I recently had a custom sofa made and this site was an invaluable source of information for me throughout the process. I would have preferred to buy from a known brand, but my narrow stairwell left me with little option—I needed to go the custom route. I'd like to develop a checklist that buyers can use to interview potential makers, and am hoping for your help!

I am guessing frame construction, suspension and cushion types are the main facets of a good sofa, but are there more aspects I'm missing? And am I listing the various attributes of each aspect thoroughly and in complete order? Please feel free to comment and I'll revise this post.

Frame Construction (from lowest to highest quality)
  • Softwood (pine)
  • Engineered hardwood and plywood
  • Engineered hardwood
  • Solid hardwood (maple), double-doweled, corner-blocked, screwed & glued


Suspension (from lowest to highest quality)
  • webbing
  • Pirelli webbing
  • no-sag springs (a.k.a. zig-zag)
  • drop-in coils suspension unit
  • 8-way hand-tied coil suspension (9 coils per seat)
  • 8-way hand-knotted coil suspension (12 coils per seat)


Foam (from lowest to highest quality)
  • low density (1.5 pounds per square inch or less)
  • high density (1.6 pounds per square inch or more)
  • high density in feather/down envelopes