The Best Deep-Seat Sofas Are Designed for Sinking in and Sprawling Out
The original cloud couches.
Updated Sep 18, 2023 4:10 PM
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This story was part of Sofa Week, our seven-day stretch of, you guessed it, sofas. After years spent styling, sitting on, and searching for the best of the best—from bespoke designs to rare under-$500 gems—we’re compiling our couch knowledge in one comfy spot.
A deep-seat sofa. We’re guessing you’d know one if you saw one but may not be able to pinpoint what exactly differentiates this dramatic silhouette from your standard couch. For starters, they look as cozy as a bed and prioritize comfort, especially if your seating arrangement is more about lazing than entertaining. If you’re the kind of person whose idea of the best weekend plans is gathering snacks and a throw blanket to watch as many of the latest A24 films in one sitting as possible, then you likely want to get more familiar with this particular style. Here’s everything you need to know about deep-seat sofas.
Just how deep are the cushions of a deep-seat sofa, anyway?
According to Apt2B, the average sofa seat depth is anywhere between 21 and 25 inches—so you could argue that options beyond that range are considered deep. But most of our favorites actually hover around a whopping 40 inches. Basically, when you pop a squat, your sofa should feel like it’s swallowing you—we mean that in the best way. The type of fill also has a heavy influence on just how soft that sink-in-the-couch feeling is; feathers, for instance, offer cloudlike comfort, whereas high-density foam is superior when it comes to structure and support.
Depth, by the way, can be measured from the back of a cushion to the front. The roominess is what makes this style of sofa so comfortable; there’s plenty of space to spread out and no need for legs to be dangling off the side.
Who are deep-seat sofas good for?
This couch is for naps, Netflix binges, and making sure everyone in the family has a spot to call their own; no need for extra floor cushions. If you still want to be able to perch yourself or host a lot of happy hours, we recommend looking for a sofa with well-structured arms and a taller back or one filled with firm foam.
For our shopping director, Liz Buxton, a deep-seat sofa was a no-brainer for the den of her home in New York’s Hudson Valley. In her words, it’s a proper TV room. The other swaying factor? Her husband, Tim, is tall—we’re talking over 6 feet—so it’s guaranteed to feel perfectly loungy for everyone, no matter if you’re going with a love seat, L-shaped sectional, or seven-piece pit.
How much do deep-seat sofas typically cost?
Since these couches are, for lack of a better term, big, they cost more than your standard sofa. Constructing one requires more of everything—upholstery fabric, fill, frame. And if the materials are higher quality, that only bumps up the price tag even more. It also means that you may have to pay extra to have one delivered. Our favorites, listed below, range in cost from $1,000 to $8,000, but we’ve seen others from luxury brands going for upwards of $9,000.
Anything else I should know before buying a deep-seat sofa?
Whenever possible, we always recommend popping into a showroom or store to see whether you like the feel of a sofa you’re considering. Otherwise, opt for a brand that allows you to live with your furniture for at least 30 days before having to decide whether it’s a keeper or not. And before checking out, make sure you have the room for one—even if it ships in pieces, you’ll want to ensure these oversize loungers will squeeze through your doorways and not interrupt the flow of your space with the rest of your furniture, whether that be coffee tables, side tables, or accent chairs. A deeper couch also means more of your rug may be covered, so keep that in mind, too.
Our Favorite Deep-Seat Sofas
If all of the above sounds good to you, get ready to dive into one of our nine favorites.
West Elm Harmony Sofa
West Elm’s best-selling Harmony sofa offers two deep-seat-depth choices: 41 inches and 47 inches. Surrounded by pillowy-soft cushions (one of the softest that the brand offers overall) on the back and arms, this couch’s design doubles down on comfort, especially if you choose one of the velvet performance fabrics. It’s also one of our top choices for sectionals.
Article Leigh Corner Sectional
How often do you come across a corner sofa that isn’t a total eyesore? Or one that won’t set you back a fortune? New to Article, the Leigh sectional pairs roomy cushions spacious enough for the whole family to sprawl out on and angled arms to prop yourself up in case you don’t want to doze off at first sit. Comfort and good looks aside, this option also happens to be super-durable. Covered in Olefin, a popular outdoor-friendly fabric, the couch is made for a household that has kids or pets.
Amazon Stone & Beam Westview Extra-Deep Down-Filled Couch
As we mentioned, deep-seat couches don’t come cheap, but that doesn’t mean all are incredibly costly. The Westview via Amazon’s in-house brand Stone & Beam is currently 10% off, knocking the original price down to under $1,000. Its feather-filled cushions boast a 42-inch depth. And while they are covered in polyester, one reviewer writes, “This is one of the comfiest couches I have had, and the material is really soft and seems durable. My cats have tried scratching at it but have not made any marks.” The solid wood base doesn’t hurt either.
Maiden Home The Sullivan Sofa
Maiden Home is known for offering super-luxurious, supersoft sofas, including one of our favorite slipcovered sofas and sectionals, but the brand also has a few deep-seat offerings. The Sullivan, for example, boasts a 40-inch depth to its sloped arm style and pillowy back for a greater lean that feels both laid-back and casual but elegant. It’s also incredibly durable. Multiple reviewers with children and pets alike claim theirs has withstood three-plus years of wear and tear; and even if your performance fabric starts to look a little tired, you can always have the covers replaced. As one reviewer summarizes, “I purchased the Sullivan sectional approximately two years ago and can only say that the sofa is exceptionally amazing. It is our only comfortable seating area. After receiving many color and texture samples, I decided on the performance fabric in a very light linen color, and it has lived up to its name. It cleans up so easily. Wine, chocolate, daily living—it all cleans up with water and blotting. Truly unbelievable! The sofa sectional still looks clean and new. It has endured dogs, adults, and children sleeping and snacking on it.”
Crate & Barrel Oceanside Wide-Arm Deep-Seat Apartment Sofa
If you live in an apartment that leans on the smaller side, that doesn’t mean a deep-seat sofa is totally out of the question. Opt for the 78-inch-wide version of this low-profile couch if room is tough to come by. Plenty of reviewers have successfully squeezed it into their rentals, and most describe it as deep, though the cushion itself is 27 inches. Still, the overall silhouette sits like a deep-seat sofa, complete with wide arms (you can also go for the armless frame) and a puffy back.
Lulu and Georgia Parque Slipcovered Sofa
While it’s one of a few spacious, slipcovered options at Lulu and Georgia, the Parque boasts the greatest seat depth of 35 inches. It’s one large, box cushion construction that combines linen-blend upholstery and a down-blend fill; add on the loose back cushions and it easily masquerades as a daybed. If you want to dial into a relaxed, laid-back seating arrangement, look no further than the Parque. An added bonus: This one ships in two to three weeks, and you can add on white-glove delivery for an extra fee.
ABC Carpet & Home Delancey Sectional
The overall depth of this massive 132-inch sofa is a mind-boggling 82 inches, making it the runner-up roomiest of the batch. While the handcrafted wood frame can be upholstered in a durable performance fabric, the company notes that this is a professional-clean-only situation, so we’d likely keep it clear of households with kids and pets.
Coburn Six-Piece Pit Sectional
You can style the Coburn any way you choose—that’s the allure of going with a modular sofa—but fit it into a pit position and you basically have a bed in your living room. This couch invites you to put your feet up and stay a while, but if you do need to get up, the firm poly-fiber fill and no-sag steel springs mean you can pop in and out of it with ease.
Floyd Sink-Down Sectional
The 34-inch cushions of the Sink Down is Floyd’s biggest seat offering yet—and arguably the most comfortable. Its nearly armless silhouette was literally designed “to make you feel like you’re laying on a cloud,” using a combination of memory foam and blown fiber inserts. For optimal chill, go for the sectional.
Sundays Movie Night 4-Piece Modular Sectional
These superfluffy, feather-filled 36-inch cushions are wrapped up in removable, stain-resistant, linen-blend covers. So even if you go for the all-white colorway, you won’t have to stress too much about movie-night mess. That’s why we’d say this sofa line is aptly named—what else would be better to take in a three-hour feature film? Peep it in our modular sofa guide, too.