June 2021 - Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

How to get a water and stain resistant performance fabric sofa – with a slipcover

Posted on June 29, 2021April 28, 2025 by Aaron Wong

We’ve all been there before. That moment when the delicately perched cup of our favourite beverage topples over and falls straight onto the couch.

It was always going to happen – though that never seems to prepare anyone for the frustration when it does. Your sofa stained, dirtied, ruined! How long will it take to clean this all up?

… not that long, as it turns out.

If you’re up to date with the latest and greatest tech the home-keeping world has to offer, you might have heard of the performance fabric sofa. Comfortable, resilient and above all liquid-resistant, it’s easy to see why performance fabric is a godsend for homes with messy pets and kids (or just very careless people).

Alas, the couch isn’t something you simply toss out just because a swanky, more futuristic fabric is released.

But wait! Before you kiss your dreams of having your own performance fabric couch goodbye, there’s good news: our latest slipcover fabric option, Performance Blend.

Here’s how it can turn your sofa into the ultimate liquid-deflecting, stain-resisting sofa of your dreams:

Life-ready convenience

red wine spill not seeping into couch fabric — You know you’re an adult when you get really excited about sofa fabric

As you might have guessed, Performance Blend is our very own performance fabric designed to protect your couch from anything life has to throw at it (well, almost anything).

It’s made from a polyester-nylon blend and will stop everyday spills in their tracks, keeping them from soaking into the couch. From there, all it takes to clean up is a damp absorbent towel and an occasional spray bottle.

It takes easy-to-clean to the next level – coffee, wine, milk, smoothies and other water-based liquids ain’t got nothing on this fabric! Pets too (as long as they aren’t actively trying to destroy the couch).

Black magic? Yes. Though the more scientific term is nanocoating, which helps liquids bead up instead of immediately getting into what’s underneath.

When things get particularly nasty, the covers can even be machine washed. Simply slip them off your couch, toss them in the washing machine and follow the care instructions.

Voila! Even the worst stains can be banished without the hours of scrubbing, though we do recommend saving trips to the washing machine as a last resort as over time, they can degrade the protective nanocoating.

So what about comfort levels?

Well, the good news is that it feels amazing. Just like extra soft couch fabric with that little bit of plush. Don’t believe us? See for yourself by ordering fabric samples straight to your doorstep. Rub them, test them with liquids and the washing machine to examine how they hold up. Hopefully you’ll discover that a fabric can be comfortable, functional and stylish all at the same time :)

Tailor fit to YOUR couch

Sandbacken sofa dressed up in Performance Blend Blue

For many households the couch is practically family – we get it! But even that fact wouldn’t justify giving it the royal reupholstery treatment. Especially if there was nothing wrong with the old sofa fabric in the first place.

One look at the upholsterer’s bill on top of the already expensive Sunbrella or Crypton performance fabric and you’ll know that it’s more worthwhile to buy a brand new sofa from the likes of Crate & Barrel instead.

That’s without including the logistical nightmare of transporting a full-sized sofa to the upholsterers and back.

What if you could upgrade your couch without all that fuss? With a slipcover, you can! It will simply slip onto your old upholstery or replace the original covers on your couch if it had any to begin with.

And no, we’re not talking about the stretchy kind of couch cover that’s reminiscent of the green spandex suits used by film crews in movie behind-the-scenes.

Our covers are tailor made to fit your exact couch so you won’t have to lose any of those clean sofa lines.

That’s right: no baggy fits, no stretchy material, and no greeting your guests with a thick throw-over that’s more couch protector than couch. Just 100% regular couch fabric that feels amazing to the butt.

As long as your sofa can be slipcovered, we can make a gorgeous cover for it – even couches we’ve never seen before. Though, chances are that we will have seen it if your couch is from a decently sized brand.

If a perfect fit for any couch sounds too good to be true, mosey over to our Instagram and check out our work on a whole plethora of different couches. Most of the photos were taken from the very homes of our customers worldwide!

Your house, your style

The same IKEA Kivik sofa from the title picture. Now with a skirt and piping.

Ever wondered what your living room would look like in a neutral gray or bold gold? Here’s a chance to let your imagination run wild without having to buy a new couch.

And when we say run wild, we mean it. Design your cover with skirts, pleats, piping and more – just name it!

We can even sew a pocket for a wireless phone charger into the armrest so you can lounge while charging your phone, all within grabbing distance. You know… in the name of convenience (definitely not laziness).

Then there’s the wide range of vibrant colours Performance Blend comes in. Just because it’s practical doesn’t mean it has to be boring – check out the gold option for if you’re looking to get real funky.

different colors of our performance fabric

Not only will this refresh make your sofa look pristine and potentially unrecognisable with its new velvety look, but will also be the easiest couch fabric you’ve ever had to maintain!

Live more, stress less, all with a familiar cushion under your butt. Who would have thought that your own couch could be the performance fabric couch you’ve been looking for?

Pro tip: Hang onto your old couch covers to change things up with the season. But maybe save that for when all the messy kids and pets have learned to behave :)

Ready to give your sofa a performance upgrade? Learn more about our Performance Fabric slipcovers below:

DISCOVER PERFORMANCE FABRIC SOFA COVERS

12 ways to protect your sofa from pets

Posted on June 23, 2021April 29, 2025 by Abel

Pets, pets, pets… We love them and they love us. But why don’t they love our sofas?

Well, I’m sure they love couches. Just not in the same way that we do since they like to bite or scratch the most important piece of our living room furniture.

To make life simpler, we have decided to share with you 12 ways to protect your sofa from pets. Hopefully these tips and ideas would be easy to apply with immediate results.

Ready to have an incredible sofa, even with pets in your home?

1. Have pet toys next to your sofa

This is probably the most common idea to prevent your dog from biting your sofa legs or your cat from scratching your sofa. Toys such as a chew toy or scratching post help pets to relax and play with them instead of your couch.

There are many types and designs, and it’s important to find the perfect one for your pet. Before purchasing anything, we recommend you to analyse your pet to identify if it loves to bite or scratch. Then you’ll be able to buy a pet toy accordingly.

Or, you can choose to make your own DIY scratching post.

Black and white dog biting dog toy — *Image: Unsplash*

2. Keep your pet’s nails trimmed

Another easy way to protect your sofa is just keeping the claws of your pets short and polished. This easy tip is also great for your pet’s health. Nails that are too long can chip and break, creating painful situations for your cat or dog.

They can also make standing and moving painful or awkward for your pet and in extreme situations, the nails can continue to grow until they curl around and become embedded in the paws of your pet’s feet. Just a few more reasons to keep your pet nails trimmed!

There’s also a very interesting product to avoid pets from scratching your sofa. It’s called Soft Paws and they’re tiny rubber nail caps that go on your cat’s claws with a sticky nail-polish-like glue.

These Soft Paws caps are small enough to allow your pet nails to retract normally, so they don’t feel any pain or discomfort. They also fall off naturally and you just need to reattach them as you go.

Soft Paws pet nail caps on cat claws — *Image: National Cat Groomers*

3. Buy a good and comfy pet bed or a pet couch cover

A great way to keep your pet from damaging the sofa is buying them a pet sofa or pet bed and teaching them to use it instead of the couch. Pet beds are also a great way to control fur dispersal, because it’ll be mainly all in the same place.

If your pets don’t like the bed you bought, you can try a pet couch cover that’s widely available online. Your pet will be able to use your sofa, without leaving hair or dirt on it.

dog sofa in brown vegan leather slipcovers — *Image: BLVD dog sofa in Savannah Saddle slipcovers by Comfort Works*

4. Close the door of your living room

At Comfort Works we are huge pet lovers, and we love to have our pets playing and walking all around our homes in a free way. But if you aren’t at home and you can’t control what your pets are doing, it’s important to protect the rooms where your pets can destroy furniture.

For example, just by closing the door of your living room you’ll prevent your pets from damaging your sofa. The alternative is to keep them in a room of their own if space allows it.

If your pets love to scratch a door when it’s closed, you can also buy a door scratch protector. They are available at Amazon, Target, Walmart and many local shops.

brown and white bulldog behind glass door — *Image: Unsplash*

5. Install a pet door in your home so pets can play outside

Many times pets just need a little bit of outdoor time to play, bite things and do all kinds of stuff that animals have to do. Installing a little pet entrance to your garden is a great way to ensure your pet will be entertained when you aren’t at home.

PetSafe pet door on Amazon — *Image: Amazon*

6. Give your pet plenty of exercise

Take your pet for a walk, play with it, take it to the park… These activities, in addition to improving the physical shape of your pet, will help when they get home to be more relaxed and calm.

Essentially these pets need stimuli and if they’re cooped up all day at home they’ll need something to take it out on – that’s right, your furniture becomes a victim.

If you don’t have enough time to do it during the day, you can always hire a dog walker or take your pet to an animal daycare centre where professionals can play with them and keep them entertained.

Black and white French bulldog bites tennis ball — *Image: Unsplashed*

7. Brush your pet’s hair regularly

We know how exhausting it can be to have pet hair all around the house. Just brushing your pet’s hair regularly you’ll prevent this issue and you’ll keep your pet clean and healthy.

In extreme cases, you can also buy vacuum cleaners that are the best for removing pets’ hair. There are many of them in the market, for different budgets and situations. We recommend a bagged vacuum to avoid pet hair to go flying every time you empty the vacuum cleaner. Of course, not every pet likes this.

Brushing a tabby cat's fur — *Image: Pexels*

8. Spray your furniture with citrus-scented air freshener

I love this tip because it’s so easy and cost effective! Not only do you keep your sofa smelling good and fresh but pets normally don’t like citrus scents.

As such they’ll need to look for other places to lounge on, allowing you to isolate spaces for better fur control.

Pawrents working with laptops with their Husky by their side — *Image: Pexels*

9. Pet gate

You could also keep your pets confined in a smaller space when you’re not at home with the help of pet gates. They’re readily available on many online shopping sites, so you can get them and build them in a shape you like or according to the boundaries you’d like to set around your house.

Husky behind pet gate Amazon — *Image: Amazon*

10. Double-sided tapes

This is probably not the most aesthetic solution but it works really well. You just need to spread double-sided tape on places of your couch where your pets love to scratch, like the sofa legs, the armrest, etc.

The sticky feeling of the double-sided tape will keep your pet away from the sofa. When buying the double-sided tape, remember to choose one which doesn’t leave a sticky residue on your furniture.

Sticky Paws double-sided tape for pets to prevent scratching — *Image: Amazon*

11. Aluminium foil

Try this trick: Place some aluminium foil on the sofa. A lot of pets are known to be afraid of loud noises. When they jump on the sofa, the noise made by the aluminium foil will make them run! While this doesn’t work on all pets, it’s been known as a good trick to use by many pet owners.

One thing to be cautious is that this may not be a good method if your pet has past traumas or other fears.

12. Pet-proof sofa covers

If all else fails, a pet-proof slipcover is the best way to protect your sofa from pets. At Comfort Works we have more than 70 types of fabrics to make our handmade slipcovers with. One of them is even designed specifically for pets: Clawproof Velvet sofa covers.

Cat scratching on clawproof sofa — *Image: Clawproof Velvet slipcovers*

The material used is a soft velvet that is tightly woven so that claws and teeth are unable to pierce through – which makes them the perfect protection against rowdy cats and dogs.

They are also available in a wide variety of covers and are tailor-fit to your sofa to keep it stylish. We recommend getting one that matches the colour of your pet’s fur. This way the fur won’t be so visible on your sofa, though the slipcovers can be machine-washed for periodic easy cleaning as well.

Dog biting on clawproof sofa — *Image: Trying to bite into our Clawproof Velvet slipcover*

If the look is not for you, some of our customers have shared that our leather slipcovers are also a great choice for pets as they are easy to clean with a damp cloth. It doesn’t attract hair like fabrics and is more odour-resistant than other materials.

Cats in general are also less likely to scratch leather, as there are little to no gaps for their claws to go through, but accidents do happen so it’s always recommended to trim their nails anyway. Prevention is always better than cure!

IKEA Karlstad in brown vegan leather slipcover — *Image: Vegan leather slipcover in Savannah Saddle*

The best way to test is by ordering some fabric samples and checking them in person. And don’t forget to rub them on your pets! You can order some of our fabric swatches here.

Try our samples

Hope these ideas will help you to protect your sofa! If you have more tips or advice for homes with pets, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment below. We always read them :)

If you are interested in learning more about our pet-proof sofa covers, visit us at our online store. You can also connect with us via Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Have a nice day!

8 great pet-friendly plants

Posted on June 22, 2021April 29, 2025 by Naomi

Have you ever been asked, “Are you a plant person or a pet person?”

I personally believe you can be both. While it’s totally natural to worry about accidentally poisoning your cat or dog, there are tons of plants out there that are beautiful AND totally non-toxic to our furkids.

Here are a few of our favourites!

House plants

These are the plants that can tolerate medium to low light conditions, which make them ideal to have inside your home. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t also have them in your garden!

1. Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium Nidus)

Why the bird’s nest fern is so great:

Beautiful large green leaves (with no thorns!)
Easily accommodated – this fern is actually an epiphyte so it can be placed on a tree outdoors or in a pot indoors
It’s super hardy, and can survives in low to medium light
Only needs watering once a week

2. Rattlesnake plant (Calathea Lancifolia)

Why the rattlesnake plant is so great:

Killer stripes – I love the stunning contrast between the dark and light green foliage
It “Dances” throughout the day due to the flux of water pressure in the nodes running up the base of its leaves
It can survives in indirect light
Only needs watering once a week!

3. Spider plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)

Why we love it:

Cats seem to love playing with these pretty long leaves
It survives in indirect sunlight
So easy to propagate once pups show up!
Generally low maintenance, and only needs water once a week

Succulents, the ones that thrive on neglect

These are the plants that can survive (and even thrive!) under low-water conditions. Don’t have a green thumb? Don’t worry – you won’t need it here.

4. Zebra plant (Haworthia Attenuata) (but also any type of Haworthia)

Why it’s great:

It’s non-toxic!
Stiff plump leaves, with striking white on green stripes
It prefers bright full sun, but can do indoors just as well
Fun to cross-breed with other Haworthias, if you’re into that sort of thing
Only needs watering weekly or even fortnightly, depending on how hot your environment is!

Some of our favorite Haworthias include:
The “reptile” Haworthia (Haworthia Koelmaniorum)

Known for its unusual brown, leathery and bumpy foliage.

The “crystal” Haworthia (Haworthia Obtusa)

Known for its transparent “window” foliage, the leaves are almost totally see-through, making the stored water visible and truly gorgeous under the light. They all pretty much have the same care guide and are generally low-maintenance.

**5. Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum – any)**

Why they’re so great:

Pretty rosette succulents that look like flowers but are really clumps of leaves
There are many variations, but they are generally non-toxic
They thrive in both full light and low heat areas
They’re fun (and easy) to propagate. These succulents get their name from the pups (chicks) that grow out of the mother-plant on stolen (smaller stem).
Cold-hardy and drought resistant – these guys thrive on neglect. (Great for those of us who tend to abandon our plant babies.)
In hot and dry areas, they only need to be watered once a week. In more humid areas, you can go as long as three to four weeks between watering.

Then there’s the unusual, exotic plants

If you are into the stranger side of things, you’ll love these plants! They are unlike the regular plants we see everyday and you’ll be surprised at how easy they are to look after.

6. Air plants (Tillandsia)

Why air plants are so great:

Beautiful foliage that tends to be plump and powdery.
They don’t require soil at all (WHAAT?) as they absorb moisture and nutrients from the air via their leaves
Only need bright indirect light to survive.
Just soak-and-dry once a week or mist them every two to three days
They are so pretty! They make great additions to a home via hanging from the ceiling, table-top centerpiece, or even mounted on walls. (Fun fact: air plants bloom once in their lifetime and their flowers are rather exquisite.)

7. Venus Flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula)

Why they’re great:

Natural pest control – these carnivorous plants feed on flies and other small insects
Their “teeth” aren’t actually sharp, so they cannot harm your pets or your fingers – don’t worry!
Relies on bright light and moisture retention. Sphagnum moss, peat moss, and distilled water does the trick. (Be careful not to use fertiliser or any nutrient-rich soil as this is like poison to these fellas.)
“Feed” them with a housefly or small insect once a week. One fish food pellet also does the job!

8. Marimo Ball (Aegagropila Linnaei)

Why they’re so great:

These ‘balls’ are a special type of moss ball originally found in Japan and Iceland. It is a rare, naturally-forming type of algae growth.
They’re great for most aquariums as they generate oxygen and remove nitrates from the water.
Don’t need much light! (They’re found naturally at the bottom of lakes.)
They grow very slowly and live for a very long time (two centuries or more!). They are even passed down as family heirlooms to symbolise close, everlasting bonds.
Can be kept in vases, jars, containers. Do not need air.
If it is in an aquarium, change the water as you normally would. If kept in a jar, you may not ever have to change the water if it remains clear!

So, who says you can’t have it all? These plants are all unique in their own way and each one has its own fun little quirk.

While you probably don’t have to worry if your pup mistakes your Haworthia for a chew toy or if your cat “accidentally” swallows your baby Marimo ball, you’d probably want to keep your pets from chomping on your plants. It is after all a responsible pet-rent thing to do!

Bring the world into your living room this summer

Posted on June 17, 2021April 29, 2025 by Emma

It’s the summer season, but if you’re not one to travel in the summer, bring the world to you. Even if that just means putting a new rug down.

Add a splash of Senegal with baskets – or make your own

La Basketry champions the craftsmanship of Senegalese basket makers. Their baskets, homeware and accessories are woven by Senegalese artisans in bright, beautiful colours – perfect as a summer accent to your home. If you’d like to take on a summer project, La Basketry also run workshops and sell basket kits, like the Mini Basket Kit pictured here.

Put Paris on your walls

Are you missing the arrondissements of Paris? Get them up on your walls, courtesy of this delightful wallpaper from Anewall. This mural-style wallpaper (also available as a print, if you can’t commit to wallpaper) features charming line drawings of characteristically Parisian buildings in soft, pastel tones. So you can always have Paris.

Get the colours of Jaipur, the Pink City

There are few images more evocative than those of Jaipur’s grand and regally pink buildings. You might not be able to quite capture the grandeur but you can definitely enjoy a beautiful splash of pink in your home. Jaipur Rugs has a stunning selection of hand-woven and hand-tufted rugs in a rainbow of colours, but we can’t look past the pink ones.

Create calm with Japanese ceramics

If the bright colours and frenetic energy of summer get you down, lean into a calmer aesthetic and focus on small moments – like making matcha. Pieces from Miyake Ceramics are one-of-a-kind and handmade in Japan’s famous ceramics region, Toki-city.

Channel that Provence country home style

One word: linen. Natural fibres in a classic neutral shade are what you need to get the slightly crumpled, charmingly dishevelled French chic look for summer. But don’t go out and buy a whole new sofa – that’s what slipcovers are for.

Ready to give your sofa a linen makeover?

How we hire at Comfort Works

Posted on June 15, 2021April 29, 2025 by Comfort Works team

Recruitment process is different from one company to another. Sometimes, it can get overwhelming. Our recruitment team aims to bring a seamless experience to our candidates. From entry level to leadership, everyone should have access to the same information about how we hire.

Comfort Works is known for our culture and we believe that our recruitment process is an important element that shapes our culture. We care about building an inclusive and enjoyable workplace, and that starts with hiring.

We want to share essential information (bonus with some tips!) to anyone who’s interested to join us.

Job searching and application

This is the time where you learn about who we are, what we do, and what it’s like to work with us.

We try to ensure that you know us a bit better and you feel sure enough that you’ve got enough information to apply for the right job. Check out our career page. View our YouTube channel or Instagram page. Read our blog to get to know our team better.

Once you feel that the job you’re eyeing intersects “who you are” and “what Comfort Works is”, click that apply button.

Unless you apply through internal referral, you don’t have to write a cold email or even a cover letter to us – we treat all candidates from all platforms equally. Just be sure to include your complete CV and/or portfolio in your application, and you’ll be in our funnel right away!

We carefully consider everyone who applies to us, and we try to make every bit of our interaction as personal and positive as possible. We believe that people deserve to have a good experience when applying to us regardless of the hiring outcome.

via GIPHY

Your CV, portfolio, and anything in between

Your CV is the first source of information for us to learn about you. We view your resume as an ideal place to highlight your achievements and background.

Depending on the role, you’ll also be required to showcase your portfolio/past work samples. Whether it’s a project you took part in during your internship, a side hustle with a couple of friends, or the most recent campaign you worked on in your last role – feel free to present any of your proudest work in the past and tell us more details about it!

Don’t worry, we don’t really look at how pretty the presentation is. We just want to get a sense of your best work. So, do make sure that there’s no misalignment in your design on Behance or an error/typo in your strings of code at GitHub. Well-thought-out work shows a lot about your conscientiousness, and is enough to land an interview with us.

Cover letters aren’t required, so it’s your call on whether to include one. If you choose to include it, keep it simple and concise. Tailor it to the job you’re applying for and tell us how you’ve made an impact, using data to back it up.

Having a huge following on your LinkedIn profile doesn’t guarantee a job here. But, it’ll be nice to see a dusted-off LinkedIn profile with synchronised information to your CV.

via GIPHY

Down the recruitment funnel we go!

If a recruitment team member believes you might be a match for a job you’ve applied for, you’ll be looped into our hiring process.

While the process may differ slightly for different roles, the same basics apply, whether it’s a Customer Experience Officer job or a Tech job, an entry level or a leadership position.

Not all of these may apply for your role, but here are some of the ways we assess candidates in our hiring process:

Online assessment(s): You may be asked to do a brief online assessment in an email interview format. For some roles, there may be additional online assessment in addition to the email interview. The online assessment will be very role-specific and assess your strategic thinking and hard skills required for the role.
Short chat: Before diving into more in-depth interviews, you’ll typically have a short conversation over the phone. This will usually be with a recruiter to assess or clarify additional information about you.
Project work: Especially for senior or leadership roles, we sometimes ask candidates to complete a small project.

For instance, prepping a product roadmap for our website interface. It’s mostly to help us understand how you think and your approach towards problems. We’ll let you know about any additional materials needed early on.
In-depth interview(s): Behind an invitation email to your interview, there’s a whole recruitment team dancing to “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas. We’re excited to interview our candidates and take it seriously because, at the risk of sounding cliché, Comfort Works is what our people make it.

The process can be rigorous (typically 1-2 interviews, and we keep it virtual during the pandemic), but it’s also meant to be friendly, warm, and welcomes you to know us better too. In the end, we want above all to assess your skills and see if you and this role are a match.

Finally, reference check: We include this at the last bit of our hiring process. We’ll speak to your previous employer or supervisor, people you’ve worked with, or even your lecturer back in school if you’re a fresh graduate. We just want to learn more about you through the lens of other trusted sources.

Do we assess culture fit?

We don’t only look for people who fit into our culture, we are also serious about hiring people who add to our culture. As we celebrate diversity, people who can bring fresh perspectives and positive experiences to our team will have their spot saved with us.

So, take the time to check out our career page and evaluate how you can embody our culture in your daily life. It’s far better if they are authentic and reflect who you are as a person. Give us examples of how our values resonate with your personal values.

Comfort Works holds a strong emphasis on our customers. Whether or not you’re in a customer-facing role, understanding how our product works and which market we serve is useful in the interview process.

We strive to bring great user experience and our UI/UX & tech team love to promote that concept. Empathy and customer-centricity is a great asset that we welcome in our team.

Decision and offer

After we complete the whole hiring process, the recruitment team together with the hiring manager will put everything together and review your application.

We take into account a number of factors to come to a decision. If we decide that you’re the best candidate for the role, our recruiter will reach out to you with an offer – and we promise you that our call will make your day!

Once you’ve accepted the offer, we’ll bring you through the onboarding process to officially welcome you as our “Rookie”! Roll up your sleeves and get comfortable with what’s next — we are thrilled to have you.

A few more tips

Now that we’ve laid out the formal information about our hiring process, here are some bonus tips:

Be kind to your recruiter and all the people that help you along the way.
This is not only applicable for Comfort Works, but also anywhere you interview. We are more interconnected than you think, and you never know when your kindness will come back to help you.
Be realistic in your expectations and feedback.
We receive hundreds of applications for each role. We try our very best to provide feedback for people who ask for it. If you want to learn more about how you can improve or what makes you fall short, write to us and we’ll be happy to answer you.
Be kind to yourself. We all (myself included) get our hopes up, and if things don’t work out, we may feel crushed. It’s a global pandemic, an incredibly competitive job market, yet you had the courage to apply for a new role. Acknowledge that as your strength and put that energy to find your dream job. It may be with Comfort Works, it may not. Whichever your path leads you to, remember that you won’t be there without your hard work.

We wish you all the best in your job search and, truly, thank you for your interest in Comfort Works. We look forward to seeing you in our recruitment funnel and getting to know you better.

CHECK OUT OUR CAREERS PAGE

How to grow a sofa with your family

Posted on June 15, 2021April 29, 2025 by Naomi

Ever been in someone’s living room and thought, “Wow, how did they come up with this setup?” because everything looks like they were made for each other? While picking out the right wall paint and setting up the right decor are important, we believe that the heart of every living room is the sofa. As the sofa experts, we know a thing or two about how to get started on creating and growing a sofa of your very own.

It starts with one

Whether it’s your parents’ old couch or your very own brand new sofa, your first piece is where it all begins. So, picture your first sofa and contemplate these details:

How many kids or pets do you see running around the house?
What kind of parties do you see yourself having and how many people do you see passed out on the couch?
Or maybe you only see yourself and your S.O. chilling in your one-piece snuggies, watching The Notebook while snacking on caramel popcorn?

What does the couch look like in all of those scenarios? A small loveseat? A 3-seater sofa? An L-shaped sofa with chaise? Does it have comfy round arms you can rest your head on without using a pillow, or low square arms you could leave your TV remote on? Maybe it’s part of a whole set but you decided to start off with just one piece and get the others later.

My personal rule of thumb is to look for something that is (a) comfy and (b) easily adaptable to my living space. This is how my S.O. and I chose our first sofa, the IKEA Friheten corner sofa with chaise.

Own-Friheten-Corner-Sofa-Bed — *My Friheten sofa*

It was perfect for us at the time. We had just moved into our cosy little one-bedroom apartment, and we needed something that could double as a bed in case we had friends crashing. The chaise that opens up into a storage compartment was also a total space-saving plus for us.

As far as comfort goes, I can safely say that it is definitely perfect for someone with lower back issues who needs something not too soft but not too stiff to lie back on Saturday afternoons… with her book. All jokes aside, it is definitely well-balanced between its firm structure and cushy upholstery.

For us, all the other details will come in handy later on when we move to a bigger house and decide to upgrade the sofa.

And then there were two (or more!)

So it has been a few years and you’re now moving to a bigger place. Maybe you’re married or maybe you’ve created a whole family of your own. Maybe you simply want a home upgrade. No matter the reason, the sofa you have is no longer practical for your new living space.

This would be the time to:

1) Plan and re-organise your new living space. How much more space do you have? This will tell you how many pieces you can fit in your living room and what components they should be.

2) Check your couch. Is it in one piece? Could it use a few repairs here and there or do you think you’ll need to buy a whole new one? This will help you decide if your original sofa should be in your new living room plan.

3) Think of your sofa as part of a set that you’re building. To simplify the plan, here is a breakdown of what all sofas essentially are as separate components:

Chair/single-seater section/armless chairs
2-seater or loveseat sofa/2-seater components
3-seater sofa/3-seater section
Chaise lounge/chaise sections
Ottomans/pouffe/footstools! (Yes, even them.)

Just like with your first sofa, the idea is to piece together the components you think will work best for your typical lounging activities. Once you’ve got a rough idea of what you want, you can get into the nitty-gritty details of what your sofa is actually going to become.

Making it work

Your sofa components should go hand in hand with one another, which means it is now up to you to make it look and feel like a complete set. The key to a perfect set is making it a perfect match in every way possible. Some pointers include:

1) Choosing from a modular series

These are sofa models that come separate components that can be put together to create as large or as small a sofa set as you wish. For example, take the IKEA Soderhamn set that allows a 3-seater sofa to be joined with a corner piece and a chaise to create one massive living room couch. Choosing from a modular series is ideal, as it shaves off all the extra work you’ll need to do in order to get your sofa components to work together.

Find everything you need to know about modular sectional sofas here!

2) Mixing and matching different sofa pieces that all go together

Worst-case scenario: you have no idea what model sofa you have or where it’s from or you just can’t find others that look like it. Now you’ve got three kids, two golden retrievers and no idea how to make your now-tiny sofa work. What now?

First thing’s first; calm down. Breathe. It’s not the end of the world! In fact, it’s totally fine to not have all matching pieces. You can always find other sofa components that complement each other in style and comfort.

For example, let’s just say you started off with a round-arm sofa as your main piece. You could get a whole other round-arm sofa, chaise or even sofa-bed to put it with. You could even pair that second piece with an ottoman. Ottomans (or footstools) are generally neutral and pretty much go with any kind of sofa. They can also be used alone as an extra seat.

If that still doesn’t feel right, all you will need is to get them all in coordinating colours and textures. What better way to do this than to get them all slipcovers? Once you’ve found out if your sofa components are slipcoverable, you will never have to worry about mismatched pieces ever again. Besides, being able to remove the covers and toss them into the washing machine is a plus for practicality!

Soderhamn-Slipcover-Process — *Installing slipcovers on all the Soderhamn sofa components*

If all else fails, don’t worry – your sofa set is yours to decide and design. Don’t let interior design ‘rules’ influence what you want or like – you can just choose different pieces for your living room that go together. Remember Monica’s apartment in F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?

MONICA'S APARTMENT — Image credit: NBC / Getty Images

At the end of the day, it all depends on how you feel about it. If it makes you and your family happy, then why not? :)

If your living room is in need of a cohesive new look, matching sofa slipcovers could be the answer you’re looking for. Take our fabric samples for a spin to find the best solution for your home.