The first thing you want to consider is what kind of use the furniture will see. Are you putting it in a busy family room or a formal living room? Do you have kids, do you have pets or are you an empty nester? These factors will greatly influence your choice in furniture. For example, if you are placing a couch in a busy family room and you have pets or kids you will want to buy a synthetic material. Synthetic materials will not stain as easily as other materials , will clean up easily and will be very durable. If on the other hand you are placing the furniture in a formal living room you might want something more extravagant like a silk or polished cotton. This is material that would not stand up in a family area. Do not make the mistake of buying a piece of furniture just because it looks good. Choose a piece based on the room it is going in to have furniture that will serve you well for years. If you have a hard time determining the material that is used in the furniture you can check the cleaning code usually located under the cushions on the seating surface. If it is an S it is a delicate material, if it is a SW it is slightly more durable and if it says W it is wet cleanable and probably very durable.

A second thing that you want to consider is the color of the material. You want to choose one that will last and that you will not get tired of. Bright materials like reds will fade if exposed to heavy sunlight so be careful choosing furniture for bright rooms. Also be careful when choosing trendy colors as you might tire of them quickly. That Bright blue couch mike look great now but how good will it look after you've looked at it for a year.

As you can see, choosing furniture is not as simple as just choosing something that looks pretty. Do your research, consider your options and you should be fine though. Good luck.