Have you bought a sofa you're happy with in the last 1-2 years?

June 14, 2020 1:19 PM

I'm in the market for a new sofa, and although there are some good AskMes about sofas the answers focus on how well a sofa has stood up for the last 10-15 years. There is a phenomenon of stores getting good brand recognition, then reducing quality, so I'd like some more recent data. Have you bought a sofa/couch new in the last 1-2 years? Were you impressed by the quality? If so, what company was it (and which model)? Conversely, are there furniture companies that have declined in quality?

We have no pets and no kids, but due to COVID we are spending a TON more time on the couch and want to invest in a really comfortable piece of furniture.

Our main focus for this couch/sofa is "Buy It For Life" (or at least, Buy It For The Next 15-20 years) so it's fine if it's >$1000 but it's not fine to pay a ton only to have it disintegrate just as quickly as a $300 couch from Target.

posted by rogerroger to Home & Garden (25 answers total)

We've had this couch from Crate and Barrel for ~two years (bought it summer 2018). We have no pets and no kids and prioritize comfort over aesthetics (clearly haha). This couch is in fact very comfortable! The quality seems good! We do rotate the cushions pretty frequently to spread out the wear (we spend like, eight hours a day on this couch). Other folks I know who have recently purchased couches have had very good luck at Macy's, which sounds wild but is true.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:04 PM on June 14, 2020

This past winter I bought an "Adelaide" sectional from Gus Modern and have been pleased with it. I vacuum, rotate and flip the cushions every two weeks. It's firm (but not hard), which I personally prefer.

Dozens of Gus Modern couches are in use at Big Tech Company in common areas, where they've held up against hundreds of people over the past few years.

Note, the boxes as-delivered are extremely bulky and heavy, and should only be maneuvered by two people. I did it myself, by dint of careful engineering and use of cargo straps, but I do not recommend that approach.
posted by aramaic at 2:09 PM on June 14, 2020

We have a sofa, large chair and small chair from Restoration Hardware. All are leather. The sofa is around five years old and doing great. The other pieces are more recent and quality is still excellent.
posted by slkinsey at 2:12 PM on June 14, 2020

We bought a custom sectional in October of 2016 from Home Reserve. We paid far less than anywhere else we shopped. They ship it to you in boxes and you put it together, which was easier than I thought. I've sung their praises in plenty of furniture threads here.

The couch is holding up great, it has under seat storage compartments that helped us de-clutter (we both like goofy books and knicknacks and seaglass). Buying from them was probably among the easiest and most pleasant "big" purchases we have made, and the price point dramatically low compared to traditional outlets. Check them out, they do all sorts of modular furniture so you can fit what you need where you need it.
posted by vrakatar at 2:14 PM on June 14, 2020

We do have pets and bought an Omnia leather sectional from a local store. We've had it about a year and it has no visible wear. It cost way more than a thousand dollars though (by an order of magnitude). If you don't get a sectional, it should be more reasonably priced, though.

Leather is definitely the way to go for durability and maintenance. It doesn't retain smells (our old sofa, a fabric sectional from La-Z-Boy, literally reeked even though we cleaned it regularly, which we only really discovered when we took it out of the house in preparation of the new sofa's arrival) and dirt is easily wiped off.
posted by kindall at 2:15 PM on June 14, 2020

I bought this Edloe Finch couch from Amazon last year: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DKZNS1F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
in Oct 2019.

I'm sitting on it now and I still love it. It's firm but very soft, and stylish.

Oh! And it comes in green, blue, and pink.
posted by koolaidnovel at 2:45 PM on June 14, 2020

We have a Jasper from Room and Board purchased in 2006(ish) and it's still in good shape. The cushion covers are washable and due to cats we wash often. About 5 years ago we replaced the cushions (with the exact cushions for our couch as on file with room and board).

We are looking at replacing with another room and board sofa in the near future. There is a fairly long lead time as they manufacture on demand in NC.
posted by countrymod at 2:52 PM on June 14, 2020

I have some stuff from West Elm and their quality has become hit or miss. We had several upholstered chairs that barely held up 2-3 years, I would never buy a sofa there no matter how beautiful the designs look!
posted by zdravo at 3:18 PM on June 14, 2020

i bought a gus modern probably 10 year ago and aside from the fact that my butthead cats have ripped it to shreds (why oh why did i get that chunky basket weave?!?) it's still held up in terms of firmness. I think it'd still be beautiful sans cats, but our butt wear and tear hasn't been too much damage over the years.
posted by zsh2v1 at 3:40 PM on June 14, 2020

I love the Jean Luc sofa I bought from Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams a year ago. It was a discounted floor model, so I sat on the exact couch I brought home for hours before finally deciding to buy it. I'm not sure that method would work as well during pandemic, but it was nice to have the ability to get the thing home quickly rather than waiting weeks for delivery.

Have sat on it more than I ever expected to over the last few months and it's only gotten more comfortable. We have made some effort to move around so that we're not always in exactly the same positions, which we figure should help avoid wear problems.

The Wirecutter has a couple of good general articles on sofa buying here and here.
posted by asperity at 3:44 PM on June 14, 2020

The Kivik series from IKEA is worth a look if you want something more modular and inexpensive. I've been sitting on one in some form or another for a decade now and the various instances have held up to college students, pets, and children. Replacing the cover with a new one is also super easy and cheaper than buying a new sofa! It's also a plus that frame is uncomplicated wood construction and something I could repair by myself if it broke.

Definitely a mid-range sofa -- it's way better than your average $400 sofa, but it's also utilitarian and isn't going to be the fanciest sofa you'll ever own.
posted by Brassica oleracea at 4:35 PM on June 14, 2020

My sister and I bought a MaxHome Outback couch (link goes to closest approximation I think they don't make that model anymore?) for my dad's house with the plan that we never wanted to buy another couch if we could avoid it. I started out not loving it because it made funny noises but I have grown to appreciate the hell out of it. Their website isn't a consumer website but you can check it out. It's taken a LOT of use over the past two years and it's stayed a really good couch for sitting and also for napping.
posted by jessamyn at 5:20 PM on June 14, 2020

I was happy enough with my Raymour and Flanigan Briarwood that when I wanted a slightly bigger one for a new space I just bought another of the same but bigger to replace it.

It's one of the deepest couches - it easily lets two people sit opposed longways on it.
posted by dmd at 6:30 PM on June 14, 2020

Apologies for not answering the question, but I was following it attentively since we're doing a long distance move next month and our current junker of a couch isn't coming with us. Now I know we'll be getting a Home Reserve sectional thanks to vrakatar's testimony!
posted by spinturtle at 7:23 PM on June 14, 2020

Even with regular rotation of the cushion, my Room and Board couch developed a pretty significant depression where I usually sit after just a couple of years. I forget which model it is, but the cushions are foam with embedded springs and a down wrapper.
posted by doctord at 8:06 PM on June 14, 2020

Bought a Metro sofa from Room and Board just under two years ago. The sofa is our favorite lounge spot and sometimes one of us will prefer the sofa over the bed for sleeping. We love it!

We were also very fastidious in making sure the sofa was the right one for us, and we're happy we did.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 8:25 PM on June 14, 2020

Forgot to mention, we spend a lot of time at home and were not working full-time in an office, so heavy lounging on the sofa had been a daily occurrence in our household even before CV-19.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 8:30 PM on June 14, 2020

I highly recommend Joybird furniture. Don't be afraid of order online. I got this bench and have had it for many years. They were excellent to deal with. You can order swatches.
posted by brookeb at 10:14 PM on June 14, 2020

I also had a good experience with Joybird. We were forced into buying an Internet Couch for our second floor den/office after discovering that a full-size sofa wouldn't fit around the tight corner at the top of our stairs. I was a little skeptical but it's been great. My husband and I both prefer it over our actual bed for naps (we have this one in a ridiculous-yet-awesome pink faux-velvet material).

I hope it'll hold up long term, but we've only had it for a year so I can't speak to that aspect yet (no complaints yet though).
posted by catoclock at 6:10 AM on June 15, 2020

I was happy enough with my Raymour and Flanigan Briarwood

I've had that exact same couch and loveseat set (that I got for a steal from a local furniture center's clearance section) and after 8 years both are holding up tremendously well.

As a 6'6" dude, having deep enough seating is a life changer.
posted by Twicketface at 6:10 AM on June 15, 2020

As with some people above, I have a Room and Board couch that had cushion issues starting around 2-3 years after purchase. R&B said they could make me new ones for $400 a pop. I declined and just shoved some egg crate foam in there. Looks better but still compresses too easily for my comfort. Also, one of the legs failed due to a loose connector piece. Was relatively easily DIY'd with a trip or two to the hardware store, but extremely annoying. Do not recommend Room & Board.
posted by little king trashmouth at 6:48 AM on June 15, 2020

It felt really weird to buy furniture from Knoll (it's all either super high end, or office like), but we got the Rockwell Modular sectional, and it cost a fraction of what we expected (about what you'd pay at room and board, CB2, or raymour and flannigan). It's way more comfortable that it looks, american made, high quality and most importantly for us, two tall (5'9 and 6'2")people can lie down on at the same time and watch tv together without fighting over things. Also because it's Knoll and everything is customizable, we got it in non-standard color/fabric. Knoll Textiles are reknown for their durability.

Our constraints were that we live in a 450sq ft walkup apt, and a lot of couches made for american houses are just too big for our apartment, and a struggle to get up NYC stairs. We also needed something that wasn't super low to the ground; getting up and out of some of the low couches out there as a tall person really really sucks. we were happy with the lower volume profile and minimal aesthetic, but if you are looking for a big squishy couch, this is NOT for you. As to longevity, my parents have 2 Knoll couches that they bought 35+ years ago and still use, so I'm not very concerned about this one falling apart on me.
posted by larthegreat at 7:19 AM on June 15, 2020

Thanks all! I'm not going to mark any answers as "best" because there's a ton of good info here. This is super helpful.
posted by rogerroger at 2:01 PM on June 15, 2020

Seconding the Ikea Kivik. A friend bought the larger one about 6 years ago and it's survived multiple guests, roommates, and their dog. I've slept on it multiple times and found it just as comfortable as a bed. I liked it so much I bought the smaller version of it a year ago. I sit on mine while working from home every day - and lounge on it after I'm done working -and it's still probably my favorite piece of furniture.
posted by Penguin48 at 5:24 PM on June 15, 2020

I realized I had never updated this! Ended up getting a couch from Eq3. Really happy with it so far!
posted by rogerroger at 5:54 PM on April 2, 2021