Sturdy and comfy couch - Canada edition

September 11, 2019 5:33 PM

Questions about good couches have been asked before here but the common favourites (e.g. Macy's, Room & Board, Benchmade, Joybird) won't ship to Canada at all or have ruinous shipping & duties (often paired with impossible return policies). What kind of sofa, available in Canada, would you recommend?

We've been using an Ikea Karlstad for ~6 years. While this couch is highly recommended in previous mefi couch threads, I don't like it enough to get a new one of the same. It still looks pretty new, but it's become far less comfortable over time - and it was never very comfortable to begin with. It's also not especially stylish, but I can sacrifice (some) style for comfort.

Ideally we'd be able to try it out at a store in Vancouver, but we are willing to order online. We'd like to pay a maximum of $2000.

* Recommendations for specific models are welcome - ideally it will be long enough for someone 6'3" to stretch out on.
* We don't have pets or children, but do eat on the couch often enough that easy to clean cushions are ideal.
* I'd like the couch to comfortably last at least a decade.

Consolation: If you don't have a specific couch recommendation, but do have a Vancouver furniture store recommendation, I'll take it! We don't want to buy off of Craigslist because of bedbug risk, but are happy to shop at the kind of place that re-upholsters nice old pieces.

Bonus: Advice for how to balance the couch needs of a short (5'3") person who likes to sit upright on the couch and a tall person (6'3") who likes to lie down?

posted by congen to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Best answer: I only recently found out about this place and haven't had occasion to buy anything from them, but I like the look of their stuff and I pass it along in case it's of some help to you: https://www.kavuus.com/. Stuff seems within your price range.

We got our couch at an EQ3 outlet. If there's an outlet near Vancouver it's worth a look. (We're quite happy with our couch and it looks almost new five years later, but I don't know that I would have paid EQ3 retail price for it.)
posted by veggieboy at 5:48 PM on September 11, 2019

My partner and I are each one inch off from you, and we got the Structube Campbell. It is plenty long enough for him (6'4") to stretch out fully on the long part and for me (5'2") to sit with my feet up on the shorter part. If I sit with my feet on the floor I just have a few throw pillows behind me to make the seat area shallower. We've only had it for a few months but I really like it!
posted by phlox at 6:16 PM on September 11, 2019

Blu Dot has resellers in Vancouver, and I have experience with their “New Standard” couch in an office environment where it has held up ridiculously well compared to my personal furniture (enough so that I’m saving up to buy one myself).
posted by aramaic at 6:19 PM on September 11, 2019

The best couches I ever had were from Canada. They were a color called Utah Olive.
posted by Oyéah at 6:22 PM on September 11, 2019

We just bought this couch and love it. It's 96 inches long, my 6 foot (not 6 inch) husband can stretch out very comfortably. It is super cushy and feels very sturdy. We paid $699 USD. The Ashley website is not being very helpful regarding price but if you have a store nearby it may be worth a look. It's prettier in person, the color is darker than it appears on the website.

We eat on the couch all the time, and we bought this coffee table to go with it. One side raises up for eating! It was $412.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 6:22 PM on September 11, 2019

Best answer: We bought ours at The Bay! Get it when it's at least 50% off. We're very happy with it. I'm 6"1 and I can lounge very comfortably on it. We bought it in 2013 and it's still going strong.
posted by sid at 6:22 PM on September 11, 2019

We ordered a couch made by Best, a Canadian company. A local furniture store will have a catalog, and most likely some samples in stock.
posted by Enid Lareg at 6:52 PM on September 11, 2019

Article do some nice ones, they're a Vancouver company. The best made couch I ever had was a Flexsteel from over the border in Ferndale, but that came with me when I moved back from the US - I don't know if they'd be worth the import duty.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:28 PM on September 11, 2019

Best answer: Definitely consider Article. We just furnished our whole house in it a few months ago, and we have nary a complaint. If you like the style, I HIGHLY recommend it. We have these three sofas (we have two office/studios plus living space) and love 'em all:

The Sven
The Volu
The Tora

All are eminently nappable, stylish-looking (according to mr. nosila and me), and way higher quality than I would ever have expected for the price.
posted by nosila at 5:27 AM on September 12, 2019

I am a big fan of StyleGarage/Gus Modern which is expensive but they have a couple options under $2k. They're Canadian, not sure what their distribution or retail presence is like in BC? Excellent quality.
posted by dotparker at 10:45 AM on September 12, 2019

We got the Sven sofa from Article last year and we like it. It ought to be long enough for someone 6'3" to lie down on. The box it came in was really big so you should make sure that there is a way to actually get it where it is supposed to be.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:12 AM on September 12, 2019