Sofa ideas for your home

Looking to spruce up your living space, but not sure where to start?

Well you’re in luck: This is your ultimate guide for lounge and sofa inspiration. Whatever your style, budget or room size, we’ve got something that will be right up your street.

Let’s get started.

Living Room Sofa Ideas

The first place to start is the lounge. This is the place where you’ll spend time with the family, have your best laugh-out-loud moments with friends, or a cuddle and cry on those stressful days.

It needs to be cosy. And it needs to show off your own personal style.

Co-ordinate Your Ottoman

If you currently have a straight sofa, but want to be able to put your feet up, an ottoman is a great solution.

These comfy foot rests are perfect for placing in front of the sofa to create a DIY corner sofa without the hassle of ordering a brand new piece.

Or, use a Chesterfield style ottoman - like the Model 02 footstool - and double it up as a coffee table in the center of the room. Add a wooden tray decorated with candles, a vase and a few coasters so you’re always ready for unexpected guests (or a well-deserved tea break).

Coordinating your ottoman with your sofa will help to create a consistent and balanced look around the room. At Swyft, we have ottomans available to coordinate perfectly with each of our sofa models. Just pick your colour and create a dreamy, cosy retreat in front of the TV.

Contrasting Ottomans

Not every lounge is going to be big enough for an ottoman and a coffee table. So double up and create a centerpiece for your home that’s comfy, stylish and practical.

Find a quirky fabric in a contrasting colour or pattern to your sofa and reupholster your old ottoman into a brand new piece. Contrasting ottomans can make a bold statement in the home and bring new life into a dull and drab interior.

Keep It Central

We’re so quick to push the sofa into the corner of the room, or up against the wall. But why not switch things up and keep it central?

Pull the sofa away from the wall and create a walkway behind it. This quick trick can totally transform the way you see your space. Try it and see what you think!

Comfy Corner Sofas

Is there anything more cosy than a corner sofa decorated with a million cushions and blankets readily available? The answer is no.

So, if you’re lucky enough to have a corner sofa (or a straight sofa-ottoman combo), make it as comfy looking as possible! There’s plenty of room for the whole family (if you remove all the cushions, that is), so get snug and start thinking about what boxset you’re going to binge first.

Make Room For Guests

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a guest room, so the trusty sofa becomes a makeshift bed.

But instead of offering a spare blanket and a few pillows, a sofa bed is a much more inviting place to stay for when guests are having too good of a time to head home.

You can never have enough sleeping areas for your family and friends, so a sofa bed is a great option. Our Model 04 sofa bed looks like a sophisticated 3 seater, but converts into a comfy double bed in just a few steps.

Duvet day in mind? There’s nothing to say you can’t fold out the sofa bed for a snuggle session on a rainy day in front of the TV...

Snuggle With Sumptuous Velvets

Whether you’re into crushed velvet or a soft chenille, brushed velvet sofas are a timeless trend. There’s something ever-so-sophisticated about a velvet sofa, but with so many faux-velvet and chenille options available these days, a cozy, yet glamorous style can be bought even on a tight budget.

Slip on covers

Is your sofa looking a little worse for wear?

Slip on covers are a great way to add your personal style to any sofa. You can get covers in all sorts of materials, colours and patterns, so you can really make the space your own. 

The covers are perfect for covering up stains, changing the colour of your room or making a leather sofa softer and warmer for the winter months.

Maximalist Styling

All too often do we fall into the trap of only ever buying plain furniture.

But what if you were to swap things around? Find a bold patterned sofa and use plain wallpaper instead.

Or, use patterns on both for a totally maximalist style. If you don’t want to splash out on a new, more adventurous sofa, there are plenty of slipcovers to choose from. Or, go big with patterned scatter cushions instead.

Or Minimalist

On the flip side, if the maximalist approach isn’t for you, you could create your own minimalist living space.

Declutter your space and keep only the essentials on display, use a neutral pallet for the walls, carpets and furniture. This will create a calm and serene space that’s perfect for relaxing.

You can find out more about the latest interior design trends in our blog.

Guest lounge seating

This one is for anyone that’s lucky enough to have more than one lounge area.

While one space can be for getting cosy and watching TV, you can dedicate the other for entertaining guests without the need for streaming sites and electronics.

Instead, create a formal guest lounge with two sofas parallel to one another. At either side, you could also add armchairs if you’re planning to host a large group.

As there’s no need for seating to face screens, this layout is perfect for really engaging with your guests and getting immersed in conversation, board games and more.

It’s a very formal and sophisticated layout that you’ll likely see in stately homes from past eras. (Very Bridgeton…)

Scatter back frames

If comfort is the number one priority, scatter back sofas are a great option. This sofa frame has a much more relaxed style as there’s no stiff back piece. Instead, the back of the sofa will be made entirely from large, fluffy cushions.

This type of sofa is great for large spaces or cosy corners and cinema rooms.

Kitchen Sofa Ideas

When it comes to sofas, the lounge is of course the main place you’ll think of. But it’s not the only place you can have a sofa. In fact, there are plenty of people looking for ways to incorporate a sofa or extra seating into the kitchen.

Whether you’ve got an open plan space, or simply want to create a seating area for the kids to sit while you’re cooking, here are just a few kitchen sofa ideas for you to consider.

For more inspiration, we’ve also created a kitchen sofa buying and styling guide.

Use Your Sofa As A Room Divider

Most people looking for a kitchen sofa have a large space to fill, or an open plan home. 

In this scenario, sofas make great room dividers to segment up the space without interfering with the flow of air and light around the interior.

Both straight and corner sofas work particularly well as dividers, so have a rearrange this weekend to see where your furniture looks best.

Boho Styling

Not all sofas and seating need to be upholstered.

For a bohemian style, use bamboo sofas or benches to create a light and practical seating area in the kitchen.

This is perfect if your kitchen is a sun trap, as you don’t want to overheat on a velvet number. Bamboo furniture like benches and high-back chairs are also much less likely to absorb food smells while you’re cooking. Pair some quirky bamboo pieces with a dining table so the area can double up as a eating space for the whole family to enjoy.

Camel-back sofas

Create a boutique style with a small camel back sofa. These luxurious, vintage pieces work well as additional seating in the kitchen, or as unique dining room chairs.

You can find these smaller sofas in antique furniture stores or online. You could even re-upholster it with a bright velvet or with a pattern that coordinates with your kitchen.

Antique Sofas For Small Spaces

Camelback, and other antique sofa styles are also perfect for smaller spaces. Add a small seating area in the hallway, or slide a loveseat in between two bookcases for a cosy reading nook.

Not everyone has the room to sprawl out in their lounge - and not everyone wants to. For these people, antique sofas are the perfect way to utilize those small spaces around the house.

Love Seats In The Lounge

Love seats are a cosy choice for those that want a little more room than an armchair provides. They’re also ideal for forcing your other half to cuddle!

If you’re struggling for space in the living room, opting for a loveseat and a few armchairs may work better than trying to fit in a large sofa to accommodate everyone.

Statement Colours

Despite being one of the busiest areas of the house, kitchens very rarely reflect our personality or style.

Adding a statement sofa into the space is the perfect solution. A single item is great for adding a pop of colour into any room, without making it too overbearing. If your kitchen is feeling a little dull with its neutral pallet, consider an electric blue, orange or emerald sofa to brighten up the place.

Leather

Leather sofas are ideal for the kitchen. If there’s one thing guaranteed, it’s that a kitchen sofa is going to be spilled on. Whether the kids are enjoying an afterschool snack, or you’re chit-chatting over wine with friends, a kitchen sofa will likely take a little beating.

Which is why leather is such a great choice. It’s easy to wipe clean, won’t hold onto food smells and isn’t likely to stain. That means your kitchen can look fresher for longer.

Checked Sofas

For country chic, checked sofas are all the rage. There’s something incredibly cosy about a checked sofa. They’re perfect for country cottages and small homes, but also work great in the kitchen.

Most people opt for a checked armchair or chaise lounge in addition to a plain sofa. But why not combine the two and invest in checks all round? Pair with pinstripe armchairs or a chesterfield ottoman for a quintessentially British style.

Hopefully this list has got the old DIY cogs churning and you’re inspired to make some changes. Not every new idea for the interior means you have to buy brand new furniture. There are plenty of ways to upcycle your old items using a few sofa covers, re-upholstery tutorials and a little experimentation.

Or, take the hard work out of the whole thing and shop our sofas to have a fresh-feeling living space in just a few days.