A sofa is usually the centerpiece of the sitting area at most urban, semi-urban and even rural homes in India. Indubitably, a sofa at Indian homes is also the single most heavily used piece of furniture and a cherished one at that, too.
Nowadays, you’ll barely find Indian homes without a sofa, because it also ranks as an affordable piece of furniture in India, with prices starting from just around Rs.3,000 each from online retailers.
Additionally, a sofa is very versatile and can fit into cubby hole apartments in Indian megapolises to spacious mansions and country homes in rural areas.
Unfortunately, most homeowners remain blissfully unaware that every sofa also needs a stylish sofa cover. As a matter of fact, stylish sofa covers can redefine your living room and possibly, serve as the benchmark for décor of other rooms at your home.
How can stylish sofa covers redefine living rooms in India? Continue reading as we explore the amazing world of sofas and sofa covers. And how they can redefine your living room to create that wonderful ambience you always wanted.
Types of Sofas in India
A sofa isn’t some concept introduced to India by foreigners, as you might wrongly believe. Instead, emperors and maharajas of ancient days also used a sofa, albeit in different forms but most commonly as a divan. Over the centuries and foreign influence though, the concept of sofas used at Indian homes evolved to a great extent.
As a result, we’re fortunate to have different types of sofas in India. Here’re some of the commonest types found in India:
Two to Three-seater Sofas
These are compact sofas, with or without armrests and generally based on a wooden frame. They are the most common in India and you’ll find them at homes as well as offices. Two to three-seater sofas are popular because they’re compact and can fit easily in most living rooms or sitting spaces.
L-Shaped Sofas
Generally larger than two and three-seater types, L-shaped sofas are perfect for optimal use of corner spaces at homes. These types of sofas are superb for family rooms and larger, open-type spaces where space isn’t a constraint. They’re also useful to create a comfortable sitting ambience instead of merely functional.
Sectional Sofas
As the term suggests, these sofas are formed of various modules that can be arranged as necessary. Sectional sofas are ideal for larger sitting areas and allow flexibility of arrangement in various configurations for comfort, utility and décor. They’re generally ideal for homes with larger households or ones that hosts guests frequently.
Trundle Sofas
These are sofas with a secondary bed concealed and folded beneath the seat, that can be drawn out when needed, using its built-in trundles. These are very common in India nowadays, especially in cities where studios and single room plus kitchen apartments are common. They double up as a sofa and as a bed. You’ll find these popular among young couples.
Sofa Bed
These are vastly different from trundle sofas. Sofa beds don’t have trundles. Instead, the backrest can be reclined to the seat level to form a broad bed. These are also common at Indian homes where space has to be optimized for comfort. They are somewhat minimalist and ideal for folks that don’t wish to spend much on separate sofa and bed.
Recliner Sofas
A recliner sofa is actually a concept imported into India from the west and was crafted first in 1920s for individual comfort. It comes with a mechanism that allows the backrest to be inclined to the desired angle and in some cases, also includes a separate footrest. In India though, we can find one, two and three-seater recliner sofas. These are considered as hallmarks of refinement and luxury.
Plastic Sofas
Easy to maintain and relocate, plastic sofas are available from some topmost companies in India in two and three-seater sizes. They’re made with various types of durable plastics. You can decorate at will by placing seat and backrest cushions. Incidentally, a plastic sofa can also be decorated with superb sofa covers.
Rattan Sofa
Rattan sofas are for the eco-friendly. They’re crafted wholly from, a climbing palm typical to Southeast Asia and India. Pieces of the rattan plant are woven or bound together to make these sofas and no synthetic materials are used. You can place cushions as seat and backrest. In some cases, you might be able to decorate them with a sofa cover, depending on the shape.
Wicker Sofa
Another popular eco-friendly type sofa in India, a wicker sofa is made by weaving natural material such as bamboo, cane or reed and in some cases, a blend of all these with rattan. You can place cushions for seats and backrest. Depending on their shape, it’s possible to use sofa covers on wicker sofas too.
Ethnic Sofa
India is home to various kinds of sofas that were used in ancient days by royals and aristocrats. These are popular among Indians that wish to decorate their sitting areas like durbars of ancient rulers. These are very ornate,3 heavy, wood-based sofas with thick cushions for seats and backrests. Depending on their shape, you can deploy a superb sofa cover here too.
Majority of these common types of sofas in India can be decorated superbly with a selection of sofa covers to match your preferred sitting area ambience and personal tastes as well as home décor style.
If you’re wondering, why would you require sofa covers, continue reading.
Types of Upholstery of Indian Sofas
A sofa cover serves multiple purposes. The most compelling among these is to protect the original upholstery of the sofa. In India, there’re different types of sofa upholsteries as follows:
- Fabric or cloth sofa: bulk of the upholstery is made of fabric such as polyester-cotton blend.
- Leatherette: such sofas have upholstery made of faux leather.
- Leather sofa: usually very expensive because the upholstery is made of high-quality animal hide or leather.
- Velvet sofa: as the term suggests, here the seat and backrest are covered with velvet upholstery.
- Rexine sofa: most common in India due to economy and waterproof qualities. Rexine is a synthetic material but can be easily damaged.
Other than these, we have specialized sofas crafted with different material such water-filled or gel-filled seats and backrests for persons with special needs, ergonomic sofas for spinal and lumbar support and medical sofas that come with attachments for oxygen tanks, intravenous drip stands and more, depending on the need.
Using Sofa Covers to Redefine Living Room
Regardless of the type of sofa you own, here’re some of the most compelling reasons to use superb sofa covers made by prominent and renowned manufacturers. A sofa is often a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and spending a bit on sofa cover can help it last for several years.
All the types of original sofa upholstery I mention above are highly susceptible to damage. Often, such damage is irreversible. A sofa cover can therefore prevent such plethora of issues.
Damage from Stains
Stains from spilled food and drink, wetting and soiling by neonates and incontinent seniors, painting and writing with crayons and pens or pencils by curious toddlers or even sitting with clothes moist with perspiration can leave ugly marks and stains on the original upholstery of your sofa.
Even leather, faux leather or Rexine sofas aren’t immune to stains despite being waterproof. That’s because these materials can also be stained by writing with pens and crayons or spice laden oil from spilled food. Using chemical-based cleaners can discolor faux leather, leather or Rexine.
Instead, you can simply choose a superb sofa cover of your choice from a vast collection, to protect the original upholstery.
Bacteria & Fungus
Human vision can’t view microbes such as bacteria and fungus that often grows on the original upholstery of a sofa. This is a problem that you and majority of sofa owners would unaware.
India is a subcontinent and we have various climatic conditions here. Any moisture on a sofa upholstery of any kind, could provide an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. Genuine leather and fabric sofa upholstery is most prone to such bacteria and fungus.
If you don’t use a sofa cover, these bacteria and fungus could cause health issues for your family. Additionally, bacteria and fungus also lend a foul odor to your sofa that spreads across the living room or sitting area.
Pet Fur & Pet Dander
Sofas are a favorite resting place for pets such as cats and dogs. Maybe you’re unaware that while all animals shed fur and dander as their natural body processes, such hair loss and dander shedding is higher among pets because they live indoors.
As a result, they’re exposed to climatic control that we humans use for our comfort such as electric fans and air conditioning. Lack of extensive outdoor activity and sunshine often aggravates fur shedding, while pet dander gets unhealthier as pathogens stick to dead skin cells of these animals. Pets don’t get their natural diet and instead are fed packaged foods or what we cook, that further compounds the problem of hair loss and higher dead skin shedding.
If you have one or more pet at home or even allow a neighborhood cat or dog to play at home and recline on the sofa, you’re looking for trouble. The original upholstery of your sofa can’t be washed. And pets of all types also scratch and gnaw at the sofa, causing the upholstery to tear, giving it an ugly appearance. Simply using a superb sofa cover that’s washable, prevents such issues.
Heavy Use at Indian Homes
Observe it yourself: the sofa at your home is the most heavily utilized piece of furniture. It’s used for hosting guests, watching TV, studying, daily family gatherings, lounging, sleeping, playing games, placing stuff, snacking and sometimes having lunch or dinner. Pets are very fond of lounging on a sofa too. As a result, the original upholstery of your sofa undergoes severe wear and tear even while you remain oblivious to the changes such as discoloration, wrinkling, scratches and tears or even cracking of Rexine or faux leather upholstery.
Excellent for Home Décor
Since sofa at Indian homes is the flagship furniture, it can aptly be utilized as the centerpiece around which the entire home décor can be created. However, few people actually even consider a sofa as the centerpiece around which to weave a superb home décor while enhancing the living room or sitting area ambience. With some creativity, you can actually transform your sofa to something much larger than a mere piece of functional furniture for seating and other purposes.
Festivals and Special Occasions
India is a land of festivals. Regardless of your faith, it’s a common tradition to invite friends, neighbors and colleagues at home to celebrate and enjoy festive food. At such times too, you need a superb looking sofa. That’s because a scarred, stained sofa upholstery can actually create a poor impression about your household. This is yet another reason why you need sofa covers to redefine your living room or sitting area.
These six reasons would aptly show you how stylish sofa covers could help redefine your living room. However, buying merely any ordinary sofa cover wouldn’t really serve your purpose.
Best Sofa Covers in India
If you’re looking for the best sofa covers in India, consider those available from HOKIPO online. That’s because HOKIPO has the best sofa cover collection that suits every taste and need. These include unique, comfortable, and stylish options crafted with the finest quality material.
The HOKIPO sofa cover collection includes a large variety of designs such as elastic sofa covers, seat mats, and sofa throws. They are suitable for different sofa sets like 3+1, 3+1+1, 3+2, and L-shaped sofas. Their sofa cover collection is priced very affordably- regardless whether you wish to use one for daily, rough use or for special occasions. HOKIPO Sofa Covers come in a variety of materials and designs and are inherently stylish. As a result, you can redefine your living room ambience at home, exactly the way you want it to look and feel.
The sofa cover collection includes stretchable types. The stretchable quality is very desirable since they can fit sofas that’re marginally smaller or large in size but still provide a snug and tight fit. HOKIPO sofa covers are easy to maintain too. Most of these can be laundered at home. As a matter of fact, the company bears in mind the needs of Indian households and hence has developed its extensive range of sofa covers.
Creating Matching Ambience with Sofa Covers
If you’re wondering why this special emphasis on HOKIPO’s sofa cover collection, here’s the reason: you can buy matching office chair covers and dining chair covers too from HOKIPO. This ensures uniformity of home décor between your living room, dining room as well as your home-office, if any. Almost every type of sofa cover from the HOKIPO collection can be matched with chair covers made of the same fabric.
The company provides detailed videos and instructions for draping their sofa covers and other products. In fact, any teenager would be able to easily dress your sofa in the appropriate cover by merely following these enclosed instructions.
Wrap Up
Redefining your living room can prove to be a very interesting and creative project. It doesn’t cost much but the advantages are far more because it protects your sofa, enhances living room ambience, create a superb impression about your family and prevents allergies and other disease at home.
