If you’ve ever tried to choose a sofa, you know it can quickly become more complicated than you expect. There are so many variables to think through. Comfort, size, style, fabric. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and maybe even a bit frustrated by the whole process.
When Mike and I regrouped on what he wanted in a sofa for the back family room, something deep and comfy, I found myself back at square one trying to sort through all the options.
I knew right away that ordering something online wasn’t going to be an option. We needed to be able to sit in it and test it out. I didn’t want to risk picking a sofa that wasn’t quite right again, so I limited my search to stores we could actually get to.
Thrifting another piece wasn’t really an option this time either. Mike’s excited for a soft spot to land to play video games and watch sports. For me, there’s something validating about watching a vision in your head actually take shape, especially when it functions as well as it looks. Learning how to choose a sofa for this room reminded me that some decisions are worth taking your time on.
How to Choose a Sofa for a Smaller Space
When I started the hunt, I started out online which can be a bit overwhelming. But, knowing we wanted a deep sofa and that the max width could only be about 78 inches really helped narrow down the options.
Style was the trickier part. I love an English rolled arm sofa and think they are super comfy as well as beautiful in form. Especially if they’re deep.
We actually found one thrifting last year and had it reupholstered for our living room. I know, though, that this isn’t Mike’s version of comfy. He doesn’t realize it but he leans more contemporary when selecting pieces for our home, whereas I tend to lean more traditional. Since the goal is to choose a sofa that’s comfy for him, I started filtering everything I saw online through that lens. The same lens I’ve had to learn navigating decorating with a partner who has different taste than mine. I knew something a little bit more modern looking would probably work for the both of us.
The First Stop: Crate and Barrel
Once I found a few online I wanted to check out, I made plans to go up on a Saturday to check them out. There were two I found online at Crate and Barrel but when I saw them in person I ruled them out almost immediately. The Axis didn’t look comfortable enough to sit on. The other, the Lounge, was the one I thought would be the winner but it didn’t look as comfortable in store as it did online. Plus, they had the 73 inch sofa on their floor, which is the size we would need, and scaled down I didn’t love it as much.
But while I was there, two others caught my eye. The Lotus felt a little more casual, which was fine, and it was genuinely cozy to sit in. The Retreat though was the unexpected find of the day that captured my heart a bit. It was super comfortable, and it came styled with lumbar pillows so you could sit more upright or pull them off for that sink-in feeling Mike wanted. I fell for it pretty quickly. By the time I left, I was almost certain the Retreat was the one.
Second-Guessing the Retreat
I had ruled out the Retreat the first time I saw it online because of its extra wide arms. But when I saw it in person I had a change of heart. When I got home and looked at the Retreat online again, this time more closely, I started second guessing it.
The store only had the sectional and the 94 inch sofa on the floor, both looked really good and the size of the arms didn’t feel as bad in person. But once I pulled up the 78 inch version online, the proportions felt off.
The arms that looked substantial and beautiful on the bigger pieces felt like they overwhelmed the smaller sofa. That uncertainty sent me searching for another option I could love just as much. I decided to head back up on Monday to see what Pottery Barn and West Elm had to offer.
Round Two: West Elm and Pottery Barn
I headed to West Elm first and found one I really liked. It had that good sink-in feel we’re after, but once I started looking at fabric options, a lot of them came with longer lead times than I knew Mike wanted. Also, I don’t think it’s a piece Mike would have loved.
Next I went to Pottery Barn since it is in the same shopping complex. There I found two I liked. The first, more traditional, had sloped arms which was a pretty detail. This one had me written all over it. It was deep enough, but once we checked the measurements, it was too tall to fit through our doorway. So I continued to look.
The second was similar to the Retreat with squared arms, but not as wide. The PB Comfort Modern Square Arm also comes in two seat depths. The standard is pretty deep at 39 inches, but even though Mike thinks that would work, I think he would really like the one closer to 45 inches.
The frame is about 31 inches, which happens to be the width of our door. Getting it inside will take some careful maneuvering, but it should fit.
Since I was up that way, I went back to Crate and Barrel to see the Retreat again and grab a few lighter fabric samples. At that point I was still pretty sure it was the one. I just wanted some lighter options to bring home to see in the room.
I didn’t catch it in the store because of the way they had it styled, but looking online later I noticed the deep seat option also comes styled with lumbar pillows. Just like the Retreat. Giving us the same look and option to sit more vertical if needed.
Mapping It Out at Home
Back home, I mapped the Retreat out on the floor with painter’s tape. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how wide the arms were, and I needed to get a better sense of the scale and feel in our room. Something about it still wasn’t sitting right, but I decided to sit with it for a few days while I looked through fabric samples I had collected. During that time, I dropped the Retreat into my mood boards to see how it looked against everything else in the room. It was clear the sofa was a bit overwhelming in the space and felt like a heavy solid chunk.
Frustrated and a little unsure of what I even wanted at that point, I went back through my design books and saved images, studying the sofas and rooms I’d pinned and collected over time to remind myself what I actually liked. It confirmed something I’d been feeling but didn’t want to admit. I loved the style of the Retreat, but the arms were just too big, and too far from the kind of proportions I kept gravitating toward in my own saved inspiration.
That’s when I went back to the Pottery Barn sofa. I already knew from sitting on it that it was comfortable and that Mike would love it. I’d been looking at the regular depth option, but when I switched over to the deep seat version online, I saw it was styled with lumbar pillows too. That sealed it.
The Detail That Helped Me Choose a Sofa With Enough Room to Breathe
Another reason I chose the Pottery Barn sofa over the Retreat was the seating space.
I didn’t think about it at the time I was shopping in store or online, but when I was mapping both sofas out on the floor to compare how each one looked, it became obvious. Even though both sofas are 78 inches wide, the width of the arms made a big difference in available seating space between the two.
I kept telling myself while at Crate and Barrel that I should measure the arms of the sofa while I was there. But, I didn’t have a tape measure on hand and didn’t want to bother asking for one. I figured it would just be listed online in the details. It wasn’t, though, so I ended up tracking the measurement down through a quick Google search instead.
The Retreat’s arms turned out to each be roughly 10 inches wide, which only leaves about 58 inches of actual seating space. The Pottery Barn sofa’s arms are closer to 7 inches each, giving you about 64 inches to work with. It’s not a huge difference on paper, and Mike was fine with either, but I think in the long run we’ll be happy we gave ourselves that extra 6 inches.
The Fabric Hurdle
With the sofa decided, fabric is the next hurdle to get over. I wanted to do something different than what I’d normally choose in a sofa. Especially after seeing how beautiful the block print is in the room. I kept thinking about a camel or butterscotch color or even a chocolate brown.
The chocolate brown felt too heavy in the space, though. I love the idea of a camel or butterscotch color with the dark green walls. But once I held a few samples up in the room with the pine cabinet it just wasn’t working for me.
The cabinet has a lot of yellow tones in it already, and with the fabric, it was too much. The camel and butterscotch only amplified it instead of complementing it.
So I shifted my focus toward something more neutral, but not too light, with mushroom or muddy brown undertones that could sit next to the pine cabinet and not compete with it.
I picked up a couple of samples while at Pottery Barn but also ordered a few more.
Out of the two I brought home, one pilled badly when I scratch tested it like the dogs would. The other I liked, but it’s an olefin blend, which isn’t something I want. While it’s a durable fabric that repels water, it absorbs oils, making them hard to remove or even clean.
I’m hoping I can find one I like in the samples that are on the way, but they’re not due to arrive for another week. I may just head back up there if I have time to sort it out in person.
The other factor to consider is lead time. There are no in-stock options for the 78 inch sofa, so finding a fabric we love that doesn’t come with a long lead time might be tricky. Ultimately, if it’s the perfect fabric with a long lead time, Mike will be fine waiting. I just hate to think this room wouldn’t be ready for football season.
A Few Final Thoughts to Help You Choose a Sofa You Love
If you’re in the middle of your own search, my biggest piece of advice is to give yourself permission to take your time.
Test pieces in person if you can. Bring fabric samples home and map out dimensions on your floor to get a feel for it in your space. Look at the dimensions and the details to get additional insights about the piece you are looking at.
Taking your time to really understand what you want/need in a piece and how it will look/function in your space will make it easier to choose a sofa that’s right for you.
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