Space age

Clockwise from top: convertible sofa, $639, the Door Store; Modular Seat, $200, White on White; Gertrude sofa, $625, Jayson Home and Gardens; Unison pillow, $52, unisonhome.com

Lorenz Just like your momma said, you better shop around. “It takes time and effort to find a good [sofa] piece,” he says. “Shop for slightly discounted or damaged items—you’ll find pieces that are drastically discounted, and still get more of a custom look.” Lorenz gets his steals from the basement at Jayson Home and Gardens (1885 N Clybourn Ave, 800-472-1885), like the Gertrude sofa (pictured, bottom), on sale for $625.

Buchalter Finding “a place where you can stretch out” is a must, Buchalter says. He recommends buying a comfortable chair that’s loud enough to be a conversation piece, and letting that old blah sofa sit in the background. If you’re one of many Chicagoans who go from rental to rental, “a chair is less expensive and not too big to move,” Buchalter says. One chair that’s sure to attract attention is the modern, fire-engine red Modular Seat (pictured, second from top; $200 at whiteonwhite.com).

Dilworth Four words: “Don’t buy a futon.” Instead, he suggests hitting up floor samples sold at places like Luminaire (301 W Superior St, 312-664-9582) and Room & Board (55 E Ohio St, 312-222-0970). Check out the merchandise while it’s on the floor even a year before you’re ready to buy, and ask the shop to notify you when the item you’re interested in goes on sale.

Laban “A sofa is something you don’t want to go trendy on,” Laban says; considering the investment a decent couch requires, it should last you longer than one or two seasons. With that in mind, Laban suggests the convertible, armless sofa available at tinyliving.com and New York’s the Door Store (pictured, top; $639, call 201-864-6669 to order), which rolls two swiveling armchairs, a chaise and two twin beds all into one. “It looks modern and fairly grown-up but still has the flexibility of a futon for when you have guests,” she says. Pair it with sleek, geometric pillows from local design duo Unison (pictured; $45–$62 at unisonhome.com) or ones with vintage-looking prints from Poppy Cotton ($45–$85 at poppycotton.com) to complete the look.