Things to Consider when Buying a Couch

Is the thought of buying a couch stressing you out? Here are some things to consider (written by a fellow stresser outer)  gained by recent first hand experience.

If you’ve been following my homemaking journey for more than a minute, you’ll know I’ve been looking for a couch ~

For a loooooong time!

As someone who gets buyer’s remorse over a $3.00 purchase, I totally stress over trying to make an “investment piece” purchase. (Don’t even get me started on buying a car…)

Our previous couch was well used and loved.

We bought it new at an auction 20 years ago, along with its matching loveseat.

It was the 90s’ back then, and I loved the country blue check with the small detail of dusty rose. Although it was definitely trendy back then, I did really love the casual style of it ~ and obviously, have lived with it a long time!;)

But, its time had come. Once we moved into our townhouse almost 2 years ago, we figured it was time to replace sweet old faithful with something more suited to our new place and this stage of life.

At first the idea of  a new couch was exciting.

And, then, it became absolutely overwhelming.

I was terrified of making a mistake with such a large purchase, and actually dreaded the process. In fact, I put it off until this Spring.

I’m now happy to report, the new couch is in the house. And, I love it! (Wanna see??)

Here she is:

Meet Edie.

She’s a delightful new part of the family.

Since I found it so challenging to choose a couch, I thought I’d offer my two bits of advice based on my recent first hand experience. I hope it may be of help to some of you in similar situations.

Things to Consider when Buying a Couch

Get some help if you are in over your head

Although I absolutely love all things home related, this purchase absolutely flummoxed me. I had pinned about a million pictures of favorite living rooms, but didn’t know how to translate my style into our small townhouse.

I finally came to the realization that there is no shame in asking for help! If you’re overwhelmed, find someone to help you with decisions.

I ended up discovering Melissa through a facebook group who guided me through the process. She even did a Fearless & Fun decorating series with me.

Her confidence walked me through the process gave me courage to make a few key decisions.

Think of Comfort and Your Family’s Needs

One thing that I knew for sure and certain is that some piece of furniture in our living room HAD to recline. It was the one and only request from my husband, and I whole-heartedly agreed.

Our first recliner (pictured above) was actually a gracious and generous gift from some dear friends 10 years ago. At that time, I was suffering greatly with the pain of fibromyalgia. I sat in their (matching) chair one evening and commented that it gave great relief to the constant pain in my back.

The next day, they showed up at our front door with a big box with that brand new chair in it.

I know.

They are amazing friends.

And, I cried.

What a gift.

They introduced us to our first La-Z-Boy… And, there’s no going back now!

As you think of the specific situation in your own home, think of things like which room will it be in, who will be using it, what your budget is, and if it needs a sleeper sofa.

Consider the scale of the room and measure

This step is what Melissa helped me with the most. I just couldn’t figure out if a reclining couch would look mammoth in our small townhouse living room.

Her professional experience made her confidently tell me that it would fit perfectly.

She was right.

Since it was (brilliantly) designed to hug the wall and still recline, it’s the perfect solution for our small space.

Do your homework on all the extras beforehand

I find shopping for new furniture very similar to shopping for a car. Just like car salespeople try to up-sell you on all kinds of bells and whistles, so it is in the furniture world.

I advise you to research beforehand things like:

• extended warranty,
• stain protection of the fabric,
• what grade (or strength) of fabric you want, and
• furniture construction quality

I can’t tell you what your decisions should be on those matters, but they will affect the overall price. So, go in knowing your personal beliefs and how firm you are on them.

Take your time with fabric choice

I’ll admit. I REALLY wanted a white or light-colored couch. White couches were in almost every one of the pictures I had pinned on my dream living room boards.

But, I couldn’t bear the thought of trying to keep it clean.

Plus, I also didn’t want to “overwhite” the space.

After spending quite a few weeks deliberating over the 200+ fabric choices La-Z-Boy had, we finally settled on this dark charcoal gray.

Ironically, it was the exact color of the one in our local Lazboy store.

That fabric choice was by far the hardest part of the decision for me… (Go ahead, tell me it looks ok??)

Choose to shop where you most feel comfortable

I know many people have no qualms about buying a couch online. I’m happy for them, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on that one.

Somehow, I wanted to be able to touch and feel and sit in a couch before I could actually buy it.

Since my husband is tall (6 foot) and I’m not (5′ 2″), we needed to find a couch that we were both comfortable with.

That is no small feat!

Edie fit the bill, though. I love that she doesn’t look like a recliner, but is. She’s the perfect solution for us short people who are used to having our feet swing on tall couches…

The bonus is that two of us can snuggle up and share one foot rest (see picture above)~ potentially making it possible for 4 people (who get along well;)) to watch a movie in ultimate comfort.

Get your questions ready

When looking for a couch, think ahead of what is important to you. Is it size? Quality of product? Warranty? Where it’s manufactured? Whatever it is, think ahead and go into the store with your questions ready.

We asked questions regarding the construction of the piece, where it was made,  what the return policy was, and how delivery was done. We found that sales people love to talk about their products, so we just kept asking questions!

Put your patience on

If you purchase a couch that is custom made for you (like La-Z-Boy does), don’t expect it in a hurry. We were given the time frame of 12 weeks, and were pleasantly surprised when it arrived earlier.

Measure Your Doorway to Make Sure it will Fit ~ And don’t forget about the power!

These were two things that we thought about at the very last minute. Before we actually put money down on the couch, we went home and measured to be sure it would fit in our door.

Also, keep in mind, if you get a power reclining piece of furniture, it will need to be plugged in. Make sure you have an outlet that is accessible where you need it.

Edie made it through our door with with no problems at all. However, the store did say they had had problems with that issue in the past. Make sure your new couch will fit through all the doorways and stairwells it needs to get through before it lands in its new space.

Find out about the delivery process

We had an absolute marvelous experience with our local LazBoy store with this big-to-me purchase. The salespeople were so kind and helpful in answering my million questions, and gave me space to think when I needed to. (That’s VERY important to me!)

The delivery process also went incredibly smooth. We got telephone calls and e-mails letting us know when the delivery would happen. The guys who came were prompt and professional.

(Pardon the blurry iPad picture…But, I wanted to show you that Edie has 5 legs!! See that one in the middle?)

We appreciated their happy personalities and strong backs.

They carried in the couch,  unwrapped it, put the legs on, and plugged it in.

We are absolutely thrilled. I know this may sound like a sponsored post for LazBoy, but it’s not.

(However, if given the chance I would happily blog for them and sing their praises.;))

Related Post:

If you’d like to see another room with Edie’s matching chairs, I spied them here  on one of my all time favorite blogs ~ the Handmade Home ~ after I’d placed my order for this Edie couch. I was thrilled!