How to choose the perfect sofa: a considered guide
Choosing a sofa is one of the most important furniture decisions you’ll make. It’s where you unwind, gather, work, watch, read and host. The right sofa should support how you live — not just how your room looks.
At Miko Designs, we guide clients through this process every day. Below is a structured approach to help you choose a sofa that balances comfort, proportion, materiality and long-term durability.
If you’d prefer to browse first, you can explore our full designer sofa collection.
Step 1: Consider functionality first
Before discussing fabric or colour, ask: how will this sofa actually be used?
Is it for everyday family living?
A formal sitting room?
A commercial or hospitality environment?
Will it need to seat many people regularly?
Do you like to sit upright, or lounge deeply?
For high-use environments or multi-purpose living rooms, durability and configuration flexibility become key.
For example, the Connect Soft Modular Sofa by Muuto offers generous seating and adaptable modules, making it ideal for family living.
Whereas the Maali Sofa by Studio Pip has a more compact aesthetic with a higher seat designed to sit you more upright, yet just as comfortably.
Step 2: Traditional or modular?
This is often the biggest structural decision.
Modular sofas
Modular sofas allow you to shape the layout to suit your room. They are particularly useful for:
Open-plan spaces
Corner configurations
Future flexibility
Growing households
Homes or apartments tight access
Commercial breakout spaces.
The Play Modular Sofa by Studio Pip is a strong example of a modular sofa with architectural clarity and adaptable layouts.
Traditional Fixed-length sofas
Traditional sofas provide clarity and proportion. Ideal for rooms with defined walls or structured layouts.
Miko has a range of traditional style sofas:
Spencer Shallow Sofa (pictured)– a relaxed seat with classic mid-century design
Harper Sofa – shallow or deep seated comfort
Brodie Sofa – generous, luxurious, and customisable
Outline Sofa – clean, contemporary Danish design
If your room dimensions are fixed and symmetrical, a traditional sofa often feels more resolved. If flexibility matters, modular may be the better investment.
Step 3: Scale and seat depth
Even the most beautiful sofa will feel wrong if its scale doesn’t suit your space.
Things to measure:
Overall wall length
Depth of room
Walkways and circulation
Ceiling height
Relationship to rugs and coffee tables.
Seat depth is also critical.
A shallow sofa, such as the Outline Studio Sofa by Muuto, supports upright sitting and conversation. A deeper seat such as Studio Pip’s Play or Brodie encourage lounging and relaxation.
We often recommend taping out the footprint of a sofa on the floor before committing. It’s a simple but effective way to visualise proportion.
Step 4: Fabric or leather?
Upholstery selection dramatically influences both the feel and performance of a sofa.
Fabric
Fabric offers warmth, texture and a softer aesthetic. It’s highly versatile and can shift a sofa from relaxed to tailored depending on the textile chosen.
At Miko Designs, we offer a wide range of premium upholstery fabrics including:
Mokum & James Dunlop Textiles, including stain-resistant FibreGuard options, offering rich texture, layered colour palettes and both classic and contemporary Australian-designed collections.
Kvadrat, the Danish textile house renowned for architectural fabrics, exceptional durability and collaborations with leading international designers.
De Ploeg, a Dutch mill celebrated for bold colour, sustainable production and refined woven upholstery fabrics suited to both residential and commercial interiors.
InStyle, an Australian textile studio known for innovative, design-led fabrics that balance performance with softness and versatility.
Performance fabrics such as FibreGuard are particularly suited to family environments, offering built-in stain resistance without sacrificing softness.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Leather
Leather brings durability, structure and a refined character. It ages differently to fabric — developing patina and depth over time.
We work with premium leather suppliers including:
Pelle Leathers
Contemporary Leathers
Leather is often preferred in commercial settings or where easy surface cleaning is important. It also provides a slightly firmer seating experience compared to many fabrics.
Step 5: Australian-made quality and longevity
Construction matters.
Our Studio Pip sofas are designed and made in Australia, rather than being mass produced overseas. They are backed by a 10-year structural warranty, a reflection of solid internal frames and considered engineering.
Sofas such as the Spencer Shallow Sofa and Luca Sofa, a design dating back to the 1980s, demonstrate this commitment to longevity, combining comfort with structural integrity.
Investing in quality means fewer replacements, better long-term comfort and a more sustainable approach to furnishing your home.
Step 6: Residential or commercial use?
If you’re specifying for commercial interiors, durability, upholstery rating and frame strength become even more important.
The Fred Lounge by Studio Pip is a strong example of a design that transitions seamlessly between residential and commercial spaces.
For designer-led projects, Muuto sofas such as the In Situ or Outline also provide refined options suitable for workplace and hospitality settings, incorporating durable Kvadrat fabrics.
Bringing it all together
Choosing the perfect sofa involves balancing:
Functionality
Configuration (modular or fixed)
Scale and seat depth
Fabric or leather
Durability and warranty
Aesthetic direction.
A sofa should feel effortless in your space, visually, physically and practically.
If you’d like guidance, we’re always happy to look over plans, dimensions or photos in-store and help narrow down options. Miko evens offers complimentary interior guidance services.
Explore our full sofa collection here: https://www.mikodesigns.com.au/shop-sofas
