The Ultimate Guide To Seating

Moritz Faux Sheepskin Sofa with soft cream textured upholstery and rounded arms, styled in a warm living room with neutral cushions, rug and side table.

ABIGAIL AHERN

Making the everyday even more cosy and comfy.

Set The Mood & Bring Your Home To Life

When chosen well, seating can completely transform a space. Before you fall head over heels for a particular design, there are a few things worth considering.

CHOOSE WELL, CHOOSE ONCE.

Our sofa and accent chair buying guide will help you find the perfect piece for your space, from getting the proportions just right to styling it with confidence, so that it becomes a characterful centrepiece you’ll love for years to come.

THE BASICS

How to Choose Your Sofa or Accent Chair

A sofa or accent chair is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your home, so choosing the right one takes time. Here are our helpful hints to make sure you get it right first time.

Choose Comfort

You may get seduced by some of the latest trendy couches as there are so many sofa styles to choose from, but your living room is for relaxing first so combining comfort with style is paramount. Take some time to consider the different types of sofa and what you need from it, it’s an investment piece that needs to fit in with your lifestyle. Do you want something super snuggly to hunker down with a vino and your latest box set or something a little more supportive and formal?

Lilian Velvet Swivel Chair in olive green velvet, styled beside a window in a warm neutral living room with shelving, ceramics and textured rug.

Materiality

What sort of fabric is best for you, a sumptuous velvet or maybe a modern boucle. If you're prone to a spillage or have a young family then something more hardwearing like a modern leather sofa or a wool sofa would be a fitting choice.

Size Matters

As tempting as it is to buy the biggest sectional sofa to fill up your living space, it can drain the energy out of the room. If you’ve got a lot of space to fill, look at pairing your sofa with an accent chair or two and creating a conversational seating zone. On the other hand if you have a small room then sofas without arms will give the illusion of more space.

Abigail Ahern Karina Faux Fur Armchair featuring luxuriously soft textured upholstery and a deep, comfortable wingback shape, styled as a cosy accent chair in a contemporary living room.

Clever Contrasts

When creating your seating zone consider the size,shape and colour of your sofa in contrast to your accent chairs and your room decor. They don’t need to match in size or colour but should complement to make the room flow.

Measure Up

Avoid any delivery day disasters by making sure your sofa will fit in your home. As well as making sure your dream couch fits in the room, measure all hallways and doorways that your sofa will have to fit through on the journey to its destination.

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Your Sofa & Accent Chair Styling Guide

Ramp up the style of your sofa or accent chair and change them to reflect the seasons by accessorising with soft furnishings or pairing them with some style savvy sidekicks. Here are some sofa and accent chair styling ideas, our top 4 style saviours to ensure your seating zone entices you to hunker down.

CUSHIONS

Cushions are good value for money and they can add colour, depth, pattern and comfort to any couch. Variety is the key so mix up the sizes too. If you haven’t got a lot of pattern in your room decor, cushions are the perfect opportunity to introduce some, the same with colour if your sofa is a neutral hue, then select textiles that really pop out and draw your eye in.

SHOP CUSHIONS

Brenta Fabric Pendant Light with softly gathered neutral fabric shade, suspended above an armchair in a warm contemporary interior with layered natural textures.

THROWS AND BLANKETS

Adding a comforting layer for the cooler weather or protecting your sofa from the daily grime, throws can be the ideal practical choice as well as adding a huge dollop of colour or pattern to your sofa. If you don’t need to have them permanently draped, then ensure you have a well stocked basket nearby so they’re easily grabbable.

SHOP THROWS & BLANKETS

Oren Side Table in warm gold metal, styled beside an upholstered chair with layered neutral accessories and contemporary decorative details.

SIDE TABLES

Small tables are the essential sidekick that every sofa or accent chair needs. Providing a landing spot for your afternoon cuppa or evening tipple, a touch of glow with a table lamp, decorative accents like houseplants and sculptures and maybe even a handy vessel for your remote.

SHOP SIDE TABLES

Calvello Faux Shearling Pouffe in a warm neutral living room, showing its soft cream textured upholstery beside a dark armchair and sculptural coffee table.

FLOOR CUSHIONS & POUFFES

Taking the comfort level even higher, partner up your sofa or accent chair with somewhere to pop your feet. A large floor cushion or pouffe is also another opportunity to up the texture levels or add in contrasting colour to your room’s decor styling.

SHOP POUFFES