Have you been into a store recently to shop for a new lounge suite and wondered why some lounges might cost $1000 or more than another one that looks largely the same?
As experts in the realm of lounge suites and other home furniture, we want to help you understand the difference so you can be confident you’ve spent your money on a high quality product.
Join us as we take a look at some of the biggest factors that can determine the price of a lounge suite: quality of construction, upholstery choice and functionality & features.
Construction
What you can’t see certainly matters in lounge suites. Some products may look very similar to one another but be priced at a thousand dollars or more different. One of the biggest factors in lounge suite cost (and where other companies save a lot of money) is in the underlying construction. Some specific things you can check for, and ask the salesperson about are:
· Frame integrity: The corners of the timber frame will ideally be strengthened with extra blocks of wood, and fastened with glue and screws. This ensures the lounge suite stays sturdy for years to come, and should reduce side-to-side wobble or movement.
· Frame integrity: The sides at either end of the lounge suite or recliner chair should have a plywood layer for strength. Some manufacturers will have very thin plywood on the ends, or will have a hollow/open cavity beneath the fabric upholstery. You can check this by simply knocking on the outer sides of the lounge suite.
· Seat suspension: The base before the foam layers and cushions, suspension flexes when you sit on the lounge suite and adds to the overall support, comfort and durability. Different types of suspension are used depending on the suite’s features and price point. A reclining suite will use zig zag or sinuous springs to provide a very strong and supportive base, whereas a static non-moving suite may utilize an 8-way hand-tie – which is more comfortable, but has a more manual element to fitting and installing during the construction process. Static suites may also use nylon webbing straps for suspension – a middle ground between price, comfort and functionality.
· Seat cushion layers: on top of the suspension layers comes the seat cushions, which can be made from foam, feathers or fibre fill. Foam comes in different densities that can be layered for comfort. High density foam lasts longer but is harder to sit on, so layering it up with outer layers of softer lower density foam helps achieve a balance of comfort. Beyond that, a layer of fibre can also be used to make the comfort even greater. Additional layers come with additional cost, so check with the salesperson what it is that you’re paying for. Introducing feather fill to the cushions increases the comfort again, but also at the cost of a higher price tag.
Pictured: A look at the many layers of sofa construction that can vary in quality and price
Upholstery
The component you will likely notice first in store is the upholstery of the lounge suite; whether it’s leather or fabric, and the colour will determine what catches your eye on the retail floor.
Upholstery options will also factor into the price and longevity of a lounge suite. For example, a fabric lounge suite is going to be less expensive than a leather lounge suite – but not all leather lounge suites are made equal. The price of a leather lounge suite can vary depending on different leather grades.
· Fabric upholstery: there are a wide range of fabric upholstery options from both natural and synthetic/man-made origins. A natural fabric such as cotton, silk, wool or linen are going to be softer and in many peoples opinions look nicer, but will come at a higher price point than a synthetic fabric such as polyester, olefin, nylon and acrylic. These synthetic fabrics can vary a lot in quality from different suppliers, so check with the store you are shopping from if they can verify any testing or quality control certifications on the strength & wear of the fabric, and what kind of warranty they offer.
· Leather upholstery is going to be more expensive than fabric (unless it’s a faux leather) and the overall price can also be determined by the quality of the leather, and the higher labour cost involved in producing leather upholstery.
A lower-end leather sofa might look like a more appealing option because of a lower price, but may use the lower quality split grain leather on all surfaces of the sofa.
Many lounge suites will use a more premium cut of top grain leather on the high usage areas such as the seats, backs and armrests, and utilize a more cost-effective split grain leather on less noticeable areas that aren’t touched as much, like the back of the sofa or the outer sides. This allows manufacturers and retailers to offer a balance of high quality at a reasonable price point.
If a leather sofa is top-grain all over, it is going to be retailed for a higher price.
Pictured: Choice of Leather or Fabric upholstery is a big factor in determining the cost of a lounge suite or sofa
Special Features
There are many additional features available in lounge furniture to add function and convenience to your seating. Extra features come with a cost in terms of both materials and certification/quality control testing to make sure it’s using suitable parts that will function safely and last long over time.
Some additional features that can affect the price of your lounge suite include:
· Manually reclining footrests and backrests
· Electric reclining footrests and backrests (more expensive than manual)
· Electric powered headrest and lumbar area adjustments
· USB outlets for charging small devices
· Wireless charging pads for small devices
· 240v outlets for powering laptops
· Cupholders
· Storage compartments
· Bluetooth speaker systems
· Decorative LED lighting
· Functional reading lights
· Drop down center tables
· Fixed center consoles
All of these additional features must be tested as safe for furniture, which comes at a cost. The cost of sourcing and implementing the additional parts to add these features is also a factor. 
Pictured: Additional features, particularly tech features, can add to the cost of producing your new lounge suite
Browse Synargy's range of high-tech sofas and lounge suites here
If you’re looking at two different lounge suites that look very similar at different price points, this article should help you know which questions to ask the store in order to understand the difference. From there you can make the best decision for your situation and requirements.
Another good question to ask is around what type of warranty you would receive on either purchase – the difference may also be quite telling in the level of quality you’ll receive for the price.
With this information, you can make a well-informed investment and rest comfortably knowing you’ve made a great purchase for your home.
