How to Choose the Perfect Sofa for Your Living Space

For the best of both worlds, pick a combination of the two sofa fill materials, such as cushions with a foam core surrounded by down. Because these sofas lack individual cushions, they look tidier and feel more traditional. A tight-backed sofa with loose seats will also help you achieve a neat profile while offering more comfort. Similar to reclining chairs, reclining sofas will simultaneously lower you backward and support your feet with a footrest, putting you in a reclined position. Many people find reclining sofas to be more comfortable for watching movies and even sleeping.

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This works wonders for creating a cosy and private corner for social events and family time. Darker colors and fabrics with patterns are the easiest to clean because they hide a myriad of spills and stains. Pick a couple of colors from your living room’s color scheme to help you determine the best one for your sofa. If you have a neutral living room, you can still play with color. Add accessories or prints in the same color family to spread the hues around the room. Repeated pops of similar colors help the sofa feel balanced, even when working with brighter shades. When you’re adding a sofa to an already decorated room or searching for a statement piece, then choosing the right color becomes especially important.

These versatile sofas are great for growing families and frequent movers; they can be broken down into smaller pieces, facilitating moving. Pick a size that best serves your plans for your sofa—entertaining, relaxing, reading, whatever. Seats should be comfortable for all members of your family, and you should get a couch large enough to seat everyone in your household. Consider a larger sofa or pair your couch with easy chairs or additional seating if you entertain often.

When shopping for your couch-to-be, Neuman recommends first focusing on size. You should care for couches regularly and according to their material. Couches with fabric upholstery have different cleaning instructions than leather couches. If you purchase a used couch, clean it thoroughly before using it. The frame and all the corners of the couch should be well padded.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. For fire safety reasons, look for the gold Upholstered Furniture Action Council tag, indicating that the sofa manufacturer certifies that it has been made in accordance with UFAC methods. The UFAC was founded in 1978 to make upholstered furniture more resistant to ignition from smoldering cigarettes.

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Slip-covered options can also be a low-maintenance choice if you can remove and wash your sofa’s cushion covers. Just wash each cover at the same time so all pieces fade equally over time. Loveseats are smaller sofas designed to seat just two people. Loveseats are generally between 48- and 72-inches long, making them a popular option for apartments and other small spaces. If you’re looking for a fancier loveseat, you may want to consider a settee, which features a high back and shallow seat—designed more for aesthetics than comfort. As mentioned above, standard sofas are typically between 72- and 84-inches long and can fit three or four people.

There are over 243 different color and fabric options to choose from, and we opted for the twill charcoal fabric to help conceal any stains from pets or kids. Because of its quality, comfortability, and plethora of fabric options, this couch earned the top spot for best couch. With your sofa design and filler selected, it’s time to be pragmatic about your fabric choice. Although all furniture experiences wear and tear, picking a suitable fabric can keep your sofa looking good longer and save you from frequent replacements. Start by assessing your lifestyle, who shares your space, and the location of your sofa.

There’s also high-end goose down fill, which is incredibly comfortable, but extremely expensive and requires a lot of maintenance. There are also sleeper sofas, which transform into a temporary bed, as well as reclining sofas. Your style options may be more limited if you choose one of these specialty couches, but there are still an impressive range of options available at numerous price points. Throughout the last few years, we’ve tested over a dozen couches, putting them in our homes to see if they were worth it.

Burrow makes its furniture in America, and the brand uses sustainably sourced wood and fabric from upcycled materials. It ships to your door in compact, easy-to-lift boxes, though you must assemble the sofa yourself. However, the good news is that it doesn’t require any tools thanks to the brand’s unique latching system. If you want to get more of a sense of the couch in person, Joybird has a number of retail locations throughout the U.S. We ventured to the Manhattan store and were impressed with just how many couch styles and fabric options were on display. And while this sofa is on the more expensive side, we think that its price tag is reflective of the high-quality construction.