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Selecting the Wrong Sofa

Donna Dotan; Design: Workshop APD

Designers agree: A great living room starts with a great sofa. "So often I come into a house and the owners have good taste, but they already have a sofa that they want to work with," explains stylist and TV host Emily Henderson. "They don't want to replace it because it's not that old and they don't mind it. I've had to break the news over and over that with a sofa like that, they would never get the room they want," says Henderson.

David John Dick of DISC Interiors agrees, "We hear time and time again from our clients how the sofa they purchased in the past was not comfortable or was too big (or too small) for the room. In living rooms, a good sofa is key to comfort, but it's also central to how a room feels and looks." Make sure you pay attention to sofa seat height (a low seat is hard to get in and out of) and draw up a furniture floor plan before purchasing. "Buying on impulse is great for accessories and side tables, but never for a sofa, as it can be a very costly mistake," Dick says.