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 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.
Burrow Block Nomad Sofa
Burrow offers the best combination of all possible features in a couch or sofa that’s not wildly expensive. It’s sturdy, comfortable, customizable, modular and ships within a week of ordering. On top of that, its upholstery fabric is remarkably stain-resistant, there’s a charging cable built into it and its quietly mid-century aesthetic is pretty easy to fold into most living situations. It does all of this and keeps the price for a full-size, fully customized sofa just over $1,000.
Burrow
Inside Weather Brooklyn Sofa
insideweather.com
$1,573.00
Where many new sofas and couches come with an unspoken wear-in period, new-ish brand Inside Weather’s modern, simple sofa is cozy out of the box thanks to layers and layers of high-density foam, synthetic down and slatted suspension. The price isn’t too bad, either.
Inside Weather
Interior Define Winslow Rectangular Ottoman
interiordefine.com
$295.00
Interior Define’s strength is customization and classic aesthetics. Each of its collections can be configured any which way you want, in any color you want, any fabric (or leather) you want and with any feet, cushions and cushion fill you want. It is not the company for those afflicted by analysis paralysis, but if you know what you want, this is the sofa to shop.
Interior Define
Floyd The Sofa
Well-made, no-nonsense furniture that ships easily and looks just a touch different to everything else out there — that’s the quickest way to describe Floyd’s value proposition. Its sofa breaks down into a pile of very packable pieces. As such, it’s probably the most shipping friendly unit on the market. Thanks to a bench frame and armrests that double as pillows, it’s very much its own thing.
Floyd
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.
Zinus Sunny Modern Sofa
Zinus
walmart.com
$429.00
Though Zinus is better known for their ultra-cheap mattresses, the company makes ultra-cheap sofas, too. The wood-frame Sunny Modern Sofa features tufted foam cushions, a 100-day trial period, free shipping (all in one box!) and a soft hit on the wallet. In short, it’s a nice first couch, and the perfect stand-in until you arrive at greener pastures.
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Viva Blue Velvet 3-Seater Lawson Sofa
US PRIDE FURNITURE
homedepot.com
$397.79
While not usually a beacon of aesthetic promise, Home Depot’s simple, clean-lined velvet sofa with a bench cushion is hard to beat at its $460 or so price point.
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AllModern Vincent Velvet Square Arm Sofa
AllModern
allmodern.com
$870.00
Very, very cheap furniture that looks decent and ships fast is Wayfair’s (the company at the wheel of All Modern) calling card. This sofa features two big and cozy cushions, velvet upholstery and a little flash of metal in the legs.
Ikea Finnala Sofa
One of Ikea’s many budget-minded sofa offerings, Finnala’s strength is modularity and the use of a cotton-poly blend rather than straight poly, like the more popular Vimle.
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Best Sectional Sofas
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.
Room & Board Easton Sectional
roomandboard.com
$5,398.00
Room & Board may seem antiquated compared with newer and shinier furniture-making companies, but those other companies have nothing on R&B-level quality. The frame of its Easton Sectional is made by hand from kiln-dried hardwood. The cushions are spring, foam, down and feathers. The Easton Sectional comes in various sizes and colors and is fully modular. On top of that, R&B makes a case for the most transparent furniture company out there — no lies about ship dates, availability or price. In other words, you get what you pay for.
Room & Board
Sabai Sectional
Sabai’s sectional, and its products in general, offers modern styles and sound construction at DTC prices. The chaise can be placed on either side of the sofa, so you can sleep perpendicular to whoever you want on whatever side you choose. It’s not the biggest sectional, but it’ll slot into the corner of small apartments nicely.
Sabai
Allform Sectional
If you’re buying a non-modular sectional, then you’re furniture shopping wrong. Add seating if your household grows or change the orientation to conform to new living environments. Allform’s sofas are clean, classic and look similar to another recognizable direct-to-consumer brand.
Allform
Ikea Soderhamn Sectional Sofa
The Soderhamn is classic Ikea: cheap, functional and attractive. Literally click and play with the modular system to create the seating arrangement that fits best with your lifestyle. For under a grand (and some assembly, to be fair) you get a four-seater with a chaise that’ll last a decent while.
Ikea
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.
Crate & Barrel Sherwood Leather Sofa
crate and barrel
crateandbarrel.com
$3,699.00
The contrast between the hardwood frame and supple leather looks like the sofa version of a whiskey and a cigar. The arms are solid maple and the webbing suspension makes for a comfortable seating option.
Crate and Barrel
West Elm Urban Sofa
The hefty Urban sofa from West Elm is as family-friendly of a couch as you can get. The plush top-grain leather cushions and solid pine hardwood frame can withstand your kids’ wrestling matches and days-long The Wire binges alike. Plus, any spills can be wiped away somewhat with ease.
West Elm
Rove Concepts Hugo Sofa
roveconcepts.com
$2,239.00
Airy and visually light, yet, thanks to cushions made of both high-density foam and goose down, still plenty cozy. Sitting atop a hardwood frame with stainless steel legs, Rove Concepts’ Hugo sofa fits comfortably in a modern living space.
Rove Concepts
Joybird Eliot Leather Sofa
Joybird
joybird.com
$3,136.00
The top-grain leather of the Eliot sofa will break in over time in a way that’s unique to it. The tufted cushions and extra-wide seats are an inviting sight after a long day.
Joybird
Best Modern Couches
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.
Hay Silhouette Sofa
The crown jewel of new and accessible Scandinavian design, Hay is probably most known for its charming, colorful accessories, but its furniture is equally excellent. The Silhouette sofa features a deep bench cushion, high, thin armrests and some absolutely wicked upholstery options.
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Gus Adelaide Sofa
Gus
2modern.com
$2,195.00
A fastball-down-the-middle, mid-century modern club sofa made of a heavy wood frame and a linen-cotton-poly upholstery. The armrest cushions are ideal for napping.
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Blu Dot Mono Sofa
Blu Dot
2modern.com
$1,699.00
Midwestern, modern, original furniture for prices that are not completely eye-watering. That is a special combination of attributes, and Blu Dot’s Mono sofa is possibly the sneakiest value the brand offers. For under two grand, you get a maple hardwood frame, down- and feather-filled cushions and pillows and, as always, a very pleasing shape.
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Coddle Node Modular Sofa
Coddle
coddleme.com
$1,899.00
Most direct-to-consumer furniture brands opt for generic sofa designs that appeal to as many people as possible, hence the wealth of mid-century modern, boho and “traditional” sofas on this list and in showrooms. Coddle’s sofa is chunky and cozy-looking while maintaining a clean shape, making it something of an outlier in a very crowded category. Like other DTC brands, though, it comes with features like modularity, USB plugs built-in and stain-fighting fabric.
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Best Sleeper Sofas
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.
Blu Dot One Night Stand
Sleeper sofas tend to be blocky, space-consuming eyesores, which runs against the space-saving nature of a sleeper sofa. Blu Dot’s playfully named option is the opposite. Instead of an enormous base with a pull-out mattress or a trundle bed situation, Blu Dot decided it’d be easier to take the pillows off and flip the seat forward, instantly creating a queen-sized mattress with legs in your living room. It will be difficult to find a more efficient sleeper couch than this one.
Blu Dot
Winslow Armless Sleeper Sofa
Urban Outfitters
urbanoutfitters.com
$499.00
Shoppers are sleeping on Urban Outfitters’ furniture. Take the Winslow, for example, with its armless design and dual function. The seating is plush, providing optimal cushioning for a sofa and offers enough support for a few nights sleeping on the couch.
Urban Outfitters
AllModern Aidan Sofa Bed
The Aidan is a twin XL mattress doubling as a one-armed sofa, though the "arm" is really just a bolster pillow. Allmodern is one of the leading online furniture brands for low-priced, modern furniture and the Aidan is a hit amid pages and pages of potential duds. And the leather strap is a nice touch to ensure the pillow doesn't slide off.
AllModern
ABC Home Convertible Sleeper
ABC Carpet & Home is the place to shop for the design-conscious in New York. The convertible sleeper is one of the brand’s highlights with its high-quality construction and contemporary design. Just adjust the backrest to convert the piece into a sofa, lounge chair or bed.
ABC Home
Best “I’ve-Made-It” Couches
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.
Barcelona Couch
What kind of couch list would leave out a couch fit for kings? Designed in 1930, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair was pencilled from notebook to throneroom with Spanish royalty in mind. Today, it’s made the same way was then, with Spinneyback cowhide leather, an African sapele frame and lots of TLC.
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Florence Knoll Relaxed Settee
Knoll
2modern.com
$8,867.20
An “if you know, you know” sofa if there ever was one, Florence Knoll’s idyllic sofa is the oft-copied creation of one of the heroes of mid-century modern design in the United States. Its looks are similar to a million other sofas because a million other sofas want to be it. This is the more relaxed version of the original, with deeper seats and cozier cushions.
Herman Miller Eames Sofa
Herman Miller
dwr.com
$11,237.00
What more needs to be said? A sofa version of the world’s most famous lounge chair from the world’s most famous design duo, the Eameses two-seater is a stunner in a living room or office.
Civil Noord Sofa+Magic Box
Civil
civilspace.com
$3,349.00
Don’t groan at the price yet. Civil’s directive is direct-to-consumer gone luxe — 100 percent cotton or leather upholstery made in Italy, strong warranties and high (but quiet) technology. This specific sofa has a “Magic Box” attached, which is a coy name for a floating side table where the entire surface is a charging pad. Also, the whole Noord collection is modular, so it grows with you.
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Editor's Picks: Best Deals Today
Outdoor Research Adrenaline Sports Face Mask Kit
Outdoor Research
outdoorresearch.com
$7 OFF (24%)
Outdoor Research's sports-focused face mask performed well during our tests thanks to an extended design that creates an air pocket. This makes it easy to breathe heavily during exercise. Adjustable ear loops and behind-the-head strap help create a secure and comfortable fit.
READ OUR GUIDE TO BEST FITNESS MASKS
Outdoor Research
Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute
Dyson
dyson.com
$70 OFF (13%)
The V10 used to be Dyson's top-tier stick vacuum, but it was eventually replaced by the slightly more powerful (and much more expensive) V11. This makes the V10 a great value, as it's usually $150 less than the V11. Thanks to this sale, it's even a better value than the V11 right now.
READ OUR GUIDE TO DYSON VACUUMS
Dyson
United By Blue Bison Ultralight
United By Blue
unitedbyblue.com
$98 OFF (50%)
Using half bison fiber and half wool, the Bison Ultralight weighs less than a pound and offers extremely well insulation. It also sports a recycled ripstop shell with a PFC-free DWR coating and compactly folds into its own pocket. At half off, this is a steal.
READ OUR DOWN JACKETS GUIDE
United By Blue
Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Herman Miller
All-Clad Copper Core 10-Inch Fry Pan (Second Quality)
All-Clad
homeandcooksales.com
$125 OFF (56%)
All-Clad's big factory seconds sale is on, which means there's no better time to buy factory seconds from the superior cookware brand. Like this Copper Core 10-inch Fry Pan, which is a big-time upgrade for your kitchen that you can score for just a Benjamin.
READ WHAT MAKES ALL-CLAD COOKWARE BETTER
All-Clad
Will Price
Assistant Editor, Home and Design
Will Price is Gear Patrol’s home and drinks editor.
Tyler Chin
Tyler Chin is Gear Patrol’s Associate Staff Writer.