Choosing a new lounge seems like one of those leisurely activities you’ve likely seen in a movie before. You picture yourself spending a day frolicking through beautiful furniture stores moving from lounge to lounge, dropping your derriere onto all sorts of different fabrics and cushioned seats and weighing up the levels of comfort in each.

And don’t get me wrong, it can be fun, especially at first. But like house-hunting, car shopping, or finding the perfect pair of jeans, the longer the search takes, the less fun it feels.

There’s also a lot of pressure involved in making the right choice. You’re outlying usually a sizable amount of money for something that will set the style of your interior design, which you will have to look at, likely, for years to come. 

What can go wrong when buying a lounge?

I’m speaking from experience here. When I was younger, and my now 6-year-old son was not even crawling, we went through the process of re-styling our unit prior to sale. I had spent hours upon hours researching the interior design style I wanted for my home- pinning colour schemes, furniture ideas, homewares and art to mood boards on Pinterest. 

It was all about the look, though, and very little time was spent thinking through the practicalities of these choices. We went into the shops pretty unprepared, spent hours planting ourselves on lounges in several stores (with a 6-month-old in tow) and (only after my husband was ready to throw the towel in) did I decide on a light duck-egg blue fabric lounge that we had to wait six weeks for. 

At the time, I loved the look of it, but that seems to count for so little now that it has been covered in throw rugs full-time from the moment my son was old enough to cruise alongside it. I am forever straightening up the blankets that cover the lounge, and we have to get it professionally cleaned when little hands inevitably streak vegemite across it.

I’ve since learned a lot about buying a lounge and I hope you can use the steps below to avoid making the same mistakes I did, bypass buyer’s remorse, and walk away with a lounge you love before the fun is sucked from the search!

 

6 tricks to selecting the perfect sofa

Know where to go

Too much choice can be overwhelming. If you want your shopping trip to be an efficient one, make sure you know where to start your search. For top-quality, stylish and affordable furniture in Australia, you can’t go past James Lane. The family-owned Aussie business offers a huge range of affordable, timeless, elegant pieces to uplift your space, and turn your house into a home with beautiful interiors you’ll love for a lifetime.

 

Measure up

It might seem obvious but we don’t want to gloss over this critical step in case you get swept up in the fun of the search! If you know exactly where your lounge is going to go, measure the available space in your lounge room. Will it fit a 2-seater, 3-seater, corner lounge, lounge with chaise? If you have plans to move in the near future, it’s a good idea not to pick a corner lounge or lounge with a chaise, which would pin you down to certain room configurations.

 

Style smart

Interior design and giving your living space a makeover can be very exciting so style is often one of the main things we consider when purchasing furniture, but it shouldn’t be the most important. Aim to pick a classic style that won’t date, but can be styled with different throw cushions to create a new look from time to time without too much expense. Check out these cushions and throws after you’ve settled on your sofa!

 

Material, girl

There are more upholstery materials than you might think! Leather, linen, corduroy, cotton, polyester, PU, wool…Knowing what material will suit your home and family will help you eliminate at least half of all the overwhelming options you might be facing. Before you head into the shops, research the durability and cost of the different lounge material options available. It’s a move that could save you time, and a lot of money in the long run, if you make a considered choice.

 

Keep it Clean

Once you know what material you have in mind, check that the particular lounge you’re looking at comes in a colour that will suit your decor AND family habits! Think carefully about what will show up on your couch. Do your kids eat on the lounge and are they likely to get darker marks all over it regularly? Or do you have a dog that sheds light hair, which would show up worst on darker colours? There’s no point buying a beautiful light blue lounge if you won’t ever get to see it (like me) because you constantly have to cover it to keep it clean. 

You’ll thank yourself for choosing a colour that not only looks cleaner, but that also has a cover which can be thrown in the washing machine. Oh how I wish I had chosen an easy-to-clean lounge in a more suitable colour like this 100% stonewashed Belgian linen in Charcoal. The slip covers in the Como range from James Lane can be easily washed, replaced or interchanged for an alternative colour if you decide to change up your colour scheme.

You can skip the professional clean and hours spent waiting for your lounges to dry and just machine wash the covers yourself instead. You’ll save the expense and hassle of organising a cleaner and have a lounge that looks as good as new in no time.

 

Look for lead times

Some furniture stores have monstrous lead times that mean your furniture may not arrive for up to 20 weeks! Don’t get stuck waiting for months for your new lounge to arrive. Unlike many furniture stores, James Lane has the bulk of their range in stock or available at very short lead times, so you can start enjoying your new purchase right away.

Where to find a lounge you’ll love

Check out the huge range of sofas (not to mention living and dining furniture, beds, mattresses and homewares!) at James Lane to avoid the disappointment of an endless search! They’ve got everything you need to make your home a place you’ll love returning to again and again.

For a limited time, mums of the Shire can also take 10% off all full-priced items. Use the code MOTS10 at online checkout or mention ‘Mums of the Shire’ in store.

You can find their range online and visit them in-store at their Caringbah location within Caringbah Home (220 Taren Point Road). Or find other James Lane Sydney store locations here.