10 Best Sofas

I have written on these pages before about how to buy a sofa. What to look for and roughly what you might need to spend. The point being that if you buy a sofa for 600 quid you can’t really complain when two years and two toddlers later it’s a but mullered. If you want a quality frame that will last for a few years longer than that – tea and toddlers permitting then you are probably looking at around £1,500 for a starting price. And if you don’t have that much then that’s fine but you are probably looking at something that will last between three and five years if you spend less. And that can be ok too because you might fancy a change in that time. And, it’s probably wrong, but it’s true that it’s usually cheaper to re-buy than reupholster. Finally, I have tried to include places that you might not know or have thought of – ie not the obvious ones with the word sofa in the company name. I figured you can find those for yourselves.

Right, that said. Ten best sofas. Go:

AXEL LEATHER SOFA 

westelm

£2,399

An affordable version of a Danish classic. The legs are thin and elegant and allow you to see more floor space thus making the room look bigger. The thin arms mean you get more seating space for your money and also add to the refined and more grown-up look. Leather is surprisingly kid friendly as you can wipe it clean and it improve with age. Soften this with throws and cushions for a more relaxed look.

KALMAR

District Eight

£2,200

District Eight is a Vietnamese company who sell industrial style furniture with a Danish feel to it. Currently it’s only available via Anthropologie in the UK but I love the style of this sofa with its handy shelf at the end and, while the wooden base may mean you don’t want to sit on it for hours on end, it won’t sag either so it will last as long as the cushions do and it would be easy to replace and recover in a way that traditional sofas aren’t. One for the kitchen or the playroom or the open-plan living space.

JASPER

Love Your Home

£1,245

Similar principle to the leather sofa above but this time in velvet. Choose the fabric, choose the legs – it comes with chrome as standard. Now talking of velvet – these days tougher than linen which can tear easily. Modern velvets don’t crush and come with stain resistant properties. The angled arms on this one mean that it is perfect for lying down for a box set marathon.

JULIANNE

made.com

£999

I love this sofa. The colour, the buttons, the styling. If I hadn’t bought a new sofa two years ago (which on current reckoning means I’m due a new one in 2030 – dear God that’ll teach me to buy quality – you see there is an argument for paying less) I would have this. It also comes in charcoal and petrol, or a sort of teal. It’s not a million miles away from Jasper above. Only they call that peacock. Which is why you need to get samples. One man’s teal is another man’s peacock. And neither of those two birds should go anywhere near any petrol.

VELVET EDLYN SECTIONAL SOFA

Anthropologie

£3,498

It takes a big room to house a modular sofa but if you’ve got the space they can look great. This one doesn’t look quite as dominating as many as it has thin legs and arms which help balance the size of it. Be warned though – there’ll be a fight for the end bit with the legs so you’ll need to draw up a rota or buy a footstool. This one is helpfully called Green. There is also blue green (I’m saying navy) actual navy, two shades of grey and pink. They say medium. I’m saying quite hot really, but you get the gist.

TIFFANY

Graham and Green 

£3,250

Oh I would love a curved sofa. Sadly in my narrow Victorian terrace that is not an option. But if any of you are blessed with square rooms then give thought to this one. There are masses of fabrics to choose from so you will find something you like. It’s not a lounging sofa as the back is quite low but you could add more cushions or, have a conversation.

CLAUDE

Russell Pinch Design

from £1,930 excl fabric

But sometimes you just want a comfy squishy sofa to sink into and relax and this is that. You can choose any colour or fabric you like but I think I would have this. The flowers are traditional but the colours are modern. This would be perfect in my house… wonder if they’ve got an ex-display model?

TALULLAH

Atkin & Thyme

£599

Not every sofa is for the sitting room. This would be perfect in a bedroom where you probably won’t sit for hours but need something to dress a corner/double up as a wardrobe. It would also work well in a kitchen where the upholstery would soften all the clean lines but it would fit with the purposefulness of the space. Another point – if you put a big squishy comfortable sofa in your kitchen – which was my dream until I didn’t get planning permission to build a big enough extension – you will spend all your time in this room and never use your sitting room. Because there is a high chance that once you have added the sofa you will add the tellybox. Mind you that will give you the spare room you are always saying you need because you will no longer be using your sitting room. Put something  slightly more upright in the kitchen and you will use all your space.

LA LUNE

Rume

from £1,900 excl fabric

Another sofa with clean lines but the curves mean it’s perhaps more versatile as you could put this in any room in the house. This would work in conjunction with a slouchy one in a sitting room – perhaps in a bay window instead of a chair or two. It’s also very elegant and is what I call a conversation sofa – ie for sitting and chatting not slouching and snarfing popcorn. Imagine in black or turmeric velvet…

ROSIE

Rose & Grey

£1,195

This is another good hybrid option. The fitted upholstery means you won’t have to be plumping cushions every night but it’s soft enough to be comfortable and not too upright. It’s also a rather attractive modern version of a chesterfield with stripes rather than buttonback. This is another contender for my house  – you can choose from 24 colours.