STORY
Along the Victorian coastline, where the Otway Range gives way to open stretches of Southern Ocean, the landscape teaches something about proportion and permanence. The Kett Furniture collections that take their names from these places carry that sensibility indoors: considered scale, enduring materials, and a quiet confidence in the spaces they inhabit.
A sofa is the anchor of a living room. Choosing one well is equal parts design thinking and practical decision-making, and the choices made at the outset, on fit, comfort, fabric, and craftsmanship, determine how well the piece serves the home over years of living. This guide works through each consideration in sequence.
Erskine Sofa with generous cushions and a solid oak base
The most common mistake is choosing by appearance alone, without accounting for how the piece will actually live in the room.
Something that looks balanced in a showroom can dominate a smaller sitting room. A streamlined piece can leave a generous open-plan space feeling unresolved. Measure the room before looking at furniture, allow at least 90 centimetres of clearance for circulation, and check doorway widths and any access paths the piece will need to navigate before placing an order.
Marking the footprint on the floor with tape before committing makes the scale visible in a way that no floor plan quite achieves.
For a typical living room, a two- or three seater positioned against the longest clear wall tends to create the most functional traffic flow.
In open-plan spaces, an L-shaped or modular configuration can define a seating zone without walls to anchor it. The indoor sofa range spans configurations suited to different room scales, from compact two-person pieces to generous multi-module arrangements, each designed to complement the proportions of Australian interiors.
A practical sizing guide begins with the room’s shortest clear dimension. Allow at least 45 centimetres of clear space at each end to maintain proportion and circulation.
Comfort is not arbitrary, even when it feels that way. Two measurements determine most of it: seat depth and seat height.
A sofa seat depth of around 56 to 65 centimetres suits most adults for everyday sitting. Deeper seats, sometimes reaching 80 centimetres, work well for relaxed lounging but can make rising from the piece more effortful, and they demand more floor space to use naturally.
Testing a piece in person remains the most reliable way to assess comfort before a decision is made. A showroom visit allows seat depth, cushion resistance, back support, and overall scale to be evaluated under real conditions, rather than estimated from a photograph or product specification.
Cushion fill affects both the initial feel and the long-term shape of the piece. A high-resilience foam core with a feather or fibre wrap provides support alongside the considered appearance that signals quality craftsmanship. Low-density foam compresses unevenly over a few years and loses the structure that makes a piece worth returning to.
Back support should work without effort. If a piece requires constant repositioning to sit comfortably, it is not suited to the room, regardless of how refined it looks. Visiting a Cosh Living showroom in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth is the most practical way to test how a piece feels in person before committing.
Upholstery choice shapes how a piece wears as much as how it looks. The most useful measure for sofa fabric durability is the Martindale rub count: above 30,000 rubs is appropriate for everyday domestic use, and above 50,000 suits households with children or pets.
For a fabric sofa used daily, consider how the material performs across Australian conditions through the year. Natural fibres such as linen and Australian wool boucle bring texture and warmth. Performance textiles and fine leather offer durability and ease of maintenance.
The right choice depends on how the room is used, not on what happens to be fashionable at a given moment.
Kett Furniture makes each upholstered piece to order across collections like the Otway collection, making fabric selection part of the design process rather than a compromise made at the end. Considering colour, texture, and upholstery durability together from the outset produces a result that holds its quality over years of use.
A leather sofa tends to age gracefully in rooms when properly cared for, developing a surface quality that improves with time. A wool boucle piece brings warmth and depth to a cooler interior.
For a fabric sofa in a room that receives significant use, a performance textile with a high rub count offers both practicality and the refined appearance of a natural fibre. The two are not mutually exclusive: made-to-order specification allows for material choices that would not be available with a mass-market piece.
A leather sofa in a high-use family room benefits from full-grain or top-grain hide, which holds its finish longer and develops character rather than simply wearing down. Considering how the material performs across Australian seasons, including temperature changes and humidity, is part of making a choice that holds up well over time.
Belle Sofa in Fabric or Leather Upholstery & American Oak Legs
Construction quality is rarely visible in a finished piece. It becomes apparent over time, in how an indoor sofa holds its shape, maintains its silence, and retains its structural integrity through seasons of living. This approach to construction is grounded in precision joinery, handmade techniques, and materials sourced from sustainably managed forests, seen across pieces like the Erskine sofa and the broader indoor range.
A piece designed with genuine care is built to last, to be cherished and passed down through generations. That level of quality requires considered choices at every stage of production, and it is the difference between furniture that depreciates and furniture that simply becomes more familiar.
Making the right choice is one of the most considered decisions a home calls for. Getting the scale, comfort, and material right from the outset means living with something that genuinely serves the space and improves over time, rather than something that simply fills it.
Kett Furniture is Australian-designed, with each upholstered piece made to order using quality materials and handmade construction techniques. The full range is available exclusively through Cosh Living showrooms across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, where you can experience the quality and scale of each piece in person. Browse the indoor sofa collections or explore our living room furniture range to find the right piece for your home.
To explore the collection or speak with the team, visit the Cosh Living showrooms nearest to you, or get in touch directly.
Avoca Sofa in Fabric or Leather Upholstery & American Oak Legs
Measure the room and mark the footprint on the floor with tape before ordering. Allow at least 90 centimetres of clearance for circulation, and check access paths through doorways and any stairs before the delivery date. The tape test makes the scale immediately visible.
For daily use, look for an upholstery fabric with a Martindale rub count above 30,000. Performance textiles and fine leather are the most practical options for maintenance. Australian wool boucle and linen are refined choices that benefit from slightly more care.
For a living room with clear walls and defined proportions, a fixed two- or three seater is typically sufficient. For open-plan spaces that need a seating zone defined without walls, a modular configuration offers more flexibility. Marking the footprint before ordering makes the right choice clear.
The collection is available exclusively through Cosh Living showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Visiting in person is the most effective way to assess comfort, scale, and upholstery quality before making a final decision.
Learn more
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03 9532 0464
melbourne@coshliving.com
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Richmond VIC 3121
03 9281 1999
melbourne@coshliving.com
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Alexandria NSW 2015
02 9317 3011
sydney@coshliving.com
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Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
07 3666 0377
brisbane@coshliving.com
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Osborne Park WA 6017
08 9415 2522
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