Sofa also known as couch, settee, chesterfield, divan or canapé in various parts of the world is used in homes, offices, showrooms, hospitals and almost every where in various shapes and designs depending on the location and usage of the furniture. Sofas came to be used in home from very early times and were primarily used to seat formal guests or important people.
However, today the idea of a sofa has changed from being formal seating furniture to a relaxed seating and so has the design and basic material. Earlier sofas used to be made only from the finest wood as the furniture was kept in the drawing rooms and formal sitting places in houses. But now that the concept has changed, a wide variety of materials are being used for constructing the frame of the sofa.
These days, sofas are being manufactured using steel frame, wood of various textures and finishes, inflated sofas and even plastic. Commercial places mainly use sofas with steel frames as they tend to more durable and long lasting than the sofas built with wooden frames because commercial sofas are used roughly as compared to home sofas.
The most common type of sofa that we find at places is the loveseat or the two-seater sofa. The other types of sofas are the three seater, four seater and more, midi sofas, sofa beds and the modular sofas. Sofas are also known by their usage or their placement like the sectional sofas or the corner sofas. Other variants like fainting couch (backless or partial back) chaise lounge, canapé are also in much demand.
In houses where there is shortage of space or where you want to save space for other purposes, bed sofas are used. These sofas are made in such a style that they double up as a sofa during the day and a bed during the night.
Various types of fabric and other materials are used for sofa covers. Some use upholstery, some use leather and its variations, some use Rexene while some use mixture of different materials to cover their sofas. These cover materials are available in a variety of shades, colors and textures and you can usually customize the covers according to your choice.
Sofa covers can also be used in different styles to drape the sofa. You can use the fixed cover style where the sofa cover is fixed with the foam of the sofa and cannot be detached for washing or cleaning. The other way is to drape the sofa with a loose sofa cover in addition to the fixed cover so that the fixed cover does not get spoiled or soiled and the lose cover can be taken off to wash when needed.
Other types of material used to drape sofa is leather and its variants. Today leather of many styles, finish and texture is available in the market and you can choose the style that appeals or suits your place and get it draped over the sofa. In addition to the sofa covers the latest in the offering is the use of special treatments on the sofa covers that prevent the sofa cover from getting soiled or stained by food, spills, cosmetics, paint and even bleach. These treatments are available with a very few selected sofa manufacturers and they usually charge a high premium for these services.
