The Comfiest Couches and Sofas That Feel Like Sitting on a Cloud
October 7, 2022A house is not a home without a couch. Next to our BDSM pommel chair, the sofa is the real workhorse of the casa, because it’s the tireless host of naps, Netflix binges, deep conversations, and (most importantly) your sweet peach. It’s not that we don’t think this sinister, $44,500 postmodern starfish throne isn’t tight—we just don’t want to curl up on it and read some Danielle Steel. We want style and comfort, and we especially want it when it comes to finding a couch that’s actually comfortable, and worth shelling out our hard-earned moolah.
What should you look for when seeking out comfortable couches? Comfy can mean a lot of things when you’re couch cruising: For one person, the most comfortable couch could require deep cushions or a high back; it might be about finding the right material [velvet couches have entered the chat], or investing in a modular sofa that can transform into a horny conversation pit. Too long have we settled for couches with all the warmth of a stale saltine—nor should a cloud-like couch turn into a misshapen diaper after a year of use. (That injustice ends now, weary traveler.) So, without further ado, here are all the comfy couches that make us feel like we’re sailing away on a cloud of Cool Whip.
The comfiest sectional couches
Floyd really understood the assignment: The brand’s sectional sofa is firm but cushy, deep, and modular (meaning, you can add on as many matching pieces as you like). “[It’s] designed with a deep seat, with each unit comprising two densities of foam,” say the folks at Floyd, “that creates a soft landing without sacrificing support [while] a third density of foam in the backrest provides comfort no matter your lounging style.”
Looking for a super-soft and cloud-like sofa where you can truuuly sink in? This AllModern sectional is the couch you’ll want to kick back on all day and all night. With its wide arms, low profile, clean lines, and “squishy cushions,” it’s truly like nappin’ on a nimbus. (More on Cloud sofa dupes later…) Peruse the reviews if you want to see evidence of its powers; “It is soooo comfortable,” writes one fan. “It is definitely a lounging couch.” Another happy buyer adds, “Best couch ever! It is so comfortable! It is low but so cuddly and relaxing [that] you will not want to get up!” We also love that it comes in a velvety corduroy fabric (in multiple colors) or a more traditional woven look, and the cushion covers are machine washable.
West Elm offers a super-comfy medium-support option in the Dalton, which is a “medium” on the firmness scale, and gets its Goldilocks just-right feel from its high-gauge sinuous springs and webbed cushions for cradling support. Its cushions are made with high-resiliency polyurethane foam cores that are then wrapped in a blend of goose down and poly fibers for a combo that feels like memory foam and body pillows, all in one.
The good folks over at Castlery make the Jonathan sectional, another choice on the firmer side that has a five-star average rating on the site, with one reviewer confirming that it’s stylish, roomy, and very comfortable. “My tall husband and I can fully spread out on it, and our pets have also claimed their nooks,” they write. “I’d say you can get five or six people on it comfortably.” See? All the reason to finally make some friends! It has deep seats, a “plushy” feel, and cushions stuffed with a foam and fiber combo, as well as pocket springs in the seats for a little extra bounce.
The most comfortable leather couches
It’s like our cousin Vinny always says: Ya can’t do bett-ah than leath-ah. There’s arguably no other material that will make your home look like the place where a real-life, grown-up person reads The New Yorker every morning. These days, sitting on a leather couch doesn’t have to feel like cozying up to a waterpark slide, because brands such as West Elm have engineered a made-to-order, vegan leather couch we (actually) want to snooze on thanks to its extra-cushy, rounded edges.
Kardiel also makes a cushy leather sofa that our drunk friends house guests will actually enjoy sleeping on when they crash for the night. It’s made with luxury leather from Vincenza, Italy, that has been painstakingly tumbled and oiled to achieve a buttery texture. The cushions are also filled with a certified humane feather and foam mix to give the back, side, and seat cushions extra plumpness.
… And now, for a leather sofa that looks like it should cost 10 times its price tag and be in an intimidating design store on Paris’ rue du bac. This couch from Wayfair doesn’t look like anything else out there in its price range (tufted stripes? Amazing) and has earned an impressive 4.9-star average rating from reviewers, one of which writes, “So soft! The camel tone is gorgeous and its incredibly comfortable. I fell asleep on it the first night.”
The best Cloud sofa deals and dupes
Restoration Hardware went viral with its celebrity-approved, über-cushy Cloud sofa—but you can find one that’s way less ‘spensi on vetted vintage sites such as Kaiyo, where the white glove delivery is speedy and pretty affordable (we’ve never paid more than $50). We’ve written an entire treatise about what makes ordering from Kaiyo such a lovely experience, but suffice to say, it’s like being in a group project where you have to do none of the work (and get to reap all of the benefits). Cop this Cloud while it’s 69% off.
West Elm is coming for the Cloud’s crown with the Harmony sofa, which is—TBH—still very expensive, but just listen to these specs: super-soft fiber-wrapped high-density polyurethane foam cushions with included lumbar pillows and throw pillows; high-gauge sinuous springs for additional springiness and support; back cushions filled with 50% duck feather and down for pillow-like softness. (Nice, right?) On the firmness scale, the Harmony is designated as “soft,” so expect to sink into this thing like a marshmallow into hot chocolate, and it also has a leg up with its wide variety of customization options that West Elm is known for; it’s going to be the hub of your living room no matter what it looks like, but having the option of everything from mauve performance linen weave to mustard velvet means you can keep it simple, or build a statement piece.
A Restoration Hardware Cloud couch of this size will usually cost you over $5,000. Luckily, the Wayfair wizards have been most generous, and blessed us with this high-rated dupe for about one-fifth of the price. “We love our couch,” writes one reviewer. “It came in earlier than expected, assembly was easy.” Another fan writes, “I’m in love, what can I say. It was so so easy to put together […] I did it by myself [and] I’m a 5”2 little thing.”
Would ya look at this sled?? The Emilio sofa has a A 4.7-star average rating from over 700 reviews on Wayfair, and it’s over $800 off right now. Every couch is made to order, comes in over 40 colorways, and can support up to 750 pounds on its plush (reversible!!) cushions.
The comfiest couch for small spaces
This lambs’ wool fabric sofa has a little extra cushion for the pushin,’ and a 4.7-star average rating on Amazon. In the words of one reviewer, “[It’s the] most beautiful piece of furniture I’ve ever owned. Fits perfectly in smaller spaces but still feels large and luxurious. Firm but VERY comfortable.”
Next up, a couch that’s so compact and cozy, we want to curl up in it like a field mouse in some warm hay. Just look at the size of those cushions, dude, and check out how the arms gently curve out of the couch so that you could completely remove the cushions and still have a squishy place to rest your head. This couch is somehow doing more than most jumbo sectionals ever have. Interior Define, you get us.
This sleeper sofa from Wayfair has a 4.4-star average rating from over 400 reviews, and is hands down, [redacted] up one of the most affordable sleeper couches your clams can buy. “Assembly took about 20 minutes and was very fast,” one reviewer writes. “We keep the sleeper pulled out almost all the time and use it like a giant ottoman.” Plus, the sofa has little cloth handles for easy transitioning from couch to sleeper mode.
The comfiest conversation pit couches
Long live the conversation pit, a.k.a. the 1970s style of seating that all the cool kids used to create a totally shagadelic home ambiance, or achieve the aesthetic effect of having a sultry, sunken living room. There are so many things to love about this Albany Park pit, from the seven colorways and plush cushions to the sturdy, kiln-dried hardwood frame. But, we especially dig the fact that it ships for free, and assembly requires zero tools.
West Elm’s conversation pit is available in so many colors and fabrics, that investing in one feels like a luxurious Build-A-Bear experience. Known as the “Remi,” the extra large modular sofa is made up of six Memory Foam seats designed to cradle your sweet peach. The black twill feels very Cocaine Decor-cool.
The most vibe-heavy comfortable couch
We love blobs, and want as many things shaped like marshmallows in our life as possible. This cloud-esque couch is just begging to serve as the beginning of your 1978 home decor journey (as well as these matching bouclé bar stools). It’s also cool enough to impress a discerning Berlin gallerist, yet comfortable enough for you to faceplant into its cushions.
Now kick back, and put those feet up where we can see ‘em.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.