Remember to consider doors, windows and radiators too, as well as the overall size of the room. Be aware of the depth of the sofa if you’re buying for a small room – the length may be smaller but the depth of the seat rarely changes from a large to small sofa. Our french connection fabric covers have always survived a machine wash on a low setting and scrub up pretty well afterwards. I cannot vouch for the velvet covers, though, as we don’t have experience of those. Originally, we had been pining after a deep green velvet to fit with our botanical theme. But in the end, we decided that a statement sofa like that would probably work better in a smaller size, and we really wanted as large a sofa as possible to give us growing room and space to sprawl. The Zinc sofa bed’s versatile, minimalist feel means that it can be easily styled to suit any living room or season. For an on-trend summer look, go for the blush velvet colour option and layer with global-inspired pattern in cushions and throws, then pair with plenty of greenery and hints of wood and rattan.” However, we liked the light and uncluttered feel that living with smaller sofas brought. We were wary about upsetting the balance of ourliving roomwith a sizeablenew sofathat could potentially take over the room and become the first, and biggest, thing you notice about the space. DFS French Connection Zinc

I sketched out a couple of options on paper first. I wanted something that would frame the sofa and balance that side of the room so that our large sofa wasn’t the one and only focus.

Zinc Sofa bed

Lauren Harris, DFS Senior Designer, commented: “We’re delighted to have added the French Connection Zinc sofa bed to our range. This new model offers multifunctionality while still maintaining the sofa’s cool and contemporary design, so you don’t have to compromise on the look you want to achieve for your space. Being a family of 6, we have definitely put the DFS French ConnectionZinc sofathrough it’s paces (and a house move!). But ourzinc sofahas held up incredibly well – it has kept it’s shape, and the legs are still solid.

DFS has more than 120 stores across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain and employs over 4,000 people. There are a wide range of fabric options for the French Connection Zinc, including some very luxurious and on-trend velvets. We opted for the durable, family friendly grey combination fabric. I didn’t want it to look too neat and symmetrical either, hence opting to put the picture shelf slightly off-centre. I’ve got a new sofa from DFS – the Zinc 2 seater sofa, designed by French Connection. You see how comfy yet stylish I look?If you’re in rented accommodation and can’t decorate the walls or floors - plus you think you may move in a few years - it’s worth considering a neutral colour as it’s more transferable to a new interior. This may be a compromise but you can always create colour interest with accessories.