If there's one piece of furniture that sets the tone for an entire room, it's the sofa. Get it right and everything else has something to work with. Get it wrong (the wrong scale, the wrong fabric, the wrong feel) and no amount of styling will fully rescue it. So when clients ask me what I'm designing around right now, the sofa is always where we start.

Here's what I'm seeing, and what I'd genuinely recommend if you're thinking about investing in a new one this year.

Go generous with the silhouette

The biggest shift I'm seeing right now is a move toward sofas that feel genuinely generous. We are done with perching. Clients want to sink in, pull their legs up and actually live in their living rooms. The design world has caught up with that desire.

That deep, cloud-like silhouette is everywhere right now, and for very good reason. It brings an ease and a comfort to a room that more structured pieces simply can't match. If you're considering one, my advice is this: don't be afraid of scale. A sofa that feels slightly too large in an empty room will almost always feel just right once the rest of the space comes together around it.

So many people play it safe and end up with something the room simply swallows. Be bold with your proportions. It pays off every time.

Invest in tactile fabrics

If you're going to spend money anywhere on a sofa, spend it on the fabric. This is the thing you'll feel every single day, and it's what gives a room its character from across the space.

Bouclé, in particular, has shown remarkable staying power. It's been several years now and it genuinely hasn't faded, which tells you something important. It hits that sweet spot between warmth and sophistication. It feels considered without being precious, and it wears beautifully over time.

Linen brings a relaxed, lived-in quality that works brilliantly in spaces where you want things to feel effortless. Velvet brings drama and depth, particularly beautiful in a reading corner or a more formal sitting room. Both earn their place. The key is choosing the fabric that suits the life you actually live, not just the room you want to photograph.

Layer your cushions properly

This is one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort styling moves available to you, and most people get it slightly wrong. The mistake is being too matchy-matchy. A sofa dressed in cushions of identical size and fabric tends to look flat, even a little staged. It says "showroom" rather than "home."

The trick is variety. Mix your sizes: a combination of large, medium and smaller cushions creates depth and a sense of ease. Mix your textures too. Put something smooth next to something tactile. Something structured next to something soft. Let things look slightly effortless rather than overly arranged. 

That's the difference between a sofa that looks styled and one that looks genuinely lived in. And right now, lived in is exactly where we want to be.

The takeaway

A great sofa is one of the best investments you can make in your home. It anchors the room, sets the mood and, if you choose well, will look better with every passing year. Go generous with the size, prioritise the fabric and layer your cushions with a little confidence.

Your living room will thank you for it.