I am often asked, “How do you come up with the designs for the sofas?” It seems every furniture company has their own recipe for making a great sofa, but for me, the first ingredient in designing a sofa is the aesthetics.  Is the sofa appealing to the eye?  Does the style speak to you and do you like what it has to say?  Our designers spend most of their time searching for design inspiration and innovation.  We’re constantly looking for the next hot trend in home furnishings.  As a result, we are able to offer a wide array of fashion forward fabrics, cutting edge designs, and hip materials for the furniture leg options. 

Once we have the design nailed down, we then look to make the furniture comfortable.  While you are able to choose the overall sizing of the furniture, it is we who make sure the sofa has the right relative dimensions to achieve the most widespread comfort and appeal.  The first point we consider is supporting the weight of our clients.  In other words, comfortable seating should distribute weight evenly with respect to the lower back, two triangular seat bones in your buttocks, and arms.  This is where the seat rake(angle of the seat back to the seat pan) becomes very important.  A good seat rake will distribute body weight very evenly.

The second consideration is the need to minimize pressure points.  Pressure points can constrict blood flow through the body and cause discomfort.  In some cases pressure points will lead to the sensation of pins and needles and eventually lead to numbness.  The area behind the knee is relatively sensitive to pressure.  But the greatest point of pressure when seated occurs on the two triangular seat bones inside the buttocks(ischial tuberosities if you want to get technical) .  Research shows that 65% of one’s body weight is transferred through these bones to the seat.  This makes the shape, angle, and curvature of the seat pan key elements in minimizing pressure.   In most of our sofas we use a robust 7” thick Dacron-wrapped foam seat cushion to help mold the seat shape and curvature to the body.  We also offer down envelope casings that further help in the molding of the seat to your specific body form.  When choosing a comfortable sofa another component in your choice is choosing the correct seat height.  When seated on the sofa, the distance between the underside of your knee to the ground should be slightly greater than the height of your seat pan.  This will allow your feet to rest on the floor.  The ANSI(American National Standards Institute) recommends the seat range between 15 to 20 ½ inches.  This is why you see most mass produced chairs with a seat height of 17”-18”(The middle of the ANSI recommended range)

A third point to consider in getting comfortable is allowing your body proper movement.  Your posture is not a static condition.  Your body is always moving, seeking comfort at different positions when resting.  Your furniture should allow the ability to move freely and adjust your posture while still distributing weight.  Depending on your use and how you position yourself when resting, the height of the furniture arm will come into play here.  Arm height is even more crucial when sitting in a chair as space is more confined in a chair than when seated in a sofa.

 The fourth aspect to consider in supporting your body’s weight is maintaining lumbar lordosis while seated.  Lumbar lordosis is the natural curve of your spine when standing.  When lower lumbar vertebrae are compressed forward, they become pinched.  This can be painful and harmful over time.   Using kidney and throw pillows behind your lower back will rotate your pelvis forward and help maintain the natural spine curve. 

So when you’re out shopping for that perfect sofa, it is important to really dive into the comfort of the sofa.  Sit in the corners, lean against the arms, check if your feet touch the floor, give it a test “sit” much like you would sit on your couch in the privacy of your own home.  You’ll thank me later.