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Here are a few things to keep in mind as you shop for your new sofa. Keep in mind that what is under all that beautiful new upholstery will make a difference in how comfortable and durable a sofa is in the long term. Take the time to "kick the tires" and understand what is underneath cushions before you make a decision. Frame A sturdy frame is essential for a comfortable, high-quality sofa. The best sofa frames are constructed from kiln-dried hardwood. Green wood can shrink, crack or warp as it dries. Kiln drying removes the moister before the craftsmen begin to shape the frame, ensuring that the sofa will maintain its shape and stability over the long term. Quality frame construction also includes glued, doweled and screwed joints. Reinforcing blocks should be attached inside the corners of the frame for extra support. Plywood and particle board constructed frames held together with staples will not stand up over time and should be avoided. If you must choose a sofa without a kiln dried frame, then opt for 11 - 13 layer plywood over 5 - 7 layer plywood for better support. Seating Support

Why is shopping for a sofa so intimidating? Sometimes customers are more comfortable dropping $30,000 on a car than to pick out a $1,000 sofa (and the latter will probably last longer). Perhaps the biggest hesitation comes from a fear of making a mistake - whether it's about how much to spend, the color, the fabric, the size or shape. Consider these factors before buying to help eliminate some of the buying concerns and make your new sofa truly enhance your living space. Know your budget. Sofas can run anywhere from $299 to $10,000, so the first thing you need to do is set a realistic budget. Sure, they may look all the same to you, but there's a huge quality difference in that range. Consider stretching a little beyond what you think you can afford - in a few years, you don't want a budget compromise to have become the shabbiest piece in your room because it couldn't stand up to your lifestyle.

Sleeper sofas are a great way to dual purpose a room for the occasional guest. The most important thing to remember when shopping for a sleeper sofa is to try it out. Open it up on the sales floor and lie down. If you are not comfortable, then your guests won't be either. Many retailers now offer mattress upgrades for their sleeper sofas. If your sleeper will be getting frequent use, an upgrade is worth the extra money. Be sure to open up the sleeper yourself. Chances are if you can't easily get it open in the store, you won't be able to easily get it open when an overnight guest arrives.

Dunder Sofa by Stefan Borselius All we need are pillows! A Section-sofa and Easy-chair range, containing one corner-, one left-, one right-, one middle-section and one footstool. Together they can be used linked or as freestanding units. Innerframe of steel, padding of moulded polyurethane, down filling. Covered with fabric or leather. Dimensions (mm): Seat height 400 Overall height 740 Seat width 850 Seat depth 600 Overall depth 850

With the right questions - and answers - you can choose a new sofa or chair with confidence. What should you look for? Start by insisting on a kiln-dried, solid hardwood frame. You might never see the wood frame of your sofa or chair, but you should know what it is made of. Kiln-dried hardwoods like oak, alder, birch and maple are preferred because they hold pegs, screws and nails securely in place for a long time. Buying good upholstered furniture - and keeping it - helps the environment too. Landfills are overflowing with inexpensive sofas that are left on the curb after just a few years of use.

Leather upholstery is now more affordable than ever. Now most people can afford leather whether it is in a high-style contemporary design or an elegant, Old World form. This guide will help you figure out what you want in your leather sofa. Underneath it all Let's face it, the main difference between leather upholstery and regular upholstery is that it is covered in leather, not fabric. Therefore, the foundations of a well-built frame and a sturdy seating support system still apply. See our Sofa Buying Guide for a complete checklist of what to look for underneath it all. Cushions Like the frame, when it comes to the cushions of leather upholstery, many of the options that are available in fabric upholstery apply. (See our Sofa Buying Guide for a complete checklist of what to look for in cushions.) The best-selling leather upholstery features high density foam cushions, but blendown and spring-down are also available and are becoming more prevalent in the market. Hides The advantages of leather upholstery are that it is strong, yet soft. It doesn't tear, burn or puncture easily. Leather upholstery breaths, therefore it doesn't get cold and moist in the winter or hot and sticky in the summer. When you shop for leather upholstery, expect to find a wide array of styles and colors. No matter the styling, the leather should be soft, supple and comfortable to sit on.

Bonded Leather is ground up pieces of leather held together by an adhesive and coated with polyurethane to protect and give the look of leather. Bonded leather products can contain anywhere from 10-99% leather, the remainder being fibers and adhesives. Bycast leather is similar; it is scraps of leather coated with polyurethane to bind together. Bonded leather comes in a variety of colors and textures - these products are not the faux leather you remember from yester year - the quality of these blends has come a long way since their debut to the furniture scene in 2007. Bonded leather sofa prices are generally 2/3 of what a genuine leather sofa would cost you - that's a HUGE savings!

If you just spent a good amount of money on new furniture for your living room, it will break your heart to see the first stain that occurs on your upholstered sofas or chairs. But don't worry; you can actually get some of those stains out, without a lot of problems. The main thing is to choose the right way to clean the piece of furniture, so that you don't make the stain appear worse. If someone has dumped part of a drink on your chair, consider first the fabric, before you try to clean it. If you are dealing with a larger stain, you may want to try your cleaning first on a small area that you can't see well, to make sure it does not cause damage or discoloration. Greasy stains like butter can be cleaned with a dry type of cleaning solvent, available at any grocery store. Place a bit on a clean cloth and blot the stain. Be sure you don't rub the stain, since that could make it worse. Then mix mild detergent with warm water and blot that stain again. Use a towel to soak up everything you have used, and the spot should be gone when the fabric dries. This is a lot cheaper than buying new living room sets after your muddy dog joins you on the sofa. Cheese and crackers are often served as snacks, but when nacho type cheese gets spilled, it's no picnic. But you can get it out. Just mix one teaspoon-full of mild detergent in a cup of lukewarm water, and blot the stain with a clean towel. Blot it once more with a mixture of a half-cup warm water and a tablespoon of ammonia. Then blot up the stain and cleansers using clean water only, and let it dry.

Does this fit my family's lifestyle (pets included)? Rethink a chenille sofa if you have a cat with claws. Exuberant, snack-eating football fans don't mix well with dupioni silk. How long do I want to live with this? If you like to stay on top of the latest fashion trends, you may want a change before an item is worn out. Consider how long you want to keep something before you make a sizable investment and plan to update your interior periodically. Will it fit through the door? This often overlooked issue leads to a lot of frustration and many returns. How will I take care of it? Accidents happen sometimes. Who could predict that your infant son would choose to teeth on the cushion of your leather sofa and chew a hole in it? Buying a protection plan, like Protection 1st, will give you peace of mind and the resources to fix problems when they occur. Have I done my research and am I getting the best value? Keep in mind that value doesn't mean cheap. Value means that you are getting the best quality relative to the amount you are paying. To get a good value you need to examine the sturdiness and expected lifespan of an item in addition to its appearance.

Remember Martin Crane (Frasier's dad) and his favorite chair? That eyesore is what many people think of when they hear the word "recliner". Contrary to that image, motion furniture today is available in many fashionable styles that can be included in almost any setting. Hidden release mechanisms, tucked-away foot rests, and wall-away construction provide great function without compromising style. The options in reclining furniture are virtually endless. In addition to the motions of recline rock, swivel, and glide, some manufacturers include features such as built-in massagers, heating pads, cup holders, storage cubbies, phones, laptop computer sockets, and even coolers. Power mechanisms, long the norm in Europe, are becoming more common in the US market. New designs in motion furniture have been created for home theater settings. In addition to reclining sofas, loveseats and sectional sofas, one of the latest trends is found in a modular approach that allows you to join together individual reclining units at the arms. These arrangements can align flush to one another, or they can form an arch for optimal screen viewing.

Using bed throws and sofa throws is one exciting way to redo the look and feel of your home. These throws add the much needed flavour of colour and change to the home and make the beds and sofas look

You've just brought home your new sofa, love seat, chair - here are some simple tips to help protect your investment and keep it looking fresh and new. Before you do anything, it's a good idea to read the label usually placed under the base cushion or visit the manufacturer's website for furniture care information.

Top Furniture Buying Mistakes by Abe Abbas Forgetting to Measure Your Furniture: Don't neglect to measure the room ahead of buying to see if your new furniture will fit. You will be amazed at the number of furniture purchases that never make it into a home because the buyer neglected to measure the furniture or forgot to take into account hallways, doors, elevators and stairs. Ignoring Scale:A sofa that looks just right in the store, might look too big in your room or not big enough. It is hard to judge when you're looking at a picture or seeing it in a showroom. Also measure to make sure that your new piece matches the scale of the furniture you already own.

Some people think of wardrobes as purely functional pieces of furniture, but that doesn't mean they can't be fashionable as well. The way we see it is this: a wardrobe is one of the most important pieces of furniture in the home (together with a sofa, bed and dining table), so we want it to look every bit as stylish, eye-catching and chic as the clothes we hang inside it. Furniture manufacturers are well aware of this, which is why they're now creating wardrobes and matching furniture that will instantly give your bedroom the 'Wow Factor'. One of our favourite styles of wardrobe is the sliding door variety - these have a cool, cosmopolitan edge, often with mirrored fronts that add depth and light to your bedroom. Speaking of light, the high gloss explosion has taken the world of home trends by storm in recent years.

First of all, you need to know that the tips that will be mentioned in this article are guaranteed to remove stains safely. The best thing to do is to refer to your Coleman Furniture dealer or retailer for suggestions or to contact Coleman Furniture customer service for advice. It is also advisable to seek professional help from cleaning companies. If you decide to do it yourself, it is advisable to test on small and unnoticeable area like the back portion of the sofa in order to check if the color will be affected.

When you purchase leather furniture, acquaint yourself with the proper ways to take care of these lovely pieces, so that they will be a part of your home for years to come. You may even void any warranty on your furniture if you don't use the proper cleaning products to maintain it. There are elements of maintaining fine leather sofas and other furnishings that need to be done regularly.

When decorating a room, color affords almost limitless possibilities. Color invokes feelings and adds personality to your room. No other single element can alter the appearance of space and objects like color. In home furnishings, it can visually enlarge, reduce and even change the feel of a piece of furniture. Here are some easy tips to consider: The best color schemes are usually found in a single element: a sofa, rug, painting, virtually anything. Consider the intended use, room's size, desired mood and its lighting and exposure. Lighting and exposure affect the way color behaves. Most homes have incandescent lighting, which makes reds more vibrant and blues more neutral. Examine fabrics and paint chips under incandescent lighting as well as under natural daylight. When planning large purchases such as, carpeting, wallpaper, and large pieces of furniture, choose colors carefully since these items will not be frequently changed. Observe color relationships in photography, public places, private homes, printed fabrics and even clothing. Outdoor, natural settings can be great inspirations as well! If you aren't completely confident about a color scheme, stick to neutral, simple colors when it comes to large, expensive purchases.

This is the place where everyone ends up! Move over kitchen, the family room has become a favorite communal place in the house. Or is it the living room, or the great room? Whatever you call it, it's a multifunctional room that provides space to lounge on a plush sofa in front of the TV, find solace with a good book, watch children play with toys and entertain good conversation. There is debate over the distinction between a family room and a living room. In homes with both rooms, the living room is usually the more formal room, often reserved for guests, special occasions, and the display of items such as antiques or artwork. In homes with only one, the terms are generally synonymous, though it is not uncommon for someone who grew up calling such a room by only one term to have no idea of the distinction between the two. The "great room" may not be so great anymore. The great room was a big fad beginning in the 1980s, but has recently declined in popularity. The great room of today is not as prevalent, but is still an important part of American home design.

Do you feel like your electronics, video games, CDs, DVDs, and other tech toys are taking over your home? The heap of various systems, power cords, controllers, disks and the peripherals that come with them can turn your home entertainment center into an unsightly mess. Certainly, the need for attractive and versatile storage options has never been greater. But with some clever display and storage solutions, you can streamline your home media center and turn your entertainment chaos into a manageable mix. Display versus hideaway First, decide if you want to keep your media under wraps or on display. There's no right or wrong here; it's just a matter of personal preference. Some people like to have their large, flat panel TVs out in the open, but want to keep all the other equipment tucked out of sight. If that's the case, look for an attractive TV stand with drawers for media storage. TV stands come in all styles from vintage to modern, as well as different heights - if you or your kids spend a lot of time on the floor playing video games, you'll want something that sits lower to the ground. If not, you may want a taller piece that keeps the TV at eye level while you're sitting on the sofa.