How to choose a sofa: a buying guide for Indian homes

Buying guide

How to choose a sofa

A sofa is the piece you will touch every day for the next fifteen years, and the one most often bought wrong. Almost every regret comes down to three things: it is the wrong size for the room, the frame was never going to last, or the fabric could not cope with the way the house actually lives.

1. Size it against the room, not the showroom

Showrooms are enormous, which makes everything in them look smaller than it is. Measure your room first, then mark the sofa's footprint on the floor with tape and live with it for a day.

Two numbers matter more than the length. Seat depth decides how the sofa feels: 22–24 inches suits most people for upright sitting and conversation; 26 inches and above is a lounging sofa and will leave shorter people perched or slumped. Overall height decides how the room feels — a low back opens a small room up, a high back makes a large room feel held.

Room	Usually works
Compact apartment living room	A 3 seater around 72–82 in, seat depth 22–24 in
Standard living room	A 3 seater plus two chairs, or a 4 seater around 90–96 in
Large or double-height room	A 4 seater with a higher back, or two sofas facing each other
Den or study	A 2 seater or a pair of armchairs

Measure the route, not just the room. This is the step people skip. Lift depth, lift door width, the turn at the top of the staircase, the doorway into the flat. A sofa that will not go in is a sofa that goes back. If a piece is being made for you, the route can be designed around — a frame can be built in two sections — but only if somebody measures first.

2. The frame is the part you cannot fix later

Upholstery can be redone. A frame cannot. Look for seasoned hardwood, joined and braced at every load point rather than stapled. In India, Burma teak earns its price for an unglamorous reason: it holds its shape through a Mumbai monsoon and a Delhi summer, and it keeps a screw for decades. Engineered board and unseasoned softwood will not.

Under the seat, ask what the suspension is. Sinuous springs across the seat give support that lasts; webbing alone will sag inside a few years. Foam should be cut to the shape of the frame, and on a curved sofa it has to be cut to the curve — a straight template shows immediately in the seams.

3. Choose fabric for how you actually live

Indian conditions are hard on cloth: humidity, strong sunlight, dust, and in many homes children and pets. A few working rules:

• Velvet is more practical than it looks. The pile hides wear, it takes colour beautifully, and a cotton-backed velvet cleans well.
• Linen is lovely and creases. Accept that or blend it.
• Performance weaves and vegan leather earn their place in a house with small children.
• Avoid a dark solid in direct sun — fading shows up fastest on a flat dark ground.
• Always see a swatch in your own room, in daylight and at night. Showroom lighting lies.

4. Made to order, or ready to ship

Ready-to-ship means a fixed size and a fixed fabric, delivered in days. Made to order means the sofa is built after you order it, in your size and your cloth, in about six weeks.

For a sofa, made to order is usually worth the wait, because the sofa is the piece most likely to be a slightly awkward fit. At Peacock Life, fabric up to ₹1,000 a metre is included in the listed price, anything above is billed as per actuals and confirmed before we cut, and you are welcome to send your own cloth.

Questions

What is the right seat depth for a sofa?

22 to 24 inches suits most people for upright sitting and conversation. 26 inches and above is a lounging depth, comfortable if you sit with your legs up but uncomfortable for anyone shorter, who will either perch on the edge or slide down. If you are under about 5 ft 4 in, stay at the shallower end or plan for back cushions.

Which wood is best for a sofa frame in India?

Seasoned hardwood, and Burma teak where the budget allows. Teak is dimensionally stable through monsoon humidity and summer heat, resists warping and holds fixings for decades. Engineered board and unseasoned softwood move with the seasons and loosen at the joints.

How do I know a sofa will fit through my door and lift?

Measure the lift's internal depth and door width, the narrowest doorway, and the turn at the top of any staircase, then compare against the sofa's diagonal depth rather than its length. With a made-to-order piece the frame can be built in sections to suit the route, provided the measurements are taken before it is built.

Is velvet practical for a sofa in India?

Yes, more than most people expect. The pile disguises wear and marks, it holds deep colour without looking flat, and a cotton-backed velvet cleans well. It is a better everyday choice than loose-weave linen in a dusty or humid city.

How long does a made-to-order sofa take?

About six weeks at Peacock Life, from order confirmation to delivery, because the frame is built, upholstered and finished after you order. Ready-to-ship pieces leave the Mumbai workshop within a few days.