Where else can I find a couch like this?
January 2, 2021 4:00 PM Subscribe
I'm about to add this West Elm Harmony couch to my cart. I tried it out at the store and it felt comfortable and deep.
Since this is a major purchase for me I'm wondering if there are any similar sofas at stores that are less well known. I don't want to go to any more furniture stores. It would be nice if there is a less expensive option. I've never purchased a couch online and it's taking me forever to decide. My primary criteria is deep seats, not too firm, around 75 inches wide. I have cats and would like them not to destroy this so the fabric needs to be something they cant get their claws in.
Right now I have an Ikea Tidafors in another room and it has arms and top cushions that are perfect for cat lounging. But they are also shredding the fabric. Which is fine. I give up, I just cover it. But future furniture needs to be more cat-proof.
Any recommendations on where else I should look? Any thoughts on West Elm quality in general?
Since this is a major purchase for me I'm wondering if there are any similar sofas at stores that are less well known. I don't want to go to any more furniture stores. It would be nice if there is a less expensive option. I've never purchased a couch online and it's taking me forever to decide. My primary criteria is deep seats, not too firm, around 75 inches wide. I have cats and would like them not to destroy this so the fabric needs to be something they cant get their claws in.
Right now I have an Ikea Tidafors in another room and it has arms and top cushions that are perfect for cat lounging. But they are also shredding the fabric. Which is fine. I give up, I just cover it. But future furniture needs to be more cat-proof.
Any recommendations on where else I should look? Any thoughts on West Elm quality in general?
Also, in my experience of owning cats for 40 years, there’s no such thing as “fabric they can’t get their claws into”.
I’d suggest looking at the used market (we got an Ethan Allen couch/chair/footstool for what the footstool would have cost). Then strategically place some of these cadboard cat scratchers where (or near to) your cats want to scratch. They need to mark their territory somehow, so give them a way to do it that doesn’t destroy a piece of furniture.
posted by dbmcd at 5:20 PM on January 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
I’d suggest looking at the used market (we got an Ethan Allen couch/chair/footstool for what the footstool would have cost). Then strategically place some of these cadboard cat scratchers where (or near to) your cats want to scratch. They need to mark their territory somehow, so give them a way to do it that doesn’t destroy a piece of furniture.
posted by dbmcd at 5:20 PM on January 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
Yeah, a huge +1 to "West Elm couches don't last". We had one that was really basically unusable after a year and a half or two years.
Meantime we've had a couple of couches from Room & Board that have lasted like champs - four years and still basically as comfortable as the day they came. Here are their sofas filtered to "Deeper seats", and their Sofa Comfort Guide. You can also filter on cat-friendly fabrics (Boyer and Sumner), and if you really want, you can get any of their fabrics on any of their sofas.
Looks like their fabric sofas around 75" currently range from around $1400-$2100, so on average more than the WE sofa but not extravagantly so. It's so much of a better value, though.
Also, I forget who it was, but thanks to the MeFite who recommended a Room & Board rocking chair in some random AskMeFi question years ago for putting them on my radar.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 5:37 PM on January 2, 2021 [7 favorites]
Meantime we've had a couple of couches from Room & Board that have lasted like champs - four years and still basically as comfortable as the day they came. Here are their sofas filtered to "Deeper seats", and their Sofa Comfort Guide. You can also filter on cat-friendly fabrics (Boyer and Sumner), and if you really want, you can get any of their fabrics on any of their sofas.
Looks like their fabric sofas around 75" currently range from around $1400-$2100, so on average more than the WE sofa but not extravagantly so. It's so much of a better value, though.
Also, I forget who it was, but thanks to the MeFite who recommended a Room & Board rocking chair in some random AskMeFi question years ago for putting them on my radar.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 5:37 PM on January 2, 2021 [7 favorites]
I'd not recommend a sofa from West Elm after having researched buying couches before getting my current one in February 2020. Have you googled what used Harmony sofas look like and are you OK with that? Because to me, most West Elm sofa cushions seem to wrinkle, sag, and generally decline after purchase and they look nothing like the manicured sales photos. And even these used example photos are from people trying to sell them, aka they probably tried to spruce and fluff.
posted by vegartanipla at 7:23 PM on January 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by vegartanipla at 7:23 PM on January 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
We had a Tidafors the cats shredded. We still have an Ikea Ektorp the cats shred but it at least has replaceable slip covers.
I've had two sofas the cats did not shred: Leather recliner from Macys and Ikea Karlstad that had a kind of slightly plastic-y canvas cover. On both, the cats attempted to scratch a few times but did not like the feel and didn't get their claws in.
posted by miscbuff at 9:33 PM on January 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I've had two sofas the cats did not shred: Leather recliner from Macys and Ikea Karlstad that had a kind of slightly plastic-y canvas cover. On both, the cats attempted to scratch a few times but did not like the feel and didn't get their claws in.
posted by miscbuff at 9:33 PM on January 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
The depth looks similar to the Room and Board “Cade” sofa that we’ve had kicking around for a few years. We got ours in a kid and pet friendly fabric, and it’s been great.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 1:32 AM on January 3, 2021
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 1:32 AM on January 3, 2021
If you really want this couch, search for West Elm outlet stores. My daughter furnished her living room with furniture from an outlet about 45 minutes from her house. They have only what is on the sales floor, usually furniture that was refused/didn't fit through the door or up the stairs by people who ordered it. West Elm sells these returns at their outlets. The prices seem about 30% lower than their retail stores, but you can only buy what you see there. My daughter did sign up at the store to get an alert on a matching chair to one she bought, but then she had only 2 days to buy it and pick it up, I believe. They can match you with a third-party delivery service or you can pick up yourself.
No opportunity to order in other colors or styles - you can only buy what is in the store. They did have large displays of quilts, baskets, lamps, coffee tables, and so on, many of them straight from the warehouse, presumably stock on which they had over-ordered.
If you want a specific couch you should be able to set up an alert at the outlet for them to notify you if what you want comes in.
posted by citygirl at 10:32 AM on January 3, 2021
No opportunity to order in other colors or styles - you can only buy what is in the store. They did have large displays of quilts, baskets, lamps, coffee tables, and so on, many of them straight from the warehouse, presumably stock on which they had over-ordered.
If you want a specific couch you should be able to set up an alert at the outlet for them to notify you if what you want comes in.
posted by citygirl at 10:32 AM on January 3, 2021
I can't speak to West Elm or cat-friendly fabrics directly, but another big thumbs up for Room and Board for couches! They had notes on which of their different fabrics were pet-friendly back when I was shopping.
If at all possible, trying a sofa in person is highly advised. I know that can be tough right now, so something to think about if you can afford to wait until a better time. I thought I knew which fabric was best for me but I quickly changed my mind once I started sitting on different couches in the R&B showroom. 2+ years after my purchase and I'm still very happy with the couch and fabric I picked!
Also that MeFi thread posted above on WE couches has me triple-think ever making any purchase from WE. Worth the read if you're about to spend good money on a purchase.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 1:00 PM on January 3, 2021
If at all possible, trying a sofa in person is highly advised. I know that can be tough right now, so something to think about if you can afford to wait until a better time. I thought I knew which fabric was best for me but I quickly changed my mind once I started sitting on different couches in the R&B showroom. 2+ years after my purchase and I'm still very happy with the couch and fabric I picked!
Also that MeFi thread posted above on WE couches has me triple-think ever making any purchase from WE. Worth the read if you're about to spend good money on a purchase.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 1:00 PM on January 3, 2021
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posted by adamrice at 4:25 PM on January 2, 2021 [3 favorites]