Hacking the corporate sofa.

August 26, 2008 3:10 PM

Is there any real way of making a firm foam corporate style sofa more comfortable?

I just got a (free) couch, which I desperately needed and definitely appreciate. However, it appears to have been made at hard couch land. It has steel bands under a plywood board that supports a very firm foam cushion that constitutes all of the base of the couch. Are there any relatively simple ways of softening this couch?
It does feel bit corporate, as though I don't want people sitting in my living room, which is only rarely true.

The cushion is in a zippered cloth outer shell. It has a matching level of firmness in its back support (also cushions in zippered cloth outer shells). Those are less important.

What makes this foam so firm? How can I make it more rump ready?

Adding softer cushions doesn't seem to help as these float right off the sofa and onto the floor.

posted by palindromic to home & garden (5 answers total)

Could you get one of those thin foam pads that are sort of bed-sized, and slide it in between the foam and the zippered cloth?
posted by joannemerriam at 3:20 PM on August 26, 2008

The cloth shell thing is pretty snugly on the hard foam. I'd have to cut it down some, and I don't know if that's allowed.
posted by palindromic at 3:26 PM on August 26, 2008

The foam is that firm so you don't hit plywood when you sit down. Softening the foam that's there now will just lead to that very thing happening. I don't think you'll ever be able to make it feel couchy without the springs of a normal couch, but maybe you could add so much foam and other padding on top that it would be more of a raised beanbag chair. That would involve some heavy surgery, though, and you certainly wouldn't keep much of the look.
posted by pocams at 6:13 PM on August 26, 2008

Can you attach large, softer cushions to the top of the cushion already there? You could make a new cover accommodating these new cushions. But if you're not an adventurous upholsterer, I'm thinking you can buy large cushions that are in a matching/complementary color to the couch and then attach them to the couch seat. You could use velcro strips (I think they sell them with a fabric glue backing so you can stick them right on) to do this, or depending on the construction of the couch sew ties on the ends/corners of the top cushions and tie them to the couch (tying them to the legs or underneath). If you are crafty and have a good eye for color, I think you could do it so the end result still looked good.

It's probably not going to be like having a real store-bought living room couch, but it will be unique and nice looking in its own way.
posted by bluefly at 3:56 AM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

I don't quite understand how it's assembled--is the plywood attached to the metal strapping, or could it be removed and the cushions could sit on the strapping (perhaps with a layer of heavy cloth between them?

A lot of couches use sinuous springs to support cushions. It might be possible to remove the straps and plywood, and replace them with springs. Put a piece of heavy burlap between them and the cushions (or maybe a scrap of low napped carpet).

I'm into the whole free couch concept myself, and have been through several, but haven't had a corporate one before.
posted by midwestguy at 10:52 AM on August 27, 2008