The sitting room

The Sitting Room

Bring your sofa into the middle of the room, don't just have all your furniture on the edge of the room. When placing furniture use the whole room. People must be interrupted by furniture.

Don't go and buy a three-piece suit! Variety is king. Start with what you already have. Also, allow for seating to be of various different heights. Think of how many people you need to sit in the room.

For fires, have everything close to hand so you can build quickly. Ensure you're in good hands when buying a fireplace as there are lots of things to go wrong: the basket, the slips etc. Wood burners are good in entrance halls. I highly recommend Jamb, which reproduces antique fireplaces beautifully. Another great shop for wooden fireplaces is Howe, next door to Jamb. Additionally, Oka has the 'Flourish Fireguard', which has gorgeous pieces. A visit to an antique store can lead you to find mantels and irons.

When designing a sitting room think about how you interact with space. Do you need a slouchy or a more upright sofa?

Tips for buying sofas

• When buying handmade sofas it's best to ask for 60% filling in the cushions. They are frequently packed to the brim, which may be rather unpleasant.
• When it comes to sprucing up an existing sofa, you need to be careful about what you ask for. A sofa is reupholstered when it is stripped down to its frame. Recovering implies replacing the fabric (which was what was needed in many cases).
• Make sure you are aware of what you are getting before you choose 100% down cushions. In spite of their luxurious feel, these sofas require a great deal of plumping, which can pose a problem for those who prefer a more neat appearance.

Easy ways to spruce up your sitting room

• Moving your furniture keeps your space feeling different and you can see your space in a different light.
• Move your art around, it is an easy way to transform your room and see things you would have missed otherwise.
• Use an old quilt or throw around the back of the sofa and replace its pillows with new ones. It adds wonderful texture to your space and introduces new patterns.

Your assignment

Ask yourself the following questions and begin to replan how to layout your sitting room.

What does your sitting room need to be for you?

Consider what you require from your sitting room.

How do you use an inhabit the space?

How do I decide on a sofa?

Generally, sofa sizes are standard. For instance; an average Loveseat is (W) 130 inches by (H) 98 inches by (D) 95 inches. The average 2 seater sofa measures (W) 175cm x (H) 98cm x (D) 95cm and is perfect for smaller spaces. Average three-seater couch dimensions are (W) 210cm x (H) 98cm x (D) 95cm, while average four-seater sofa dimensions are (W) 240cm x (H) 98cm x (D) 95cm.

A top tip is to mark out your sofa's dimensions on the floor using painters tape making sure to leave yourself enough room to walk around the sofa comfortably. Once you've figured out which size can fit within your space it is best to start looking for that type.

I categorise sofas into three categories: pretty comfort, modern comfort, and custom comfort.

After deciding on the size, it's important to think about the material. Leather, cotton blend, wool blend, cotton linen, woven, velvet and synthetics are the most popular of fabrics. Remember it is important to see samples of the fabric in your space. When creating a custom sofa website like sofa.com, you can choose your fabric from their in range house and allow you to source the fabric yourself.