Let’s see what’s inside – a few words about how a sofa is built and how to assess its quality

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12 January 2021

Upholstered furniture is a must-have in every living room. This is where we spend long and lazy afternoons. Here we can gossip with friends, watch TV, relax while reading our favourite books, take pleasant naps when rain is falling outside the window. Sofas, couches, corner sofas, armchairs, chaise lounges, large pouffes, there is a huge variety of shapes, sizes, styles and functions.

What do you pay attention to when buying a sofa?

The first thing that surely catches your attention is the external appearance. What matters is the colour, upholstery texture, shape and size. You probably agree that to buy a new piece of furniture for the living room, you must like how it looks. Or maybe it can even evoke some feelings in you. 😉 If you’re buying leisure furniture in a brick-and-mortar store, you will definitely sit on it to check if it is comfortable enough, if its backrest is well profiled, and if the seat is high enough for you to get up easy.

Anything else?

If you want to assess the quality of a sofa, you should definitely check more than is visible to the naked eye. What determines most of its quality is hidden inside the sofa. Sometimes two sofas that seem very similar offer completely different parameters and come at completely different prices. Why is that? Because of the furniture structure – the components used to produce it also have impact on its comfort and determine its quality and durability. It depends on them whether the sofa will last only several months in an unchanged condition, or will you be able to use it with pride and satisfaction for a long time.

How is upholstered furniture constructed?

Buying a sofa or corner sofa for your living room is a bit like buying a car. It is an investment for a long time. You want it to be durable, comfortable and pleasant in appearance. But, as we have already mentioned, appearance is not everything. First of all, ask yourself three questions. Who will use the sofa? How often? For what purposes?

Think about this. Will your children play every day on the sofa? Will it be a place for frequent afternoon naps? Will it be used rather occasionally, during friendly chats on weekend and holiday days? Or maybe you want to unfold it for sleep every day?

Why is it important? In order to be able to choose a piece of furniture that will be best suited to your needs. This means it will be properly durable, with the desired softness and elasticity.

First, basic information: upholstered furniture is like an onion. 😉 This means it has layers. Each of them has a different task and completely different properties.

The durability, comfort and quality of furniture are primarily influenced by three layers: the frame, the backrest and seat support system, and the filling.

Let’s start with the framework, which consists of components such as a frame, partitions, fittings, profiles, fasteners, etc. It is a crucial part and backbone of the furniture. The more solid it is, the better. When made of deciduous wood (e.g. hard beech), it will definitely guarantee the right stability and durability for a long time.

The next layer consists of elements supporting the seat and backrest. Their task is very important, as they prevent the said components from collapsing, and also have a big impact on the furniture comfort. Stiff materials such as chipboard or fibreboard are usually used in the cheapest models on the market. You’ve probably have at least once sat on a sofa and thought you sat on a hard board, right? This was most likely this type of furniture. Elastic materials (upholstery belts) or springy materials (such as wave springs that ensure the flexibility and high strength of the seat) are applied when high quality and comfort are the priority.

Finally, the last layer – seat and backrest filling. There is a lot of variety in this area. Each of the solutions has its own features that affect both the feeling of comfort and the suggested way of use. So, we should pay special attention to this aspect.

The materials most often used to fill seats and backrests are foams of various densities. The usual filling in the cheapest furniture on the market are T-type foams, also called polyurethane foams. Unfortunately, these foams oxidise over time and become mechanically distorted. So if you choose a cheap sofa with T-type foam in the seat, additionally supported on chipboard, for example – do not count on great comfort or long life of that piece of furniture.

A much more reasonable solution is to choose a piece of furniture whose seat is filled with high resilience foam, while polyurethane foam is added in less used elements, such as the sides. The high resilience foam used in Gala Collezione lounge furniture is characterised by high resistance to pressure and deformation. It regains its original shape much faster than T-type foam. It adjusts to the body position, ensuring high comfort and a sense of convenience. Supported by wave springs, it guarantees pleasant elasticity and flexibility.

We should also mention that the seat filling in Gala Collezione furniture is prepared using the so-called sandwich method. It means that panels of high resilience foams of different densities are glued together in a way resembling a sandwich (in layers). Thanks to this, the seat can provide maximum comfort, softness and elasticity.

What about the backrest?

The furniture offered by Gala Collezione include collections that use various solutions in this area. They have different properties, but a common basic feature – to give the highest comfort parameters combined with a very good support for the body.

There are models based on the mentioned high resilience foam. In others, a silicone insert is used in the backrest (e.g. Mondo or Karato). Furniture with silicone filling is a very soft “fluffs”, which give an unusual feeling of cosiness and elasticity. They are recommended particularly for those who like to “sink” into cushions and be “wrapped” by them while resting. However, you should bear in mind that these sofas behave in a different way than models with full high resilience foam filling. Because of a “loose” insert, it is recommended to regularly form the backrest cushions by hand to restore their beautiful original shape.

The newest type of filling offered by Gala Collezione is TOP ELASTIC, which can be found in the Veneto, Merano and Serena collections. It is a type of high resilience high density foam that provides great comfort, softness, multi-directional elasticity and makes the filled elements perfectly fit the user’s body. It guarantees that the shape of the backrest / seat / backrest cushions is maintained regardless of the intensity of use and the type of furniture cover.

The framework, supporting elements and filling are closely connected with each other and form a trio that determines the quality of the entire piece of furniture. Even if the sofa is “dressed” in a cover made of the finest natural leather or the top-quality fabric with extraordinary durability properties, if any of these three elements is of poor quality, the entire piece of furniture will fail to provide you with the expected comfort.

How to test a sofa before purchase?

Start by reading the furniture description, especially its technical parameters. Check what types of construction elements and filling are used in it. In the case of Gala Collezione furniture, pictograms in product cards will provide valuable information to you.

Next, check the sofa for yourself by testing it in a furniture showroom, for example.

• Sit down and settle comfortably on the sofa – no photo or description can reflect how you will actually feel the comfort of a particular piece of furniture.
• Get up from the sofa – this will allow you to check if the seat height is optimal for you. The seat height is particularly important when the sofa is to be used by the elderly or the disabled. The lower the piece of furniture, the harder it is to get up.
• Try the sofa elasticity – everyone has their own preferences regarding the softness. Some like harder surfaces, others prefer soft furniture they can sink into.
• Sit on the sofa for a while – this will allow you to check if it is well profiled, if it provides adequate ergonomics, if the backrest height is good, if the headrests provide stable support for the neck, and if the armrests are designed so that you can lean on them comfortably.
• Try the sofa functions – of course, if the piece of furniture is equipped with them. Unfold and fold the sleeping function. Raise and lower the headrests. Open the liquor cabinet. Unfold the relax function. You can verify that the functions are not difficult to operate and, if necessary, you can ask how to use them correctly.
• Ask someone to sit next to you – thanks to this you will find out how the furniture behaves when more than one person is resting on it.

You have learned some useful tips on how to ensure that your new sofa purchase is a satisfactory investment. Sometimes quality requires a bit more money, but the main advantage of buying a high-quality sofa is that you will get a durable, solid and comfortable piece of furniture that will also look great for a long time.

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