Sit Tests: My Three Favorite Sofas from West Elm
Welcome to the first installment of the “Sit Test” series! My goal with this series is to share some intel on what I think are really good pieces of furniture at a some familiar “go to” retailers. There’s SO much out there these days, and given that much of our shopping happens online, it can be hard to sift through everything without getting too overwhelmed. I’m doing some of the hard work for you so you can start your search from the comfort of your sofa. 😉
My hope is that when you’re in the market for a new piece of upholstered furniture, these sit tests will be a resource that you can refer to as you start to look around for the right one for yourself and/or your family. I’ll be creating a “library” of these within The Archive so you can go back and easily find what you need in the future.
With these sit tests, I’m actually going to a store, sitting on pretty much everything they have in a certain category, and choosing what I think are comfortable and pretty. I’ll even recommend some fabrics for you since there are a lot of options! (Side note, always order swatches if you can so you can touch and feel a fabric before placing an order. They don’t always look the same as they do online!)
Now, everyone has different likes and preferences when it comes to how a piece of furniture sits and feels, but I’ll share what I think are some great, middle-of-the-road options that work well for the average person.
Things to note:
Retailers don’t have everything from their collections in store, so while I’ll get to sit on a lot of pieces, there may be some other great pieces I didn’t have an opportunity to try in person!
I’m 5’9”, so when I talk about a sofa’s height and depth, keep that in mind.
Just because I don’t include a particular model here doesn’t mean that it’s “bad,” but the ones I’m sharing here are my favorites, so they’re good ones to start with if you’re on the hunt!
Today I’m going to talk about some sofa favorites from West Elm - let’s get into it!
Favorite West Elm Sofas
Haven Loft Sofa
This was my favorite overall sofa of the ones I saw in the store! It has a really pretty modern look to it, but it’s not so mid-century that it couldn’t fit in with a more transitional or coastal modern style space. It’s a great “everyday” sofa - one that’s versatile enough to be comfortable for guests when you entertain, but also cozy and plush enough to be great for a movie night. Can you tell I’m a fan?
It comes in two widths: 76” and 86”. Essentially, you’ve got an apartment sized sofa and an average sized sofa as your options. I’d recommend the 86” for most rooms.
(A final note - this sofa is different from the Haven, which I did not love because it’s too low to the ground for most people.)
How it sits:
Seat height: 19.25”. This is on the higher end for sofa seat heights, but that makes it very easy to get up from, which can be a nice plus. If you’ve got older folks in your life who’ll be sitting on it regularly, trust me, they’ll appreciate that! One thing to keep in mind with that seat height: you’ll want to make sure any additional seating doesn’t sit too low next to it. It’ll feel like you’re towering over them in a strange way. Look for a seat height that’s within 1-2” of the height of the sofa.
Seat depth: 24”. On the deeper side, but still very comfortable to me. If you’re on the shorter side, you may find you want to have a pillow behind you to sit upright. You’ll find that a 24” depth offers a little bit of a loungy feel to most folks.
Back height: I felt well-supported and comfortable.
Comfort on a scale of 1-5 (1 being very firm and 5 being cloud-like): 4
Pricing: $1,199-$1,799
Hamilton Leather Sofa
This one has been a longtime favorite of mine! The leather is beautiful and only gets better with age. The one I saw in the store had been there as a floor model since that location opened 2 years ago and it was so soft and light. Just lovely!
It comes in three widths: 70”, 81”, and 91”, which makes it a very versatile sofa for lots of different homes.
Overall, the proportions and cushiness of this sofa are great for your average person for an everyday sofa. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t enjoy sitting on it. In leather, it’s also super durable for kids and pets. This sofa does come in fabric options as well if you like the silhouette, but prefer a fabric.
How it sits:
Seat height: 18.5”. That’s a comfortable height for most people and is about the same height as your average dining chair height.
Seat depth: 23.2”. A happy medium between sitting fairly upright and lounging. A good “middle-of-the-road” depth.
Back height: I found it to be high enough to be very supportive and comfortable. I think it’s one of the highest backed sofas that West Elm has, so if you’re tall and/or like a lot of back support, this is a good one to look into.
Comfort on a scale of 1-5 (1 being very firm and 5 being cloud-like): 3
Pricing: $2,199-$3,499
Urban Sofa
The Urban collection has been around for a long time with good reason - it has a great look! The salesperson I spoke with said it’s one of their most popular sofas and I’m not surprised. It has a chunkier, modern silhouette than the other two I’ve shared here today. I like the idea of using this sofa in a larger living room because it has a lot of “presence.” Those wide arms make it feel bigger than it is, so just be aware of that! Be sure to take a look at the interior seating width to see how wide the usable space is on it.
It comes in a 73”, 84.5”, and 93.5” lengths. For context, those sizes range from a larger love seat to a long sofa. Depending on which size you select, there are also two different depths. I sat on the Standard Depth version and would recommend that one (my sit test comments below will reflect that!). If you’re really wanting something to lounge on, you can look into the Extra Deep, but know that at 27”, it’s not going to be super comfortable as an everyday sitting sofa.
How it sits:
Seat height: 19”. Like the other two I shared today, this seat height is comfortable height for the average person!
Seat depth: 23”. A happy medium between sitting fairly upright and lounging. A good “middle-of-the-road” depth.
Back height: It’s a tad lower than the other two, but still supportive. The overall height of this sofa is on the lower, so it may not look like the back height would be as comfortable, but it didn’t bother me.
Comfort on a scale of 1-5 (1 being very firm and 5 being cloud-like): 4
Pricing: $1,499-$2,099
Fabric Recommendations
I took a spin through the fabric options at West Elm and asked the salesperson some questions as well. They’ve got some really lovely ones! Most of their fabrics come in several color choices, so I’ll share the styles here, but know that they have some colors to choose from within these styles. Out of the ones I saw, here are my top choices:
Performance Coastal Linen: A beautiful fabric that has the look of linen (tight weave, some subtle color variation, etc.), but in a highly durable version. This one is on the thin side (not a bad thing - just an observation).
Performance Velvet: This one is SO soft and buttery. Velvet isn’t always a go-to for me, but this one is really nice and will hold up well.
Performance Basket Slub: I loved the texture and variation in this fabric. Think of it as a chunky basketweave. If you have cats, be aware that it’s not as tight a weave, little claws could tug at this one.
Leather in Burnt Sienna: This is the leather used on the Hamilton you see in the photo above. It’ll lighten over time. It’s really soft and has a pretty consistent look to it throughout.
Yarn Dyed Linen Weave: This is a tighter basketweave and has a great, soft feel to it. There’s some tone-on-tone variation to the weave.
That’ll do it for today’s Sit Test! If you have any questions about these pieces, feel free to hop over to The Community and ask away!
*Affiliate links used here, which means Mix & Match Design Company earns a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you.
