Feature article
Lounge layouts: How to choose the perfect couch
Discover how to balance relaxation and entertainment in your lounge and choose the perfect couch to define the space.
26 September 2024
Family/living rooms are amongst the most highly used rooms in our homes, acting as a hub for everything from socialising with friends and family through to playspaces for children, eating dinner in front of the television and so on.
They also tend to have the most square meterage allotted to them in any given home, which means they are commonly used for a whole raft of other activities such as working from home and even as a home gym.
With this multifunctional aspect in mind, choosing the right lounge suite can sometimes seem rather daunting. To simplify matters, we’ll look at the various configurations available, as well as the fabric choices that will keep your suite in tip-top condition.
The goal with any lounge suite is to provide for the most amount of seating in as comfortable a manner as possible, which is why the more common form of lounge suite configuration is the ‘3+2+1’, which includes a three-seater couch, two-seater couch and a matched single armchair.
However, smaller living areas, or those pulling multifunctional duty, may not have the required space for all of that furniture, so mixing and matching pieces — such as teaming a three-seater sofa with two occasional chairs — may be a better option.
Cover image: The 2023 Readers’ Choice Home of the Year, designed by Matter Architects, incorporates a sculptural couch in a lounge that opens to the outdoors on both sides. Furniture and styling by Bo Concept.
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The 2022 Rural Home of the Year, Black Ridge by Toby Chapman-Smith and Benjamin Conner, is all about the landscape; from the lounge, kereru are visible swooping among the trees. Here, a modular sofa is paired with occasional chairs.
The modular addition
Similarly, a sectional or modular sofa may be an ideal choice as they can be placed in a corner without compromising floor space. They’re also ideal if you live in an apartment where moving furniture in and out can be difficult — simply break them down into their component pieces and carry them out the door. Pictured above is the 2022 Rural Home of the Year, where a modular sofa, which is paired perfectly with occasional chairs to create a relaxing rural haven while retaining floor space.
The chaise
Another popular choice is the chaise suite, which incorporates a chaise lounge into the sofa or sectional. An advantage of this design is that it maximises the amount of seating that can be fitted into a smaller space. When you’re entertaining there’s enough room for all of your guests, or when it’s just you, you have someone to prop your legs up onto.
A really ingenious evolution of the chaise suite is the flip chaise. This clever piece of design features a separate ottoman that you can position at either end of the sofa, and then it’s just a case of reconfiguring the chaise cushion to be on the side you want — the ultimate in customisable furniture.
Formal, casual, or elegant?
Another consideration will be the style of sofa you’re looking for — formal, casual or elegant. A formal-style sofa typically lacks individual cushions and has a ‘tight’ looking back and seat. This style tends to look tidier and has a more traditional feel. If it’s a more laid back, lived-in look you’re hoping to achieve, then a casual-style sofa with individual or loose back and seat cushions will be the one for you. It’s good to keep in mind though that these types of sofas can end up looking tired and sloppy over time.
For a classic look, it’s an elegant-style sofa all the way. The most timeless of the styles, an elegant sofa is generally either fully tufted — both backs and seats — or partially tufted — either just the back or seat cushions.
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In the 2021 City Home of the Year by CAAHT Studio, a traditional lounge setting defines an area for relaxing and entertaining that is at once casual and formal. Oversized off white Rosetti couches are arranged around a wide fireplace.
What materials are best when it comes to upholstery for the lounge?
With the configuration and style of your lounge suite sorted, now it’s time to look at fabric choice.
If you are, like most of us, going to essentially be living on your sofa, which means eating, drinking, napping and generally ‘slobbing out’, then you’re going to want as durable a fabric as possible — especially if your family includes small children and/or pets.
There are two main choices of material when it comes to sofas — leather or vinyl and fabric, such as cotton, cotton blend, linen or other. There are pros and cons to both, including:
Leather and leather-look materials offer a more sleek appearance, are hypoallergenic, are stain resistant and usually only require the occasional light cleaning. However, leather and leather-look materials do tend to show marks such as scratches more visibly, can be hot in summer and cold in winter and, in the case of leather, can be pretty pricey.
Fabrics on the other hand, come in a wide selection of patterns, colours and textures, are generally more comfortable and are more budget friendly in comparison to a leather counterpart. On the downside, fabrics can harbour allergens, will stain more easily than leather or vinyl and high-traffic use can result in pilling of the fabric and even worn patches.
At the end of the day, whichever lounge suite you choose, it is designed to give you and your family many years of comfortable service.
Author
Clare has spent the last 16 years working across Australasia as a journalist, editor and writer. Her work has appeared in books and publications around the world. Clare has led editorial teams for numerous architecture and design publications. In 2020, she was appointed Editor in Chief of HOME magazine, before taking the helm as publisher in 2023.
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