5 Things You Need To Know Before You Buy Your Next Sofa with Brett Ryan from Shibui Interiors

Last week we had the pleasure of chatting with Interior Designer, Brett Ryan from Shibui Interiors, when he visited our Albany showroom. We talked with Brett about many exciting new industry trends he’s spotting, colour preferences for furniture based on new wall paint colours, and important things to consider when buying a sofa. 

If you’re not already familiar with Shibui Interiors, Brett founded the company in 2001 and has been transforming the homes of many clients across Auckland, around New Zealand and even Australia since. The Japanese concept of Shibui, is one that represents simplicity and restraint; the true art in creating a tranquil home. 

With over 26 years of experience, Brett delivers this favourable concept to his clients by understanding their individual style and taste. He creates beautiful and practical living spaces by matching their needs, preferences and special requests with his masterful approach to designing,  sourcing and combining special statement pieces. 

Brett stressed how only using quality furniture and decor pieces help him achieve this. We watched him demonstrate this in our showroom, and observed that he is able to quickly identify, examine and articulate why a certain furniture piece is of high quality. Particularly when it comes to sofas.

Brett spoke about what he is seeing trending in the New Zealand market right now in terms of popular sofa size, colour, style and fabric. We discussed the notion that people use sofas in different ways. For instance, do they lie back and relax on their sofa, or do they prefer to sit upright in a more formal posture? What types of sofas are the right ones to choose for a family room in a relaxed and casual environment? And what styles are a great choice for a living room, chosen for their elegant and refined look while they comfortably seat guests? 

Brett discovered that our best-selling style, the York, has the ability to furnish both requests.

Our York sofa, available in 3-seater and 2-seater options and in three modern colourways, has the comfort, aesthetic appeal and versatility to offer both relaxed living and sophisticated seating. And this is where we saw Brett spring into action! We watched, intrigued, as he made his way over to our York 3-seater in Salt White, while he enthusiastically showed us all the reasons why he’d use this sofa in a design project. 

First, he liked the shape and scale of the 2.3m long sofa. He could picture exactly how this would complement a modern living area while providing the right amount of function and comfort.  He also agreed that the 3-seater and the 2-seater looked great together to define a welcoming L-shaped seating area. 

Then he revealed that the York has the advantage of having fully reversable cushions.

If you’re not familiar with the benefit of having reversable cushions, it means your sofa will stay looking good, longer. He went on by explaining that over time, your sofa will wear with everyday use. The seams on the cushion covers will slip because when you sit down, your body weight will pull the cushions slightly forward, resulting in the seams creeping forward also. Overtime, the fabric will start looking a little tired, a little slouchy, and may start to discolour. This is normal and to be expected.

But with reversable cushions that are loose and can be rotated because they look the same on every side, it means you can flip them over, and the seams will pull back the other way to correct themselves. And you’ll also get more even wear, meaning your sofa won’t need replacing or reupholstering as soon as one that doesn’t have this feature.  

Bottom line? Well, that’s simple. Better value for your purchase. 

Brett also explained that because the seat cushions are removable, you can easily take them off the back and sides, to create a comfortable guest bed in seconds, without the fuss and hassle of a traditional and expensive foldout sofa bed. 

Brett also mentioned that the cushions are tightly packed. This means that because the cushions are firm / tight between the arms, it will ensure that they don’t move around like very loose or underfilled seat cushions. He also suggests taking a look at the seat tray (underneath the seat cushion) if you’re considering a sofa purchase. If this area is fully upholstered, or at least partially, it will again reduce the likelihood of the cushions slipping around on the black lining fabric.  

Brett is very clearly a big fan of using pieces that his clients will be happy with for years to come and goes out of his way to find them. He knows what quality looks like and visits showrooms like ours at Capulet so that he learns about the product, understands what it’s made of, how it’s constructed and then communicates clearly why that’s important. He thinks deeply about which pieces will work together to create a look and feel that his clients will love.

So in summary, here are our 5 top tips for helping you through your next sofa purchase based on Brett’s valuable experience and market insight.

1.     What is the main purpose for your sofa?

Do you like to kick back and relax on your sofa with your feet up, or do you like a supportive seat that you sit upright in with your feet touching the floor? How would you feel if you got it wrong and you become uncomfortable trying to lie back on a firm, upright sofa? Or if your guests’ toes don’t reach the floor because the sofa is too slouchy and the seat is too deep?

2.     How will you get the most value from your purchase?

Does your sofa have reversable cushions, keeping it looking great longer and saving you money by not needing to replace it sooner?

3.     Does the shape and scale of the sofa suit your room? 

Think about the sofa’s dimension and volume and how it will impact the room. 

4.     How versatile is your sofa? 

Can you use your sofa in other ways, such as easily transforming it into a comfortable guest bed without the hassle and expense of a traditional sofa bed?

5.     Will your cushions slip? 

Check how tightly packed the cushions are between the arms. And lift up the seat cushions to check whether there is any upholstery other than the lining fabric. “Fabric on fabric grips like Velcro” says Brett, so taking the time to check these things before you purchase could make all the difference. 

We really appreciate Brett taking the time to share his thoughts with us. And we hope you’ve found this article helpful when it comes to selecting the right sofa for your home. You can find Brett at https://shibuiinteriors.co.nz/ and us at https://www.capulet.co.nz/ if you’d like to get in touch.