Made2Make: Reviewing Our Couch

By far the thing I get asked most about on social media or the blog is about our couch. Despite it being nearly 5 years old, it's still all anyone ever wants to know about. I thought it might be helpful to put a post together with all the couch info in one place for all those who are always asking. I think it's safe to say that we've fully vetted all the pros and cons over the last 5 years so I thought we'd pass the info along.

It took us quite a while to find the perfect couch - but not for lack of looking! My other half has a really hard time making any sort of large purchase without exhaustively seeing all the options two or three times! When we moved in together we were couch-less for nearly 3 months before he felt confident enough that we had seen everything there was to be seen and were making the right choice. By the end of it all I would've bought any couch just to stop the insanity.

We ended up purchasing our couch at a local store called the Design Center Furniture - a place we visited three times during our search. We chose a Robert Michael couch from the Rocky Mountain Collection and what we loved most about the couch was that it was completely customizable. The top 3 things on my couch wish list were: comfort, washable cushions, and a loose pillow back. Being able to customize our couch allowed us to tick all those boxes.

CUSTOMIZATION:

Our first apartment's living room was over 15 ft long so we ended up going with a 2 piece configuration - a 1 arm sofa and chaise - making for an 11 foot couch! I loved that we had the ability to choose any configuration that would suit our lifestyle and a length that was perfect for our space.

We were also able to choose the couch fabric and fabric for 4 coordinating pillows. For the most part we chose a great fabric...it's very forgiving and has worn extremely well and since baby girl has come along...it's taken quite a beating. But there is a downside! The fabric is ribbed and directional which means it doesn't really allow us to flip the cushions or pillow backs for optimal wear. Since the ribbing is directional and if flipped the direction of the ribbing gets a "ruffled" look...but that's due to our choice in fabric and not about the quality of the fabric.

COMFORT:

I want our home to be and look lived-in and cozy and I think the couch really helps us achieve that goal. I think what makes our couch so comfy are the down filled cushions and one I recommend!

Aside from aesthetics, the couch is the epitome of comfort. The standard high density foam cushions are wrapped in down which makes it extra squishy and soft. I can't remember if this was standard or an option we chose but we love it. The couch is very deep which is great for tall people (not us) and our older family members do sometimes have difficulty getting up (pregnant people too - ha) because you really just sink into it and it's pretty low to the ground.

Next time around, we'll definitely get a couch with legs so it's higher off the ground and easier to get up from. No biggie though.

WASHABLE:

What I wanted most in a couch was removeable cushion covers that can be removed and thrown in the washer for easy cleaning - and after a scare with that spray hair coloring (red!!!) - I've never been more grateful to be able to throw the covers in the wash. I typically wash the covers 2-3 times a year but I stress less about accidental spills on our couch knowing they're so easy to clean.

After a quick run through the wash and spin through the dryer they're fluffier, snugger, and the couch looks brand new all over again.

LOOSE BACK:

This was also high on my list of must-haves! Loose pillow back prevents that smushed look you sometimes get with cushions that are attached to the couch - or if you have an animal who loves perching atop the couch. The loose back cushions are basically just giant pillows that can be fluffed and made to look brand new again!

It does mean that they often get disheveled throughout our every day use but I mean...how cute is this? Makes for great fort building too!

So after an exhaustive 3 month couch hunt, I'm super happy with our couch and am extremely impressed with how it's held up the last 5 years we've owned it. We aren't currently in the market for a new couch but I am sorta itching for a new one.

Here's what we'd do and wouldn't do next time:

Again: purchase a couch with loose pillow back

Again: purchase a couch with removeable cushion covers for easy washing

Again: purchase a couch with down filled or down wrapped cushions

Not Again: purchase a couch with directional fabric

Not Again: purchase a couch so low to the ground

Not Again: spend 3 months looking :)

And if you need even more couch inspo - here are a few couches that I'm really loving and would snatch up in a heart beat!