Coupon & Deal Blog

Buying furniture to outfit our new house has been a long, and somewhat tedious process. We had a long list of items to purchase, and we’ve been steadily chipping away at it:assessing our options for style and affordablility. I’m happy to announce that with our acquisition of a certain rocker from the Modernica warehouse sale last night, we have just one glaring omission left on our list. This would be the sofa.

This has been a tough one. Oh we have found many that we simply drooled over, but the major sticking point has often been the price. Many of the sofas that we really liked, even on sale are going for somewhere between $1000-$2000. To be quite honest, with all the other items that we needed to acquire, and with a new baby almost here, we simply do not have that money to spend on a single item of furniture.

When searching for sofas in the sub-$1000 range we have run into yet another consistent problem. Simply put trying to find a piece that we both liked to look at and was of the highest quality within our price range. Many of the vital signs of quality (or lack thereof) can be obscured by the siren song of style: alluring upholstery, svelte arms, and come-hither cushions, all piled atop sexy bare, mid-century inspired legs I so adore.

A sofa is a big investment, an item we will no doubt have in our homes for at least 5 to 10 years, it behooves us to always buy the best quality we can afford.

• Frames should be made of kiln-dried hardwoods, with corners that are blocked, screwed, and glued.
• Springs should be connected to each other with eight ties and then tied to the frame and covered. This is known as eight-way-hand-tied spring construction.
• Run your hand across the back and make sure that it’s padded. A hollow back is a sign of poor construction.
• Cushions come in down-and-feather blends, foam, spring-down, and combinations of all of these. Each one has their pros and cons, but it’s really a matter of comfort. Sit down and see which you prefer. Keep in mind that down cushions will require frequent fluffing, while foam will spring back on its own.

Remember all of this information isn’t necessarily to be found on a website product description, or on the price tag in a show room. You will need to find a spec sheet or ask a salesman some very specific questions.

You will want to measure everything before you buy, and I mean everything.  Measure the doorways, staircases, elevator, and just about anything else you can think of. You will have wasted a lot of time, energy, and possibly money if you get it home and discover it doesn’t fit through the doorway.

Aside from color alone, make sure you put some thought into the fabric itself. A delicate silk or velvet won’t do if you have kids and pets roughhousing on the couch. If you’re the type to eat dinner while lounging on the chesterfield, a micro fiber will easily forgive spills.

The thoughts of sofas, and when and where we were going to purchase, ran heavily through my head as we wandered that Modernica sale last night. This morning as I opened my email I found several forwards from my wife form the Urban Outfitters website. I guess she was up in the wee hours investigating more furniture! We are so often on the same page, hahahaha. I was really excited to find how many beautiful pieces they had in our price range. These are our two favorites:

Night and Day Convertible Sofa (Toffee)

Stylish seating by night or by day. Mid-century inspired tweed sofa boasts structured lines and generous seating by day. By night, it converts to a comfortable bed. Clicks easily into three positions for sitting upright, lounging back or sleeping. Removable roll arm cushions; rich solid wood legs; clean and simple at the back.

Exclusive to Urban Outfitters. Only $588!

Solid Ash Bungalow Sofa 

We would be taking the decor in a slightly different direction if we chose this one. I’m comfortable with that however, something about this sofa grabs me. Clean, modern lines with a durable hardwood frame, constructed of solid ash. Inspired by a vintage thrift store find, the comfy seat and back are each just one big sectioned cushion - with removable covers for easy cleaning.

Exclusive to Urban Outfitters and on sale for $299 marked down from $575!

You can find your Urban Outfitters Coupon Codes here!