For Paul Trent, a sofa isn’t just a piece of furniture, but the heart of a home. It’s a place where families and friends often come together to chat or watch a movie, a comfortable spot where people can take a nap or even sleep the night away, and a sanctuary where one can feel warm and cozy.
It’s this belief and focus that has led him and his business to be known as The Sofa Guy.
“We started out as Welcome Home Interiors, but when we would tell people what we did, they would automatically say, ‘Oh yeah, you’re the sofa guy,’” he says. Paul embraced this moniker, and today, its name and reputation has grown from Thousand Oaks, where the business is located, all the way to Encino and Malibu.
“It’s because we care,” he says. “We have long-term clients who refer us to their daughters, their aunts and sisters and cousins. We have whole families that keep coming back to us year after year to help them with projects.”
When clients come into his showroom, which he describes as a warm and welcoming space, he and his staff, who have been with him for many years and have the same passion he does, help them customize the sofa that will work for their lifestyle, family needs and space. They also regularly go out to people’s homes to plan a design with them right in the room where the sofa will be placed.
“Comfort is the number one quality people are looking for, but that means something different to every person,” says Paul. “Some want the sofa to have a cloud cushiony feeling, while others need something firmer and more supportive.”
Once that’s determined, they move on to the configuration of the sofa and what size, shape and style would work best in the home. Then, clients can choose from a great variety of fabrics. It’s definitely not a “what you see is what you get” type of situation as in most furniture stores. Here, people are able to build exactly what they want from the frame up, and the whole process from design to delivery of the sofa takes only about 3 to 4weeks. “We create something they love, sort of like a bespoke suit,” he says.
The Sofa Guy has a wide spectrum of clients with various preferences and budgets.
“We get high-end people from $40 million homes to someone who needs to get a sofa reupholstered for her daughter's condominium, so it’s a pretty broad range,” says Paul. When someone requests reupholstering, he and his staff can let them know if it’s worth it and guide clients through that as well.
“We’re with our clients before, during and after every process, so if someone calls us a year from now with say a cushion issue, we’ll send someone out to replace it,” he says.
The Sofa Guy, despite its name, offers more than just quality custom sofas and reupholstering.
“We are a full-service interior design business as well,” says Paul. “TSG Interior Designs can assist with designs and space planning in bedrooms, dining rooms and living rooms by collaborating with clients to help them finish a room. We start with the sofa and we often end with doing the entire room or rooms. We can handle everything from artwork and lighting to coffee tables, dining tables, end tables and other similar items.”
He and his staff also enjoy working with other designers.
“We have quite a few interior designers who come and bring their clients to look through our fabrics and catalogs and find what’s right and comfortable for them,” he says. “Everyone feels welcome here. There's a great sense of accomplishment in what we do.”
To find the perfect sofa, and/or to have help with the design of your rooms, stop in the showroom or make an appointment for someone to come to you.
For more, visit TheSofaGuy.com.