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: West Elm Urban Sofa
- Best Modern Couch: Hay Silhouette Two-Seater
- Best I've Made It Couch: Barcelona Couch
Best Value Couches
Burrow 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.
Inside Weather Brooklyn Sofa
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.
Article Nova Sofa
Though Article presents itself like any other direct-to-consumer furniture brand, it’s anything but. The Canadian company employs more than 100 people and offers the ideal balance of aesthetics, convenience, materials and cost. Nova is a modern, feather-cushioned couch built for binge-watching and napping alike.
Interior Define Winslow
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.
Floyd 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.
Best Budget Sofas
Zinus Sunny Modern Sofa
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.
Viva Speace Blue Velvet Sofa
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.
All Modern Wallace Sofa
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 channel seams down the back cushion and a sneaky convertible sleeper sofa design for just over $500.
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 popular Vimle.
West Elm Haven Loft Sofa
Available in scores of fabrics and colors, West Elm’s deep-set sofa is cozy for two people, but not so wide it eats up extra square footage.
Best Sectional Sofas
Room & Board Easton Sectional
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.
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.
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.
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.
Restoration Hardware Cloud Sectional
The Cloud Sofa is one of the most comfortable sofas you can buy. Cushions made with either 100 percent goose down or a core of goose down absorb your weight without being all sink and no support. RH stocks three upholstery variations but offers almost 200 options via special order.
Best Leather Sofas
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.
Rove Concepts Hector Sofa
Airy and visually light, yet, thanks to cushions made of both high-density foam and goose down, still plenty cozy. Sitting atop a solid steel frame, Rove Concepts’ Hector sofa fits comfortably in a modern living space.
Joybird Eliot Leather Sofa
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.
Crate & Barrel Sherwood Leather Sofa
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.
Normann Copenhagen Era Sofa
The Era is everything you need in a sofa — a place to sit, maybe the occasional snooze — and nothing you don’t. No poufs, clunkiness or lost space. As much as you might want to place random stuff under the sofa, keeping it open will make your living room feel more free-flowing, which makes the room feel bigger. The link redirects to the standard model of the Era sofa, which can be reconfigured to a slew of leather options.
Best Modern Couches
Hay Silhouette Two-Seater
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.
Gus Adelaide Sofa
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.
Blu Dot Mono Sofa
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.
Hem Kumo Modular Sofa
A powder-coated steel base, primarily wool upholstery and a speckled blue-green color are the bones of Hem’s Kumo sofa, but it’s really all about the look. Where many sofas — on this list and in general — shy away from bold shapes and lines, Hem’s demands the spotlight.
Coddle Node Sofa
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.
Best Sleeper Sofas
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.
Urban Outfitters Winslow Armless Sleeper
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.
Everly Convertible Sofa
The Everly is a hybrid mattress doubling as a reclining sofa. Allmodern is one of the leading online furniture brands for low-priced, modern furniture and the Everly is a hit amid pages and pages of potential duds. And the sloped arms make for a decent headboard, too.
ABC Carpet & 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. Simply adjust the backrest to convert the piece into a sofa, lounge chair or bed.
Vesper Queen Sleeper Sofa
The Vesper folds out into the closest thing that resembles a full-on bed. A kiln-dried hardwood frame and four-inch-thick high-density foam mattress contribute to the higher price tag, but it’s worthy of its place in Design Within Reach’s inventory.
Best “I’ve Made It” Couches
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.
Florence Knoll Relaxed Sofa
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.
Eames Two-Seat Sofa
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
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.
Restoration Hardware Cloud Sofa
Restoration Hardware shines brightest for those with space, cash and flashy taste. The Cloud Sofa pieces are wide, long and laughably comfortable. This is a decadent piece of furniture.
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: West Elm Urban Sofa
- Best Modern Couch: Hay Silhouette Two-Seater
- Best I've Made It Couch: Barcelona Couch
