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"  Buying a sofa can be a considerable investment, so it&amp;#039;s crucial to find the perfect couch that serves all of your entertaining, TV-surfing, date-night snuggling needs. We spoke to Marc Acord, owner of the home furnishings store Seasonal Concepts, for his tips on finding the right sofa for your home. Good Housekeeping: When trying to find the right sofa or love seat, what steps should you take even before you start shopping? Marc Acord: Measure your area so you now how much available space you have to work with. Next, create a vision of how you will set up your space. Are you thinking about love seats facing each other with an ottoman in the middle? Consider the balance of the placement. Do you have room to angle your furniture to create more floor space? Consider the function of the furniture. Determine what it will take to make this new area enhance its surroundings. Finally, consider colors and style of adjacent furnishings.  GH: How should your lifestyle figure into your sofa shopping? MA: The function of the furniture should be factored in. Ask yourself, how are you going to use this area? Is this a quiet area in your hearth room where you plan on escaping with a good book? Are you creating a conversation area? Or is this an area where the kids will sit watching movies with popcorn and drinks? The function will influence your style and fabric selection. Say, overstuffed cushions for comfort, versus sleek, crisp cushions for a contemporary look. Acrylic blends offer the benefit of easy clean-ability. Patterned, textured fabrics are forgiving for the active family when staining is a possibility. If the cushions be reversed, that can double the life of the fabric. GH:When buying furniture as a couple, there&amp;#039;s going to be some compromise. Is there anything you should not compromise on?\u2028 MA: No matter how attractive, inexpensive, or pricy, there is no substitute for comfort. How does it feel? Do you want to sit on it? That&amp;#039;s the crucial question. It may look wonderful and fill your space gloriously, but if it&amp;#039;s uncomfortable it&amp;#039;s a bad buy. Sit in it, lay your head back, stretch out on the sofa. How does it feel?  For more living room decorating ideas, check out this slideshow of quick and easy decorating tips. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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