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5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Sofa

BY ABE ABBAS

Updated 01/17/18

There are some mistakes that people often make when buying a sofa. These are small things in themselves, and so are easily overlooked. But all sofa-buying mistakes featured here do end up having a big impact on your satisfaction with your sofa purchase.

• 01of 05

Buying a Sofa That Is Too Big or Too Small

This may be the most common mistake of them all. This happens when you don't measure your space or the sofa or sometimes neglect both. Don't go by how big the sofa looks in the store. A sofa might look deceptively small in a showroom but could end up being too big for your room, so not measuring your space or your sofa can create many problems.

Other than measuring the size of your space, pay attention to the scale. Your sofa should be the same scale as your other furniture so it doesn’t...MORE

• 02of 05

Buying a Sofa Without Trying It Out

Just as your sofa shouldn’t be too big or too small for your space, it shouldn’t be too big or too small for you, either. If you are tall, make sure that the seat is deep enough to allow you to sit in comfort. If you are not very tall or have bad knees, look for a shallow seat that lets you rise out of it easily.

Never buy a sofa without first trying it out. Sit on it, lie on it, try it out the way you would use it at home. If you like napping on your sofa, make sure that the arms are the right...MORE

• 03of 05

Buying the Wrong Style Sofa

Your sofa should coordinate with the style of the rest of your furniture. It should be one that you are comfortable with, not just aesthetically, but also how that particular style functions for you. The way the sofa functions can be determined by trying it out, but look carefully at the design to prevent buying something that is completely out of place in your home.

Each home has a predominant style, and if you buy a sofa that doesn’t go along with it, it could be a major eye sore unless you are...MORE

• 04of 05

Selecting the Wrong Fabric or Color for Your Sofa

Selecting the wrong fabric for your sofa can be an expensive mistake. Make your fabric selection based on how the sofa will be used, and where you will be placing it. If you are buying your sofa for an area of your home that is heavily used, a delicate fabric or color would be destroyed even before you’ve had a chance to enjoy it.

Selecting the wrong color for your fabric can also be a serious mistake. It is always a good idea to bring a swatch home to look at it in relation to all your other furnishings, wall color, and light.

Always choose a color you like and can live with. Don't pick colors based on trends or just a whim. You will have to live with that color choice for years.

Continue to 5 of 5 below.

• 05of 05

Buying a Poor Quality Sofa

There are always budget considerations to be sure, but buying a good quality sofa ensures that you don’t have to replace it within a couple of years.

Buying a good quality sofa saves you money in the long run. Buy the best quality you can afford as buying a poor quality sofa means that it will lose its shape, looks and comfort factor pretty quickly, sometimes within a matter of months. A poor quality frame can also cause it to break, and you will have arms that jiggle and legs that aren't steady.

 

Happy New Year! The holidays are behind us; the guests are gone, you’ve vacuumed the last pine needle and packed up the rest of the decorations. It’s time to to see your home as a blank canvas. Does it need a little updating? A splash of color? New Year’s is a great time to start fresh with your home décor.

We love Pantone’s new color of the year (https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2018) but there is a whole spectrum of beautiful hues that will enliven your home. On the other hand, shades of grey and taupe are still very popular for their calm, spa-like feel.

YOU decide what 2018 will bring for you and your home: Better quality, optimal comfort, great style, Made in USA…

Bring your ideas into any one of our 3 showrooms to discuss the vision with our staff (we are always happy to help!) or just stop by to be inspired by our beautiful displays!

For some Halloween fun, we gave some of our staff a little challenge: Each was given a "Haunted House" to design an interior for.  Here are their idea boards...

We love autumn in New England and enjoy taking time to appreciate the majestic rolling hills of color that surround our location.  The scenery is fresh and everchanging just like our selections of beautifully custom-made upholstery, dining rooms, bedrooms and fine accessories. Take a leisurely drive down Dresser Hill Road to visit our gorgeous showrooms during the month of October: it will provide you with nothing but treats for your senses!   You don’t get tricks when you walk through our doors, but you will have fun with our creative staff, designing exceptional American-made furniture especially for your home!

As the kids go off to school and our beloved New England Fall returns, you may find yourself spending more time at the family dining table helping with homework, preparing meals, or even doing some early gift wrapping!  The most hardworking piece of furniture in your home can be equally as stunning!  Our unique dining sets will summon the legacy of our country’s master craftsmen.  We represent artisans who “Still make em’ like they used to” producing heirloom quality American works of art that you can pass down through your family’s generations!

Here in New England, early spring can be a bit gloomy.  Our “April Showers” can feel cold and dank until later in the month when the warmer weather sets in.  As much as we love grey as a modern neutral, we crave color! Now is a great season to liven up your décor with a big splash (or small accent) of fresh color.  Here are some of our favorite examples…

Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.

Greenery is nature’s neutral. The more submerged people are in modern life, the greater their innate craving to immerse themselves in the physical beauty and inherent unity of the natural world. This shift is reflected by the proliferation of all things expressive of Greenery in daily lives through urban planning, architecture, lifestyle and design choices globally. A constant on the periphery, Greenery is now being pulled to the forefront - it is an omnipresent hue around the world.

A life-affirming shade, Greenery is also emblematic of the pursuit of personal passions and vitality.

– from www.pantone.com

See their beautiful video here:

https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2017

And come and see it here at Charlton Furniture...

 

 

Everyone loves a great Christmas movie and “Home Alone” is one of our favorites!  As adorable as the story is, we can’t stop thinking about that beautiful house!  Learn more about it on our blog today!

Learn more here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/ct-biz-home-alone-house-may5-photogallery.html

"It took almost a year, but a new owner paid $1.585 million in 2012 for the right to slide down the foyer stairs of the red-brick Winnetka Georgian immortalized in 'Home Alone.' Here are some images of the house as it was seen in 'Home Alone' and "Home Alone 2," as well as what the house looks like today."

First, a few statistics…

 American Business is Overwhelmingly Small Business

In 2012, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, there were 5.73 million employer firms in the U.S. Firms with fewer than 500 workers accounted for 99.7 percent of those businesses, and businesses with less than 20 workers made up 89.6 percent. Add in the number of nonemployer businesses – there were 23.0 million in 2013 – then the share of U.S. businesses with less than 20 workers increases to 97.9 percent.

Among employer C Corporations in 2012, 99.2 percent had less than 500 workers, and 86.2 percent had fewer than 20 employees.

-from http://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/

So what does that mean to the employees of Charlton Furniture?

Karen (19 years): Unlike “big-box” stores, we know what our local customers like and therefore are better equipped to fulfill their needs. I get great satisfaction knowing that we are helping our neighbors create the home of their dreams.

Lisa (about 1 year): My favorite part of working in a small business is the relationships I’ve created with the customers in the community. We really have their best interest at heart when selecting furniture for their home.

Valerie (12 years): As an employee of a small business, we “wear many hats.” I enjoy the diversity of my job but I really love knowing that what I do here matters (both to my fellow employees and our customers) At big companies, it’s easy to feel like just another cog in the machine.

Joe (2 ½ years): I like seeing our customers back in the store after they already had a delivery.  It’s nice to know that they are happy enough with their purchase to come back for more.  I think it’s reassuring for them to see me too, to be familiar with who is coming into their home.

Melissa (16 years): Family owned businesses are important in their strong commitment to quality and relation to their own family name. Their humanity in the workplace shows the care and concern for employees and customers as extended family.

Susan (since birth!): My father opened this store with a commitment to customer service.  We continue this tradition and I recognize its value every time a customer comes in and tells me that their parents, friends, or neighbors recommended us! We have a unique atmosphere at our store and I wouldn’t have it any other way.