When shopping at IKEA, you'll often see some people unable to sit up from the sofa, swaying around with complete disregard for their personal image.

Image source: unwire.hk

I never thought that these eye-catching postures are actually the most correct way to choose a sofa!!!

Because whether the sofa is comfortable has a lot to do with the softness and hardness your body feels.

So when choosing a sofa, you must use the principle of “body determines brain”!

The height of the sofa seat should be about the same as your calf height.

If the sofa is too low, the whole body will sink into the sofa, causing the hip joints to form a sharp angle and resulting in excessive pressure on the back.

Too high will cause your feet to hang in the air, causing tightness in the muscles behind your thighs and knees.

When trying out the sofa, check to see if your knees and butt are in a straight line.

There are roughly three heights of upholstered sofa backs on the market: high back, medium back, and low back.

The high chair back can provide support for the neck, waist and back, providing the highest level of comfort.

The mid-back provides lumbar and back support.

The low backrest provides only lumbar support.

In fact, most sofas are designed with low backs and cushions.

Image source: Taobao Innovasion flagship store

A backrest that is too high will make the sofa look dull and make the space seem depressing.

Moreover, most modern families live in high-rise buildings, and sofas with backrests that are too high are difficult to enter elevators and are not convenient for transportation.

Therefore, low back + cushion type sofas are very popular in the market.

If you buy a low-back sofa, it is recommended to choose high cushions and add a headrest.

Image source: Taobao Innovasion flagship store

Because the high cushion provides more support angles for the body, it can relieve the pressure on the waist, back and neck, making the body feel more comfortable.

Research has shown that when the backrest height is 60cm, it is the most suitable height, taking into account both the neck and back.

The depth of the sofa determines whether people of different heights can sit comfortably.

Sofas with a small depth are not very friendly to tall people. When sitting, the thighs will be partially suspended in the air and the legs cannot be fully relaxed.

Because the sofa is "too small" for the lower body, you will not feel comfortable no matter how you adjust your posture.

If you are short, the sofa you buy may be too deep, and it will be difficult for you to lean against the sofa back when sitting.

When you lean against the back of the sofa, the edge of the sofa will fall right on your knees, with your feet hanging in the air, which will also affect your comfort level.

The most common depth of sofas on the market is 95cm, which is suitable for people under 1.7 meters in height.

People who are over 1.7 meters tall are best to choose a sofa with a depth of 105 cm, so as to completely relieve the tension in the back.

If you are 160cm tall and your husband is 180cm tall, try to choose a sofa with a larger depth according to your husband's height.

After all, the sofa has a large depth, so shorter people can more easily adjust themselves into a comfortable posture, while the sofa has a small depth, so tall people will not feel comfortable in any posture.

If the height difference is small, you can basically buy a sofa with a depth that is suitable for both people.

The seat cushions, backrests, armrests and other parts of the sofa support different parts of the body , so the softness and hardness of the sofa should also be different.

The softness of different parts of the sofa (from soft to hard): neck > knees > back, waist > buttocks.

Keep your neck soft

Image source: IKEA Schinger sofa neck support

Add a soft headrest to the neck. A softer headrest can better fit the curve of the neck and will not cause pressure on the neck.

The waist should be strong

A sofa with too soft cushions has weak support and can easily cause waist bending. Sitting on a sofa that is too soft for a long time can cause cervical spondylosis.

The buttocks should be hard

Many people think that the softer the sofa cushion, the more comfortable it is.

In fact, the highest comfort level is achieved when the contact area between the buttocks and the seat cushion is moderate.

Because when the seat cushion is too soft, the buttocks cannot get good support, the whole buttocks sink into the seat cushion, the area around the ischial bones is prone to bottoming out, and the area around the buttocks and thighs will also be squeezed by the surrounding sponge and feel uncomfortable.

The knee fossa should be soft

The part where the sofa contacts the legs must be soft. If it is too hard, it will easily squeeze the calves and may be easily bumped accidentally.

Filling material

The interior filling of the sofa is mostly sponge and goose down.

Each sofa has a different amount of goose down filling and sponge density, so we feel different degrees of softness and hardness.

Image source: Taobao screenshot

The resilience of goose down is weaker than that of sponge. After pressing, sponge can recover automatically, but goose down needs you to pat and tidy it up before it can return to its original appearance.

Image source: Taobao screenshot

But sponge and goose down each have their own characteristics, so there is no need to say which one is better than the other. Just choose the one that makes you feel comfortable.

It is recommended not to buy a sofa that gives you a strong sense of sinking when you sit down.

Such a sofa is too soft and lacks resilience, which can easily cause the body to lose balance and is not conducive to adjusting the sitting posture.

Especially for the elderly, whose leg muscles have deteriorated and have difficulty getting up, they tend to choose a harder sofa with armrests.

Cost-effective fabrics

The fabric of the sofa is in direct contact with the body. We may stay on the sofa for several hours at home, so the fabric must have good breathability and skin-friendliness.

It would be best if the seat could sit on the ground without feeling hot and humid in the summer and without feeling cold in the winter.

It is recommended that when you try on a sofa in a shopping mall, you should sit on it for a while and touch it with your hands more so that you can feel the difference between different fabrics.

The temperature of the human skin surface is about 33°C, which is called "physiological zero".

If the interface between the body and the sofa is close to this temperature, it will create a comfortable feeling that is neither too hot nor too cold. 

Studies have shown that when the room temperature is 20℃, the body is most comfortable when in contact with a leather sofa. This may be because the leather fabric is skin-friendly and feels delicate, soft and elastic.

The common fabrics for fabric sofas on the market are mostly polyester and linen blends. This kind of fabric has good breathability, but there are many types, which can easily make people dazzled.

In fact, there is no need to study the differences between various materials, just choose according to the feel of your skin.

The comfortable fabric has high density and soft texture. It does not feel rough to the touch and is skin-friendly, making it more comfortable to use.

Although artificial leather has a similar texture to real leather, like plush fabric, it has poor breathability, tends to get hotter the more you sit on it, and has the lowest level of comfort.

This is long-staple cotton.

Comfort level (from high to low): leather > fabric > artificial leather > plush fabric

Although genuine leather is the most comfortable fabric, it is expensive.

In comparison, cloth fabrics are not only breathable and affordable, but also come in a variety of colors and patterns, so they are more cost-effective.

Summarize

The modern sofa is not just for sitting, but also a container for relaxing the body.

When trying to sit on the sofa, don't be shy. Be sure to change into different postures. Try sitting, lying, reclining, and slumping. It's best to maintain each posture for a while.

There is no need for sales talk or theoretical knowledge.

Is the sofa comfortable? Your body will tell you the best answer.