Custom Made Sofa: 7 Steps to Getting the Right Fit

Choosing a custom made sofa means finding furniture that works with your room, seating preferences and daily routine. Rather than settling for a fixed size or limited upholstery choices, you can discuss the details before your sofa is manufactured. If you're exploring Australian made sofas, understanding the ordering process can help you make better decisions and avoid unnecessary compromises.

At MOMU, the process begins with exploring sofa designs, comparing upholstery materials and discussing the available space. Its room-planning service can also help you visualise how different furniture arrangements will work in your home.

Step 1: Decide What Your Sofa Needs to Do

Before choosing a design, consider how you use your living room. This helps establish the most important requirements for your new sofa.

Some households primarily use their sofa for television viewing. Others prefer an arrangement that encourages conversation, reading or relaxing with family.

A straight sofa may be appropriate when you want to keep the furniture arrangement flexible. A chaise provides a more permanent place to stretch out, while a modular configuration can create a connected seating area.

Think about how many people regularly use the sofa and whether they prefer sitting upright or reclining.

Also consider whether your current sofa has any problems you would like to avoid. Perhaps the arms are too broad, the seat feels too deep or the cushions are firmer than you prefer.

These observations are useful when talking with a sofa maker because they connect your preferences to actual design choices.

Explore the MOMU sofa collection and compare it with the modular sofa range to see which arrangements might suit your room.

Step 2: Measure the Room and Plan the Layout

Accurate measurements help determine which sofa configuration will fit without restricting movement through the room. Measure more than the wall where you intend to position the furniture.

Record the room's overall dimensions, including the location of doors, windows and existing furniture.

Consider the distance between the proposed sofa and any television, armchair or other furniture.

If you're furnishing an apartment, pay attention to narrow hallways, lifts and doorways that may affect delivery.

For larger open-plan rooms, consider whether the sofa should establish a distinct lounge area or sit closer to the existing walls.

MOMU offers a complimentary room-planning service, using your measurements or floor plan to create a scaled CAD furniture layout.

This can help you compare different sizes before the sofa is made.

It is also worth considering whether an additional armchair would offer better flexibility than one oversized piece of seating.

Step 3: Choose a Design That Suits Your Home

Select the sofa shape before making decisions about upholstery and cushion filling. A suitable starting design reduces the need for unnecessary changes later.

Curved arms, slim arms, raised legs and modular sections all influence how furniture appears and functions.

A sofa with broad upholstered arms may suit a spacious living room, but narrower arms can provide more usable seating within the same overall width.

Raised legs allow more of the floor to remain visible, while a low upholstered base creates a more substantial appearance.

The right starting design should suit your room's proportions as well as your preferences.

The following three MOMU sofas offer different approaches to custom-made seating.

Three MOMU Sofas to Consider for Your Custom Order

Pierre: Shaped Arms and Comfortable Straight Seating

The Pierre sofa is a useful choice for buyers who prefer a softly shaped upholstered design with a straightforward seating arrangement.

Its curved upper arms provide a different outline from sofas with fully rectangular sides, while separate cushions allow the design to maintain a relaxed sitting area.

Design: Pierre features gently curved upholstered arms, loose seat and back cushions and raised legs. Its profile works particularly well where a straight sofa is preferred but a softer arm shape is appealing.

Comfort: MOMU offers Premium Comfort for firmer seating, Luxury Comfort for a softer sitting feel and Feather Comfort for plumper cushions. Buyers can select the option that best suits their preferences.

Construction: Pierre is manufactured in Melbourne using sustainably sourced Australian kiln-dried hardwood frames, GECA-certified cushioning foams and Oeko-Tex-certified Dacron fibre made from over 99% recycled bottles.

Custom sizing: Pierre is available in a range of sizes, with additional dimensions possible. Adjustments to depth, height and seating proportions can be discussed according to the design.

Upholstery: Fabric and leather selections allow buyers to change the finished appearance. A textured weave can emphasise the softness of the arms, while a smoother fabric provides a more defined surface.

Best suited to: Contemporary living rooms, apartments and homes where a straight sofa with shaped arms suits the furniture arrangement.

What to check: Review the usable seat width between the arms and test the cushions in your normal sitting position. If the standard depth feels unsuitable, discuss customisation before ordering.

To compare material choices, visit MOMU's upholstery library or review the leather options available for made-to-order furniture.

Willow: Slim Arms for a More Streamlined Sofa

The Willow sofa offers a different starting point, particularly when you prefer slim arms and a raised base.

Its design makes efficient use of the overall frame width and offers a lighter-looking alternative to sofas with broad upholstered arms.

Design: Willow features narrow straight arms, separate cushions and raised legs. Its streamlined shape can suit rooms where broad furniture frames would occupy too much visual or physical space.

Comfort: Buyers can choose between MOMU's Premium Comfort, Luxury Comfort and Feather Comfort options. This allows the cushion feel to be tailored independently of the sofa's external appearance.

Construction: Willow is made in Melbourne using sustainably sourced FSC/PEFC-certified Australian hardwood frames and certified cushioning materials.

Custom sizing: MOMU can produce Willow in different widths and can discuss suitable changes to seat depth, height or leg design.

Upholstery: Willow can be upholstered in a broad range of fabrics and leather. The relatively simple frame makes fabric colour and texture particularly noticeable.

Best suited to: Smaller Melbourne living rooms, apartments and homes where the buyer wants a streamlined design without sacrificing the ability to customise comfort.

What to check: Test the arm height and back cushions. Slim arms may provide more usable seating, but your preferred resting position should still determine the final design.

For an apartment, discuss Willow's overall footprint using MOMU's room-planning service.

You can also compare it with the wider straight sofa collection if you want a different arm width or seating profile.

Conran Modular: Custom Connected Seating

The Conran Modular provides an alternative for households that prefer several connected seating positions.

Its modular design allows buyers to explore configurations that make better use of corners and larger living rooms.

Design: Conran Modular retains the straight upholstered arms and raised legs of the Conran range while adding connected seating sections. Its configuration can provide more space for people to sit together or stretch out.

Comfort: MOMU offers Premium Comfort, Luxury Comfort and Feather Comfort fillings. Seat depth and cushion choice should be considered together, particularly when comparing regular seats with extended lounging sections.

Construction: The design is manufactured in Melbourne using sustainably sourced Australian hardwood framing, GECA-certified foams and Oeko-Tex-certified Dacron fibre.

Custom configuration: Conran Modular can be made in different sizes and arrangements. MOMU can discuss how the selected sections should fit a particular room.

Upholstery: The large connected surface makes fabric colour and texture particularly important. Request samples to compare how materials look under the lighting in your home.

Best suited to: Family living rooms, larger apartments and open-plan homes where connected seating is preferred.

What to check: Confirm the corner position, full dimensions and access to nearby doors. Ask how the individual sections connect and whether the finished configuration can be repositioned.

Compare Conran Modular with other MOMU modular sofa designs if you want a different seating shape.

For larger configurations, a scaled room plan is especially useful before confirming the order.

Step 4: Choose Cushion Comfort for Everyday Use

Comfort should be selected according to how you prefer to sit, not just how the sofa feels during a quick showroom test. Cushion filling is only one part of the experience.

Seat depth, seat height and back-cushion thickness can make a sofa feel different even when the filling remains unchanged.

MOMU offers three main comfort options:

• Premium Comfort: Firmer seating with a more structured response.
• Luxury Comfort: Softer cushioning that incorporates a memory foam layer.
• Feather Comfort: Plumper cushions for relaxed lounging.

Try sitting upright, leaning back and getting up from the sofa. These simple movements can help identify whether the proportions suit your preferences.

If several people share the sofa, consider their needs rather than choosing entirely around one person's favourite seating position.

You can compare comfort options at MOMU's Bentleigh East showroom or discuss the available choices through a remote consultation.

Step 5: Select Upholstery That Suits Your Household

Choose fabric or leather according to surface feel, maintenance requirements and everyday use. The right colour is important, but the practical properties of the material should also suit your home.

Textured woven fabrics can introduce subtle visual detail. Chenille generally has a softer surface, while velvet changes appearance as light moves across its pile.

Leather offers a different feel and may develop natural creasing and changes in appearance with use.

For homes with children or pets, ask about durability, snagging risks and cleaning instructions before choosing.

MOMU offers a broad fabric and leather collection, including velvet upholstery and natural-look fabrics.

Request samples and examine them beside your flooring and existing furniture. Check the colour during daylight and under evening lighting.

Read the relevant product-care instructions so you understand the maintenance required for your chosen upholstery.

Step 6: Review the Complete Sofa Specification

Before production, confirm every agreed design detail in one final specification. This reduces the risk of misunderstandings about sizing, upholstery or comfort.

Your final review should include the model name, dimensions, configuration, upholstery selection, cushion filling and any changes to seat height or depth.

If the sofa has visible legs, confirm the chosen style or finish.

For modular furniture, check the direction of the corner, chaise or extended section. Do not assume the configuration can be reversed after delivery.

It's also worth checking the furniture against your room measurements one final time.

MOMU uses Australian kiln-dried hardwood frames and certified upholstery materials. You can learn more about the company's Melbourne furniture craftsmanship and review its warranty information.

Discuss the final quote, deposit, expected manufacturing period and delivery requirements with the MOMU team before confirming the order.

Step 7: Prepare for Delivery and Installation

Delivery planning is part of ordering a custom made sofa, especially when access is limited. The finished furniture must be able to reach the room where it will be installed.

Check entrances, hallways, stairs, lifts and tight internal corners.

For apartments, confirm whether the building has delivery restrictions or specific lift-booking requirements.

MOMU provides an approximate eight-week manufacturing guide for its Melbourne-made upholstered furniture. The broader process may take around eight to ten weeks, depending on the order and delivery arrangements.

The company offers delivery across Australia, with the timing and cost confirmed according to destination and access.

Before delivery, prepare the intended furniture area and make sure there is adequate space for the installation team.

If you are replacing an old sofa, discuss disposal options with MOMU beforehand.

For enquiries about delivery or the ordering process, use MOMU's contact page.

@momufurniture MOMU on Instagram · Melbourne-made furniture

See MOMU Custom Sofas in Furnished Rooms

Seeing completed furniture in a living room can help you compare different shapes, colours and upholstery textures. Explore MOMU's official Instagram account for more sofa photography, room styling ideas and updates from the Melbourne team.

Explore @momufurniture on Instagram ↗

Discover finished sofas, upholstery combinations and MOMU's latest posts.

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What Should You Check Before Approving Your Order?

A short checklist can help you keep track of the important decisions:

1. Design: Confirm the model and intended seating configuration.
2. Measurements: Check the completed width, depth and height.
3. Comfort: Record the agreed cushion filling and seating adjustments.
4. Upholstery: Confirm the material, colour and care requirements.
5. Visible details: Review leg style and other selected finishes.
6. Room fit: Ensure the layout leaves suitable walking space.
7. Delivery access: Check all entrances, stairs and lifts.
8. Timeline: Confirm the current production and delivery estimate.
9. Warranty: Read the relevant terms before placing the order.

If you're uncertain about the layout, review the MOMU room-planning service before confirming your sofa dimensions.

For more flexibility, you may also want to compare a straight sofa and separate armchair with a larger modular configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Made Sofas

What is a custom made sofa?

A custom made sofa is manufactured according to selected specifications rather than purchased in one fixed configuration. Depending on the maker, customers may choose dimensions, upholstery, comfort filling and seating arrangements.

Can MOMU make a sofa to my exact measurements?

MOMU offers custom sizing and can often adjust sofa width, depth or height. The available changes depend on the selected design and should be confirmed with the team.

Can you customise the cushion firmness?

Yes. MOMU offers Premium Comfort, Luxury Comfort and Feather Comfort options, allowing buyers to select their preferred cushion feel.

Are MOMU custom made sofas Australian Made?

Yes. MOMU manufactures its upholstered furniture locally in Melbourne using Australian hardwood frames and certified cushioning materials.

Can I choose fabric or leather for my custom sofa?

Yes. MOMU offers an extensive upholstery collection and can help customers compare fabrics and leather finishes. Samples can be requested for home review.

How long does a custom made sofa take to manufacture?

MOMU gives approximately eight weeks as a general manufacturing guide. The overall ordering and delivery period may take around eight to ten weeks, but the current estimate should be confirmed before ordering.

Can I order a MOMU sofa from outside Melbourne?

Yes. MOMU offers remote consultations and fabric samples and delivers furniture across Australia.

Where can I view MOMU custom made sofas?

MOMU's showroom is located at 12 Ardena Ct, Bentleigh East VIC 3165. Customers can compare sofa designs and discuss comfort, upholstery and sizing options.

Choose a Sofa Made for Your Space and Comfort

The value of a custom made sofa is the ability to make important decisions before the furniture is produced.

Start with the way you use the room, then choose the design, dimensions, cushion filling and upholstery that make sense for your household.

Pierre offers softly shaped arms and straight seating. Willow uses slimmer proportions and raised legs, while Conran Modular provides connected seating for larger or more flexible living areas.

Each offers a different starting point for made-to-order furniture, with customisation available through MOMU's Melbourne workshop.

Browse MOMU's Australian made sofas, compare custom modular configurations, explore upholstery options or arrange complimentary room planning.

For more sofa styling inspiration, visit MOMU on Instagram.