Research in advance to making shopping for a sectional less intimidating.

Purchasing a couch sectional sofa can be an intimidating task. It’s a major purchase and you’ll be living with your shopping for the next 5-10 years. Here are some tips to help make the task easier.

Do your homework ahead of time and it will save you some headaches when you go shopping. Take time to choose the color and style of the sectional sofa before you start evaluating prices and specific products. For example, if you have children or pets, you may not want to invest in a leather sectional that can get scratched or stained. A stain resistent fabric like microfiber might be a more durable choice.

Measure the space where you plan to place the sectional sofa. You might like a certain style, but find out that it doesn’t fit your home. Make sure you leave space for other accessories like an ottoman or coffee table.

Pick a color scheme that matches the decor of your living room. Take pictures of your living room to use as a reference while you shop. A sofa may look beautiful in a marketing photo, but that marketing photo may have a completely different color scheme.

Set a budget for your sectional sofa. Prices can range from as low as $500 and can go up to $10,000. Although a sectional can me more expensive than a traditional sofa, it’s also larger. You should plan to budget the same amount of money as a sofa and loveseat.

As you might guess, all rubber-based products are made from the latex produced by rubberwood. Once a rubberwood tree completes its latex-producing cycle and dies, it is used to build furniture. So instead of being thrown away, the trees are put to good use in the furniture industry! Rubberwood is strong, flexible, and resistant to fungus, bacteria and mold. Plus, it has a beautiful grain that works perfectly for furniture.

In addition to being very “green,” the Ellis products feature gorgeous oak veneers. Oak is one of the strongest woods out there, and its dense grain makes for an intricate and beautiful natural pattern. I’ll let this photo speak for itself:

The Ellis Dining Table is finished with a rich, cashew-toned oak veneer

This oak veneer undergoes five layers of finishing to achieve that rich, cashew tone.

On sale at midnight. Quantities are limited, and the deal ends in 10 days. Browse now >>>

We’re so excited that our Shipley Loveseat has found a new home at the original Philz Coffee at 24th and Folsom in the Mission district of San Francisco. 

Test-drive our sofa yourself. We’re confident that you’ll find it as comfortable as we do. And seriously – who doesn’t love Philz Coffee?

We decided to do some quick comparison shopping at IKEA, which is often the go-to for budget-minded furniture shoppers. The Shipley Loveseat is on sale on our website for $499, so we wanted to see what $500 could get you at the Swedish home emporium. Here’s what we found:

Karlstad Loveseat, $479

It’s a cute chair, but the quality isn’t up to par with our Shipley Collection. The back cushion is made with hollow polyester fibers, and the fabric upholstery is polypropylene. Compare this with our Shipley Loveseat, which has 6-inch thick high density foam cushions with springs. We guarantee the Shipley Loveseat is 100x more comfortable than this IKEA one.

Ektorp Loveseat, $479

You don’t always get the best bang for your buck at IKEA. The Ektorp Loveseat costs as much as the Karlstad, but is made of polyester upholstery.

Kivik Loveseat, $429

The Kivik Loveseat is slightly cheaper at $429. In terms of comfort and lifespan, the Shipley still wins. The Kivik’s seat cushion is made of only foam, while the Shipley cushions contain springs encased in foam for an ultra-luxe and pliant seating experience.

Check out the Shipley Collection now. Sale ends Sunday, September 2.

*Price comparisons are current as of August 23, 2012

This collection goes on sale tomorrow at 9am PT. The deal will only be going on for 10 days, so hurry up! It’s currently only available in California. You can save as much as 42% off the Amazon price tag – only through Deal Décor. See below for a sneak peek:

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Sarah, our resident interior designer, has some tips for styling the Shipley Collection.

• Mix materials. Pair leather with stone, glass, wood or metal.
• Mix old and new. Combine more contemporary art or lighting to create a personalized style. Or bring in those family heirlooms for statement pieces.
• Add contrast with surrounding pieces. Pillows can add visual interest with a hint of color or an interesting texture. Combine shapes and sizes.
• Use a rug to create a focal point and set the tone/ mood for the room.
• Try switching your furniture around until it feels right. Add a side table. It’s a great place to house magazines, vases and vessels, plus it can be a great talking point. A throw gives your sofa another layer, and adds texture.

Check out the gallery below for some inspiration!

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 Sarah Alba is an interior designer, stylist and editor based in the Bay Area.

A huge thanks to all of our Deal Décor customers. Thank you for all of your support. Send us pictures of you on your new sofas. We’d love to see them. Here’s a picture of the first Deal Décor customer on his sofa sectional!

Have a wonderful and safe New Years. We’re looking forward to 2012!

Our Nob Hill sofa can be found in the Mission district in San Francisco! Send us an email to find out its location.

In the interest of letting our Deal Décor customers and fans understand how much they are saving through shopping with us, I did research and took a trip to West Elm, to scope-out some similar comparatives. Here is what I found!

The price range for similar, polyester two-seater sofas or loveseats started at $699.00 with the lowest price being $1,099.99! Save big at Deal Décor.

- Sofa Featured Above: $699 Retail

-Retail Price: $799 (above)

- Retail Price: $1,099 (above)

- Retail Price: $1,099 (above)

Corrin Turner is an interior design student at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). We’re very excited to have her part of the Deal Décor blogging team. Leave any questions you may have for Corrin below.

Check out the deal going on this week: the Marina Leather Club Chair priced at $169. You might be wondering, what kind of leather is it? The Deal Décor deal of the week is made from bonded leather. Here’s a brief summary on the types of leather that are out in the market:

Real leather:

Real leather is made from 100% animal rawhide or skin, such as skin from snakes, cows or alligator. It has a rough grainy texture and a very distinctive smell. It is extremely durable and flexible.

Bonded leather:

Bonded leather is made from scraps of leather pieces that are pressed and bonded together into one single piece. Depending on the furniture piece, this type of leather may use scraps of 100% leather or less. This is a great alternative option to real leather. While it may look the same as real leather (depending on the amount of real leather scraps used in the product) it can be differentiated by the texture of the product.

Faux leather:

As the name says, faux leather is not real. Some of the other commonly used names are: artificial, synthetic, man-made, leatherette or pleather. It is made from polymers blended with vinyl, hence the cost of the product is a lot less. While it may look very similar to real leather, it can be easily differentiated by the finish and smell.  Faux leather has a shine and smells like rubber, while real leather has a satin finish with an earthy smell to it.

Be sure to ask the question, “What type of leather is this?” the next time you are shopping for furniture.

Ramya is the newest member of our blogging team. She’s an expert in Interior Design. Deal Décor is very excited to have her onboard. She has a passion for writing and sharing her trade secrets.

Drawers that are felt-lined mean that a felt lining is placed onto a drawer.

The felt lining provides a smooth surface to place valuable goods and a much more appealing than a drawer outfitted with just a wooden surface.

Note that most bedroom sets offer felt-lined drawers only on the top drawer units.  See picture above.