Here's a little quiz for you to take: What is the largest piece of furniture in your home right now? Could you name it? What item of furniture says more about you than any other? And, what piece of furniture is usually the first item that guests will see? Hint: The answer to all 3 questions is the same.



The answer to all the questions above? The humble sofa. Did you guess it? Our little quiz serves to underscore the important role your sofa plays in your home - both from a decorative as well as a functional perspective.

What this means is that it is very important to choose the best possible sofa for your home - very important to you, your family and also your house guests - all of whom will have to use it. That's the subject of this article: choosing the perfect sofa.

You know this well: No two homes are the same. And no two homeowners are the same, either. So it only stands to reason that there is no type of sofa that is 'right' for everyone - there is only the type that is right for YOU. Now when you shop for your new sofa, you can look at them from the design angle (how they look), or from a functional perspective (how they work and their components).

From a functional perspective, you have many choices in sofas. One that is ever-popular is the sectional sofa. With a sectional, you can adjust the placement of the individual units in your room to suit your fancy. If you like you can also buy recliner sofas (my uncle's favorite - great for napping), sleeper sofas - and even outdoor sofas that will handle inclement weather out on your back porch or deck area. I think that you should examine the functional aspect first: what do you need your sofa for? What will you need it to do? Where will it be used? How often will you use it - occasionally when guests come, or every day?

As far as design (appearance) is concerned, your choices are almost endless. You can choose sofas with a traditional feel - literally, using thick, pillow-like fabrics, with deep, restful cushions that you can just get happily lost in (I guess you know which ones I like for napping!). Or you can go with a more contemporary type - crisp lines, taut fabrics, simple color schemes.

Let me give you some basic recommendations. The first is to always match your sofa style to your overall room decor. If you try to match a contemporary sofa in a room with traditional decor (or vice versa), the resulting clash of styles will look very out of place. Don't make that mistake!

Need some more recommendations? If extra bed space will be needed, buy a sleeper sofa. And again, consider use: if you need a sofa for the guys to sit on while they eat potato chips and drink beer as they watch the Super Bowl, make sure the fabric will clean up easily! And if the kids will be using the sofa as a trampoline (and they usually do), then don't get one of those crappy sofas that are constructed of thin fabric stapled over a weak pine frame - get something that can handle what they are going to be throwing at it. Make sure you get a good warranty - from a reputable dealer. Properly selected, your sofa will last for many, many years.