinavian lines with button tufting.
Every piece at Inmod is picked for quality at a fair price, with free shipping and real people on the phone at 1-973-276-0444. Browse everything at inmod.com.