Corner sofa in the living room interior
Modern interior design is increasingly striving for maximum functionality and at the same time tends to minimalism. This is probably why one of the most popular pieces of furniture for arranging a living room in all corners of the world is a corner sofa. This spacious, aesthetic and incredibly practical element of the interior is chosen by well-known designers to create the atmosphere of exclusive projects, as well as ordinary owners of houses and apartments for arranging homes of various sizes. Furniture manufacturers are not tired of improving the collections of such a popular product, providing us with a wide range of choices of sizes, shapes, colors and textures for the execution of sofas of various modifications.
Obvious advantages of a corner sofa in the interior of the living room
If we compare the sofa of angular modification with its predecessor - an ordinary sofa-book, it is easy to identify several indisputable advantages:
- Significant savings in useful living space with the possibility of placing several people for seating;
- most models are equipped with the functions of rapid transformation into a comfortable and spacious sleeping place;
- almost all modifications of corner sofas have internal cavities for organizing storage systems;
- the ability to transform the external image (modular models), design flexibility;
- a wide range of styles, the possibility of selecting a model for a particular room design (a wealth of colors, upholstery fabrics, textured solutions).
Criteria for choosing a corner sofa
When choosing a corner sofa, the Russian buyer will be guided not only by how comfortable it is to sit on it, but also by how suitable it is for sleeping. Most of our compatriots will not give up the opportunity to purchase a multifunctional piece of furniture, which in normal times will provide maximum seating for households (and even pets), and if necessary, can become a place to sleep for late guests. In some dwellings, a corner sofa in the living room serves as a permanent place to sleep for one of the households. The intensity of using folding mechanisms will need to be considered when choosing a corner sofa model.
Conditionally, we can say that all corner sofas consist of four parts: a frame, a folding mechanism (may be absent), a filler, and upholstery. Let's look at the principles of choosing each of the components of this important piece of furniture.
Frame and folding mechanisms
In order to choose a high-quality, reliable and most durable sofa design, it is important to consider a lot of nuances. The frame of the structure should not be too heavy. If a piece of furniture seems unbearable to you, most likely most of the details are made of chipboard (as a rule, such elements are laminated or painted with a non-toxic dye). Ideally, all frame elements should be made of solid wood (the strongest breed - beech, will be the best option). But it is obvious that such a performance entails a significant increase in the cost of the entire product.
If you plan to purchase a sofa with a folding or sliding mechanism, then you need to have a general idea of the options for its execution. There are several types of mechanisms and each has its advantages and disadvantages:
- Eurobook;
- American and French clamshell;
- "accordion";
- click gag;
- "dolphin";
- withdrawable mechanism.
Currently, the most popular, easy-to-use and reliable mechanism is the Eurobook. We are all familiar with such systems since the days of Soviet ordinary sofa-books. In modern models there are significant differences - the presence of a protective surface in the area where the sofa is mounted against the wall. And the main advantage, compared with the usual design - a significant superiority in the size of the berth.
One type of sofa-book is furniture with a click-gag mechanism. The main difference between such structures in the possibility of fixing the backrest at different angles of inclination. Roll-out sofas also have high reliability and are able to last several years even with very frequent use of the mechanism. Their main disadvantage is the low location of the berth.
A sofa with a dolphin mechanism is also called a “sandwich” - because of the folding features. With the help of a wave-like pulling of one part of the bed from under another, the structure unfolds. Such sofas are also quite comfortable and practical, among other things, allow you to simulate the interior of the living room.
If you plan to use a corner sofa as a sleeping place in exceptional cases (overnight for guests), then the mechanism of the "folding bed" may also be a suitable option for purchase. If the sofa will need to be laid out every evening, then it is better to give preference to another type of mechanism. The "folding bed" is not very convenient to lay out and it does not provide an area for storing linen or blankets. Among other things, when unfolding, the berth is uneven. Such flaws are inherent in both American and French “cots” - one night can be tolerated, but sleeping every day will be extremely uncomfortable.
Sofa with an accordion mechanism is quite convenient to use. But when installing in small rooms, it must be borne in mind that when assembled, the structure is very compact, and when disassembled, it takes up a lot of space. But a sleeping place of impressive size is a comfortable and homogeneous sleeping area. There are also lightweight sofas designs - with folding side elements. The result is a small berth, sufficient for one person.
If you have decided on the type of mechanism, then when choosing a specific model of the sofa, you will need to carefully consider all the metal parts. Support mechanisms and beams should be made of solid sheet materials (preferably steel). Make sure that the angles that connect the steel elements are firmly attached. The most low-quality and unreliable type of fastening that can be used in this case is a metal mesh. When choosing a pull-out mechanism and a dolphin layout, you will need to pay attention to the quality of the rollers and the mounting of the retractable parts.
Filler
Not only the comfort of using a piece of furniture for seating and overnight, but also the life of the entire product will depend on how well the filler for the sofa is made. The main advantage of using spring blocks as a sofa filling is reliability, comfort and durability. The main disadvantage is the rather high cost. An independent spring unit consists of a plurality of springs, each of which is located in an autonomous cell. A sofa with such filling is moderately soft, supple and great for older people.
There are spring blocks in which the cells with springs are fastened in a single structure and move synchronously. Similar designs cost a little cheaper than products with independent spring blocks. But it all depends on the number of springs per square meter. Such blocks ("Bonel") are suitable for owners of large physique, as well as for fans of hard surfaces.
If you want to save a little on buying a sofa, then you can choose a model with synthetic filler:
- foam rubber;
- synthetic winterizer;
- sintepuh;
- holofiber;
- spandboard
- durafil, etc.
If you are satisfied with buying a sofa for a short time, then you can choose a model with a solid filler. But in the environment of synthetic fillers there are also better and wear-resistant materials:
- polyurethane foam (PUF);
- foam rubber made in tight compression;
- perioteka (suitable for people with allergies);
- latex (natural, hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly material);
- ponopoliuren, imitating latex (more economical, but not environmentally friendly material).
Upholstery
When choosing upholstery for an angular sofa, you have to consider much more options both in the quality of materials, texture, and color palette. Jacquard and tapestry are the most popular all over the world. They represent an optimal ratio of price and quality with high aesthetic characteristics and a wide range of color solutions.
Of all the tapestries, the most popular was Belgian - outwardly it resembles velor, due to the use of softer, even delicate threads in weaving. Jacquard and tapestry are considered to be transitional options between democratic and budgetary fabrics of the first level and better flock varieties.
The following types of upholstery are commonly referred to fabrics of a higher price category:
- flock;
- flock velor;
- shenill;
- velours;
- courtesan and teflon flock (durable textiles with good water-repellent properties).
The most expensive, but practical materials for upholstering sofas are artificial and genuine leather. Obviously, such a design of upholstered furniture is more durable and easier to care for, it is great for homes where there are small children or pets. But this upholstery has its drawbacks - not a comfortable location on the couch at low or very high temperature in the room. However, these problems are easily solved with the usual furniture covers.
Corner sofa seat
Most of our compatriots to the question "where to put the sofa", will answer unequivocally - "to one of the walls of the living room." And they will be right, because the most economical distribution of the usable space of a room involves placing large pieces of furniture against the walls. This layout allows you to free up the maximum amount of free space in the center of the room for comfortable traffic. The tradition of installing a sofa (any modification) against the wall is rooted in the long-term residence of our compatriots in small and medium-sized dwellings. The room is 15-16 square meters. m just there is no way to arrange large furniture in a different way.
With the advent of apartments and private houses of improved layout, with the increasing popularity of studio apartments, an increasing number of Russians are adopting the concept of free layout, in which zoning of a spacious room occurs with the help of furniture. And in this case, the corner sofa becomes an important part of the layout of functional segments. In a room that combines the functions of a living room, kitchen and dining room, a corner-shaped sofa clearly outlines the boundaries of the recreation area. A coffee table or an ottoman of small sizes is usually installed in the kit for it, sometimes the composition is supplemented with one or two light chairs.
In our country, it was not customary to install a corner sofa on one of the sides by the window. But gradually, our compatriots began to neglect this unwritten rule, such a layout is a very practical approach in terms of the distribution of usable space in small rooms. In any case, you will not be able to install large pieces of furniture by the window, and a sofa with its low back will not cover a large space of the window opening, and will not impede the spread of natural light.
Opposite each other, two corner sofas form a kind of sector for relaxation. In addition to the incredibly spacious area for several people (and even pets), this layout of upholstered furniture allows you to create an interesting version of the living room interior.
Obviously, the sofa of angular modification can be used not only for the arrangement of the living room. More compact models of corner sofas are installed in children's rooms for organizing a bed for one of the parents. A small corner sofa, installed in a spacious kitchen, instantly turns a one-room apartment into the so-called "euro double". After all, with such a plan, you can not only comfortably dine while sitting on a soft sofa, but also leave late guests for the night.
A wealth of models and original design
In addition to the fact that the corner sofa may or may not contain a folding mechanism that turns it into a berth, this piece of furniture has many design options. Modern manufacturers provide us with a wide range of options for the execution of corner models, among which every homeowner can find his type.
For example, a corner sofa may not have the option of folding into a berth, but may have the ability to place storage systems at its base. At the same time, storage systems can be presented in different variations, even with drawers in the lower part of the frame.
One of the most popular models of upholstered furniture of angular modification is the sofa "Munich". You can meet this element of the interior in design projects carried out in various stylistic directions. In a modern apartment, the Munich sofa looks much more organic than oversized armchairs, moreover, it allows you to accommodate more people, and takes up less space in the room.
A corner sofa with light leather upholstery has long been a cult piece of furniture for homeowners around the world. Universality of application, practicality in use and the ability to harmoniously fit into almost any style of interior, allowed this model of a corner sofa for many years to occupy the top lines in the list of the most popular items of upholstered furniture.
Corner sofas can be presented not only in the correct geometric form. For example, a semicircular sofa can become not only a convenient and comfortable place for the whole family, but also a highlight of the interior, raising the level of uniqueness of the whole design.
U-shaped sofa provides an incredibly spacious area for landing a large number of people. If your living room often hosts the gatherings with friends, this piece of furniture can become an indispensable part of the interior. But it is important to understand that such models are available for installation only in fairly spacious rooms.
An interesting option for composing compositions of any modification are soft modules. You can purchase any number of individual modules (depending on the capabilities of your premises) and use them to model the interior, change the annoying atmosphere. The disadvantage of such designs is that they can not be used for sleep.
Recently, modern interiors are flooded with upholstered furniture exclusively with plain upholstery. In such a situation, a corner sofa with colored upholstery fabric becomes a unique interior item that allows you to create certain moods in the living room. Upholstery with a picture always softens the atmosphere a little, gives the atmosphere a touch of home comfort, warmth and comfort.