Sofa for the kitchen: double, with one armrest and side backrest

Since ancient times, the Slavic people have been famous for their hospitality, which is why today the kitchen is not only an area for preparing food, but also for receiving guests. Every owner wants to create a special atmosphere where it would be pleasant and comfortable to be. To do this, you should carefully and carefully choose a soft corner. It is important that it is not only beautiful and elegant, but also multifunctional and practical.

About the sofa for the kitchen and kitchen sofas: sizes for different rooms

When choosing kitchen furniture, it is important to take into account various parameters: dimensions, convenience and practicality of the transformation mechanism, the presence of storage drawers, quality of upholstery material, construction material, appearance.

Soft sofas for the kitchen are divided into the following types:

straight;
corner and modular;
bay windows.

Important! Before buying a sofa, measure the kitchen: width, length, distance to the kitchen unit and household appliances.

Straight models

They are chosen if the kitchen is combined with the living room in order to visually divide the space. Most often, a straight sofa is made into a folding one to provide another full-fledged place for sleeping, storing things or kitchen utensils. Dimensions vary depending on the transformation mechanism and the available free space in the kitchen-living room.

The four most popular transformation mechanisms are:

Book. Ideal for sleeping, has a large sleeping area. This is one of the simplest and most durable mechanisms to use. Features of operation: it is necessary to move it away from the wall by 15-20 cm (for ease of unfolding). It is recommended to use if the installation niche has an overall length of 180 cm or more.
Eurobook. One of the most common mechanisms. Consists of two independent sleeping places, which when folded out form a double bed for a good night's sleep. Recommended for use if the sofa niche has an overall length of 180 cm or more.
Accordion. It consists of three parts connected to each other and folds forward according to the “accordion” principle. A high, wide and level sleeping area is perfect for sleeping and relaxing. Easily and quickly unfolds. The main advantage is its compactness; when folded, it takes up only 60 to 100 cm in depth, and when unfolded it is a full-fledged bed with a large sleeping area. It is recommended to use if space in the kitchen is limited and the size of the niche for installing upholstered furniture starts from 80 cm.
French folding bed. The mechanism is often used in the manufacture of various models of upholstered furniture, mainly due to its compactness and ease of assembly. It is recommended to use if space in the kitchen is limited and the dimensions of the niche for installation start from 80 cm.

Corner and modular

For small kitchens, if you need an alternative to chairs or an addition to them, corner or modular models are suitable. A corner sofa fits perfectly into a small room. Its design can provide an additional bed, drawers and shelves for storage, armrests with a minibar. The disadvantage of corner-type upholstered furniture is that rearranging the kitchen will be problematic due to its size and lack of suitable space.

The modular design allows for easy rearrangement. For example, a corner kitchen sofa can be turned into two benches and placed on either side of the table. Unlike monolithic furniture, a modular sofa is a combination of individual parts. They are universal: they can be used both as independent chairs or benches, and combined into a composition.

Bay windows

Often in new buildings, special niches are made in the kitchen near the window. Bay window models are specifically designed to organize space in this zone. Since there are no standard sizes for bay windows, as a rule, furniture of this type is made to order according to the exact dimensions of the niche.

Note! Buying ready-made furniture in standard sizes is always cheaper and faster than making it to order. However, if the shape of the kitchen is non-standard or the dimensions do not allow installing a ready-made sofa, the optimal solution would be to order it from the manufacturer according to the required parameters.

What should be a good corner?

When choosing the appropriate size for a corner dining group, you should first of all focus on the dimensions and layout of the kitchen. The side end of the table should be located no closer than 80 cm from any obstacle that may prevent you from getting out from behind it. Therefore, you should not take a corner to “hide” it in a deep niche or behind the refrigerator. The continuation of the passage between the table and the sofa must be kept clear.

The entire set should be compact enough to leave about a meter of free space behind the backs of people sitting on chairs.

Sofas usually have a seat depth of about half a meter, plus or minus 5 cm. A soft pillow will not compress the blood flow under the knees, and the load on the legs will be distributed most evenly. It is better to cover hard seats, for example, made of wood, with small mattresses, custom-made or made by yourself.

It is convenient when the table legs do not prevent people from sitting comfortably in any part of the corner. To do this, choose models with one support along the central axis or frame structures (see photo). At the same time, the geometry of the tabletop is not limited by anything other than the shape of the sofa.

Manufacturing technology and materials

Any sofa consists of a frame and soft elements.

The frame is the basis of upholstered furniture on which all other parts are fixed. It bears most of the load, so it is important that it is made of durable materials. The most common models are on metal, wood and chipboard frames.

Furniture with a metal frame is strong and durable. During operation, steel elements do not require special care, are fireproof and are little subject to wear.

The wooden frame makes the sofa environmentally friendly. The wood used in production undergoes special processing and becomes a durable material that can withstand enormous loads.

A frame made of laminated chipboard is the most budget option, but it is worth remembering that when moisture gets in, this material swells. The maximum service life of sofas with such a frame is no more than 3-5 years, then it will have to be changed.

For the production of upholstered furniture elements, the following components are used:

upholstery materials;
filler.

When choosing fabric, it is important to consider not only the style of the kitchen and its color scheme, but also the frequency of use of the furniture, the presence of pets and small children.

The most common types of upholstery materials:

jacquard;
chenille;
matting;
artificial leather.

Matting, chenille and artificial leather have the highest level of resistance to abrasion and mechanical damage.

To fill the soft parts of the sofa, polyurethane foam and a spring block are mainly used. Polyurethane foam is an elastic and durable finely porous material of varying densities that does not crumble or wrinkle over time. Independent spring blocks are made of spring wire and spunbond.

Sofas with an independent spring block are suitable for daily use as a sleeping place, but their cost is significantly higher than that of models with polyurethane foam filling. Therefore, if the kitchen upholstered furniture is not intended for daily sleep, it makes no sense to overpay for this type of filler.

We calculate wear resistance according to Martindale

To more accurately determine the level of wear resistance of matter, experts recommend appealing to data obtained using the so-called Martindale test. A common technique is based on counting the number of abrasion cycles and is established experimentally for each type of upholstery fabric:

from 10,000 to 15,000 cycles – a material of low stability with a cotton structure, more suitable for decorative use;
from 15,000 to 25,000 cycles - ideal for upholstery of home furniture for lying and sitting, used in everyday life;
from 25,000 to 35,000 cycles - a fabric for difficult conditions, with a long service life and low wear.

The minimum Martindale abrasion resistance values are regulated by GOST for furniture fabrics and range from 3000 to 9500 cycles. Samples with parameters exceeding 35,000 cycles are rarely used for cladding ordinary home furniture. These are fabrics with special heavy-duty weaving, which are advisable to use in the design of commercial locations with high traffic (hotels, sanatoriums, restaurants, hospitals, etc.).

Manufacturers of upholstered furniture

Upholstered furniture for the kitchen is produced by both large and small enterprises. In almost any furniture showroom you can find exhibitions of such major manufacturers as:

“Furniture of the Chernozem Region”;
“Good style”;
"Your style";
Classen et al.

Buying furniture from large factories has its positive and negative sides. Ordering a sofa from a well-known manufacturer guarantees high quality, low price, and free delivery. However, if the kitchen dimensions are non-standard or a special design is needed, large factories are unlikely to be able to satisfy such a request. We will have to turn to small manufacturers working on individual projects.

How to choose the right kitchen sofa

A sofa is placed in the kitchen to create coziness and comfort. In order not to clutter up the space, it is important to choose the right upholstered furniture:

Soft sofa. If the kitchen has a long free wall, you can install a soft sofa there and thus create a comfortable area for eating, relaxing, watching TV or meeting with friends.
Semicircular sofa. Sofas in the shape of a semicircle are suitable for spacious rooms into which they fit harmoniously. This sofa is especially suitable for a kitchen combined with a living room, in combination with a wooden round or oval table.
Wooden sofa. This option is suitable for a kitchen in a rustic or Provence style, when you need to achieve harmony in the design of the entire room. Also, a wooden sofa is suitable for limited spaces, since it does not have a sleeping area. To add softness and comfort, it can be decorated with pillows.
Double sofa. Perhaps its most important advantage is that it occupies a relatively small space. Moreover, such options can be very functional: additional storage space can be placed under the seat, and the sofa itself can be made folding.
Shallow sofa. When kitchen space is limited, the best option would be a kitchen sofa with a seat within 50-60 cm. This will increase the number of seats at the table and maintain free work space.
High sofa. The seat height is regulated by standards and GOST, ranging from 40 to 50 cm. The choice of seat height depends on the level of the tabletop, and the height of the backrest depends on the average height of family members.
Window sill-sofa. Most often, models of this type are built into a free niche near a window, and the sofa becomes a logical extension of the kitchen set. Ideally, you need to think through this option in advance and order a kitchen set already complete with upholstered furniture.
Sofa for the kitchen without armrests or with one. Kitchen space is often limited by size, the presence of batteries or other technological structures. An excellent solution for such layouts is to buy a model without armrests or with only one. Due to this, you can significantly save space or place more seats.
Kitchen Area. A model of this type looks natural in small rooms where there is a free corner. Despite its compact size, the capacity of such a sofa is very high and allows you to place at least 3-4 people around the dining table. There are models equipped with storage drawers and a folding bed.
Kitchen sofa with carriage frame. Carriage screed is one of the ways to decorate upholstered furniture elements to give them an elegant look. However, not every upholstery fabric is suitable for a carriage tie. It is better to check such nuances with the manufacturer or seller when ordering a sofa.
Corner sofa without sleeping place. The absence of a sleeping place allows you to significantly reduce the cost of kitchen upholstered furniture. If the size and layout of the room allows you to install a corner sofa and there is no need for additional sleeping space, choosing this model is the optimal solution. Corner sofas without a sleeping place are produced not only in a standard rectangular shape, but also in a curved one, which allows you to make the kitchen design more sophisticated and cozy.
Kitchen sofa with side back. This model is a folding couch. The layout mechanism is roll-out or folding. The width of such a couch starts from 60-70 cm. Although lying on it is not very comfortable, it is quite suitable as a backup sleeping place for guests. The back of the sofa performs two useful functions: it protects the wall from splashes and drops, and serves as support for the back while resting and eating.
Chair-bed. If the kitchen space does not allow you to place even the narrowest sofa model, but you want comfort, then a chair-bed will do. When choosing such a model, you should pay attention to which direction it will unfold, whether it is possible to move the table or chairs so that nothing gets in the way.

Equipment

A kitchen corner as a concept is somewhat different from similar upholstered furniture for living rooms. The set, as a rule, includes not only a high L-shaped sofa or banquette, but also a dining table with chairs or stools. It can also be a bench with a soft cushion bounded by two adjacent walls. The main thing is that the general principle of maximum functionality of the dining area in the kitchen is observed.

The arrangement of asymmetrical corners, made in the shape of the letter L, can be right or left. Most prefabricated models can be easily repurposed to suit your kitchen layout.

Convenient designs consisting of individual modules, which can be combined as desired or additional elements can be purchased for the set.

Kitchen corners include both U-shaped and semicircular structures. Looking at the photos of numerous options for their layout, you understand that there is plenty to choose from.

Why do you need a case?

Furniture covers are an excellent addition to the sofa in the kitchen. Most people purchase cases for two purposes:

Protect the sofa upholstery from food debris, stains, and drops (the cover can be easily removed and washed).
Update the kitchen interior (buying a new cover is cheaper than buying a new sofa).

Many furniture manufacturers offer customers kitchen sofas with removable covers that you can remove and wash yourself. The cover is indispensable if there are small children, animals or guests in the house often.

Fillers

The comfort at the dining table and the service life of upholstered kitchen furniture will depend on the characteristics of the filling in the pillows.

At the same time, the padding must keep its shape well, that is, have sufficient elasticity, not retain moisture and ensure normal heat exchange with the body of a seated person.

Inexpensive fillers made of foam rubber or padding polyester have these properties, but polyurethane foam performs best in this regard. The most durable models are equipped with spring blocks in production.