The couch is the centerpiece of a home. It’s a place you, guests and roommates are naturally drawn. Thus, a good couch pulls double duty: not only does it have to be comfortable, but it also has to look good. Whether you’re balling on a budget or not, these are the best sofas and couches to squeeze through the front door.
The Short List
- Best Value Sofa: Burrow Nomad
- Best Sofa Under $500: Zinus Sunny Modern Sofa
More Great Sofas and Couches
- Best Sectional Sofa: Room & Board Easton Sectional
- Best Sleeper Sofa: Blu Dot One Night Stand
- Best Leather Sofa: Crate & Barrel Sherwood Leather Sofa
- Best Modern Couch: Hay Silhouette Two-Seater
- Best "I've-Made-It" Couch: Barcelona Couch
Best Value Couches
Sofas may be one of the most expensive pieces of furniture in a home. After all, you do spend most of your time on it. A good value sofa doesn't mean it's cheap, rather you're spending a little more for a sofa that's made of high-quality materials, doesn't negatively impact the earth and it sure as hell looks good. Thanks to direct-to-consumer furniture companies like Burrow, Floyd an Inside Weather, it's never been easier. or more wallet-friendly, to find a good value sofa online.
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Best Budget Sofas
Cheap sofas — what are they good for? Though most would prefer something sturdier, cozier, more durable, more luxe and just better, the fact remains that, for many, the best sofa is the cheapest that’s also not hard as a brick. Starting at $400, our picks are as nap-ready as they are kind on the wallet. They don’t look half-bad, either.
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Not every home can accommodate a sectional sofa. If you have some space to spare, a sectional is a great seating option for congregating with a bunch of other people in a single, comfy spot. Nowadays, a number of sofa companies make modular sectionals, so you can reduce or expand the number of seating depending on your living situation at the moment.
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Best Leather Sofas
Sofas come in all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to fabrics, there really does seem to be an endless number of options. Leather, however, is unrivaled as a sofa fabric for its sophistication, longevity and comfort. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. And if you're lucky enough, your leather sofa will last longer than you do, and they make a great heirloom piece for future generations.
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There are no hard-and-fast rules regarding what is and isn’t a “modern” sofa. Right when you begin to believe they’re all thin arms and skinny legs, you run into designers making the opposite. What is modern are the brands at the forefront of designing new looks, twists on old looks and a little of both at the same time. Think Hay, Hem, Ferm, Fjordfiesta, Floyd and Blu Dot. Or don’t. It’s your sofa.
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Sleeper sofas get a bad reputation. They're often clunky and awkward, and no one ever really wants to sleep on one. But like all technology, the sleeper sofa category is getting a face lift. Companies are doing a better job at hiding the multipurpose nature of sleeper sofas, and a lot of the times, they're just as comfortable as your bed. Sleeper sofas used to be a last resort for some people, but now the sting of "you're sleeping on the couch tonight" doesn't feel like the same punishment as it once was.
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Put another way, the best fuck-you sofas and couches. These are sofas that are striking to look at, represent decades of design excellence and are made by the titans of the furniture world (names like Eames, Knoll and van der Rohe). From the sofa on which all present-day mid-century-modern is based upon to one fit, literally, for a king, this brief list is for those looking to make statements.
