Lounges

Choosing a lounge that suits the way you live

A lounge is the most-used piece of furniture in the house, so start with how you use the room rather than how it looks in a photo. If the family piles on for movies, a deep-seated modular lounge or corner lounge with a chaise gives everyone somewhere to stretch out. If the living room doubles as a place to receive guests, a pair of sofas facing each other, or a sofa and two armchairs, keeps conversation easy and the room open. If someone in the house naps on the lounge, a recliner lounge or a sofa with a reversible chaise earns its keep every day.

Lounge suites, modulars and corner lounges

A lounge suite is the classic combination: a three-seater with a two-seater or armchairs, bought as a set so fabrics and arms match. It suits a separate lounge room with walls to sit against. A modular lounge is built from pieces (armless seats, corners, chaises and ottomans) that you arrange to fit the room, and rearrange when you move house or buy a bigger television. It is the right choice for open-plan living where the lounge has to define the space rather than sit against a wall. A corner lounge is a fixed L-shape that seats the most people in the least floor area, with the long side against a wall and the short side closing the room off from the kitchen.

Sizing a lounge for the room

Measure the wall the lounge will sit on, then subtract room for a side table at each end and a walkway of at least 90 cm anywhere people pass. Three-seaters run roughly 200 to 240 cm wide; modular and corner lounges from around 280 cm up to family suites well past 350 cm. Check the depth too: a deep, low lounge is wonderful for lounging and harder to get out of, while a shallower, firmer seat with a higher back is easier for older family members and better for sitting upright. Measure your doorways, hallway and any stairs before you choose; modular pieces arrive separately, which is why they fit into apartments and townhouses that a one-piece sofa cannot.

Fabric, leather or velvet

Fabric lounges are the softest and the widest choice of colour and texture, from linen-look weaves and boucle to tightly woven family-friendly fabrics. Choose a textured or mid-tone fabric if you have children or pets, and ask about stain-resistant fabrics that wipe clean. Leather lounges are the easiest to live with and develop a patina rather than wearing out; keep them out of direct sun. Velvet lounges bring colour and a formal, glamorous feel, and modern velvets are far tougher than their reputation. Feather-wrapped cushions give the deep, relaxed look that is popular in curved and modular lounges; foam-only cushions hold a crisper shape and need less plumping.

Comfort you can feel

Seat height, seat depth and cushion fill decide whether a lounge is comfortable for you, and no photograph tells you any of them. Sit in it with your shoes off, lean back, lie down if that is how you watch television. Look at the frame: solid timber frames and webbing or sprung bases last for decades. Check that the arms are at a height you would lean on, and that a chaise is on the side you want, or is reversible.

Finishing the living room

A coffee table about two-thirds the length of the lounge, 35 to 45 cm from the seat edge, keeps drinks within reach. Side tables at the same height as the arms, an ottoman that doubles as a footrest and extra seat, and a rug large enough for the front legs of the lounge to sit on all pull the arrangement together.

See them in a Perth showroom

The Furniture Gallery is WA owned and family run, with showrooms across Perth and regional WA. Sit in the lounges, compare fabrics in natural light, and plan a modular layout with an interior stylist. When you have chosen, add the lounge to your cart and enter your postcode for a delivery price; our white-glove delivery team will unpack it, assemble it and take the packaging away.