How To Buy A Comfortable Couch in 2023, According to Interior Design Experts
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From movie marathons to game days to weekend naps, the couch is where most of us go when we want to kick back and relax. It’s the heart of chilling for any household, making it imperative you pick one that you don’t just like the look of, but can easily unwind on as well. Couches, especially the super-comfortable, worthwhile ones tend to be expensive. That’s why we put together a guide for finding the best and most comfortable couch, in your budget, that you’ll use for years to come.
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In this guide, you’ll find answers to common questions about couch buying, as well as expert guidance on how to find your next great piece of furniture. You’ll also find some of our favorite product picks for the most comfortable couch of 2023. No one couch will work for every budget, taste and space, so we’ve rounded up a range of different options.
What to Consider Before Buying a Couch
Comfort always ranks high when shopping for a sofa or couch. But you also don’t want to sacrifice style when buying a comfortable couch; the best couches combine good looks with features like deep seats and soft yet supportive cushions.
To home in on how to find the best couches, we talked to our go-to furniture experts, Mark Cutler and Nichole Schulze of cutlerschulze, an LA-based interior design firm for the stars, what makes a couch actually comfortable, and how they recommend consumers go about finding one that fits their lifestyle. Note: Quotes have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
“Firstly, think about how you use a sofa. For some, it is sitting up while reading or even working at your coffee table on a laptop. For others, it’s lying, watching the game on TV. Both of these use cases require you to look at different types of sofas.”
They said, “[For the] first, I would suggest a tightly upholstered back and a couple of throw cushions will give you the most flexible seating options. For the second, definitely a loose back cushion so you can move it out of the way, increasing the area you can lay on, almost to the size of a bed.”
Pay Attention To Size
They noted the next choice is size, as calculating how much space a sofa will take up in your living room is crucial. Even moreso, you’ll want to pay attention to ALL dimensions, like whether or not your elevator is big enough to fit the couch you’re trying to move, as many delivery companies won’t deliver without access to an elevator.
Consider Fill and Maintenance
Lastly, Cutler and Schulze recommended paying attention to the fill of the couch and how much maintenance you’ll need to do based on it.
“Now look at the composition of the sofa. Is it 100% down, a blend, or 100% dacron? All of these things will affect the softness of the seat.”
They added, over email, that “Another thing to consider is maintenance. While a down sofa is great, it requires you to fluff and turn the pillows regularly or you will end up with a sad, saggy mess surprisingly quickly.”
What Makes a Couch Comfortable?
What makes a couch comfortable? According to the experts we talked to, it’s a combination of the filler material, dimensions of the seat and back, and how your body fits on the couch.
Farah Merhi, style and design expert and owner of the Instagram account @inspire_me_home_decor, which has amassed over 6 million followers, noted that for her, “one of the most important features of a couch that makes it comfortable is the depth of the seat. The deeper the seat cushion, the more room to sit back, lay down, or curl up, making them feel cozier and more comfortable.”
She noted that “another consideration would be whether you can comfortably sleep on the sofa or not. While you’ll most often stretch out for a short nap or a long Netflix binge session, having enough space actually to sleep on your couch is essential. For us, our deep-seated sofa often transforms into a pseudo-bed when our kids have sleepovers or we have a lot of guests.”
BEST OVERALL
Floyd The Sofa
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It’s not just a sofa — it’s the sofa. Floyd makes just a few things, but it does them well. The sofa has a unique mid-century modern-inspired design, with seats and cushions that sit on top of a frame. It’s customizable, and it’s designed to be assembled and disassembled with ease. That makes it a great apartment solution for anyone who expects to move eventually.
BEST CUSTOM OPTION
Burrow Custom Couch
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Burrow’s custom sectional sofas are a zillennial hit among the younger apartment-dwelling crowds for their flexible modular designs and stain-resistant fabrics. The modular design makes these sofas super easy to move, and they offer larger sections all the way down to 2-person loveseats for smaller apartments. Burrow also implements modern features, like a built-in USB charger, and the cushions are designed for long-lasting comfort.
DEEPEST SOFA
West Elm Harmony Sofa
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The West Elm Harmony couch is customizable, so you can find the one that’s right for your space. There are four widths available. You can even choose the depth of the couch, so go for 47″ depth if you want something you can completely sink into. It has a simple look that can suit a variety of tastes, and the movable pillows allow you to switch between nap mode and TV time.
MOST LUXURIOUS
Frontgate Barrow Chesterfield Sofa
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Maybe the thing that makes you feel the most comfortable is extreme luxury. In that case, a Chesterfield is the sofa for you. It’s available in tons of fabrics and colors, including fabric, leather, and cotton velvet. Despite its traditional appearance, plenty of reviewers found it to be comfortable.
BEST VELVET COUCH
AllModern Geo 84'' Upholstered Sofa
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AllModern is a great resource for anyone looking for reasonably priced furniture that can fit in a wide variety of spaces. The Geo sofa is a stylish option made from velvet. The seat and back have a comfortable foam fill. It has comfortable back cushions with more firm seat cushions. At 23” deep, the seats are not the most sink-into-able, but it’s a good option if you like to sit up and watch TV.
BEST RECLINER
West Elm Axel Motion Leather Reclining Sofa
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If you want the comfort of a recliner without getting something that looks too recliner-y, consider this pick from West Elm. It has an adjustable headrest and extendable footrest for all-day comfort. It’s a powered recliner, meaning you’ll need to place it within the range of an outlet. It’s available in genuine or faux leather, but there are also fabric styles to choose from.
BEST MODULAR SOFA
HONBAY Convertible Sectional Sofa
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This comfortable couch is affordable, considering its large size. The U-shape sectional allows multiple people to lie down and take a nap. The sofa has a modular design, meaning you can swap between a U-shape or an L-shape. as well as convenient storage space for a more organized living room. If you’re looking for the most comfortable sectional couch, this is a solid option.
MODERN DESIGN
Mistana Boevange-Sur-Attert Round Arm Sofa
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If you’re going for a more modern, design-oriented couch, this is a great pick with nice sturdy back support. It’s perfect for those who do a lot of work on the couch or need to sit upright most of the time. It has a standard seat depth, so you won’t be sinking into it too much, and the soft velvet upholstery will keep you nice and cozy.
STYLISH SLEEPER
Hughes Sleeper Sofa
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The problem with most sleeper sofas? Well, they look like sleeper sofas. Joybird, a brand endorsed by the experts we talked to, makes a stylish take on the sleeper sofa. At 25″ deep, it’s comfortable enough to sink into without disappearing. It’s in a wide range of colors, and if you’re having difficulty deciding, swatches are also available. It also comes in pet-friendly fabrics, so you and your pup can be comfortable. This is the most comfortable pull-out couch for 2023.
EXTRA DEEP
Joss & Main Liz 102'' Upholstered Sofa
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One factor the experts we spoke to pointed to when trying to find a comfortable couch is seat depth. A deeper seat will let you curl up or take a nap. Fortunately, Wayfair makes it easy to filter by seat depth. This couch, from Wayfair-owned Joss&Main, has a 33.5″ seat depth. Plus, the cushions are removable and reversible, so you can refresh them ever so often. The couch has a foam filling that’s CertiPUR-US certified.
COASTAL AESTHETIC
Birch Lane Shelby 83'' Upholstered Sofa
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Another Wayfair brand is Birch Lane, which creates furniture with a farmhouse aesthetic. If you’re into the coastal grandma look, the striped “cruise adrift” pattern might speak to you, but with over 100 colors and prints to choose from, there’s certain to be one to suit your style. If you’re a taller person or you just feel most comfortable sitting up, then the taller back of this couch will be a plus. This couch has a foam fill and is manufactured in the US.
DEEP SEATS
Castlery Owen Sofa
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Castlery offers a wide selection of sofas and furniture, and the Owen sofa is decidedly in the cozy category. That’s because the seats are deep, and the back is high, so it’s perfect for snuggling and relaxing. The seats are filled with foam with pocket spring seating, while the backs are fiber filled. The main drawbacks are the lack of color variations for this particular style and the steep price.
EASY ASSEMBLY
Stone & Beam Westview Loveseat Sofa Couch
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Amazon has its own brand of furniture called Stone & Beam, which is modestly priced (and ships fast with Prime, of course). This couch is designed to be easy to assemble, and the cushions are extra deep so you can curl up on this couch for cozy hangs. The couches are down-filled for softness, and there is a range of colors and styles available, including leather.
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