The most comfortable couch: what makes a sofa comfortable, measured

What makes a couch comfortable? Four measurements

A comfortable couch supports your thighs, your lower back and your feet at the same time, without pressing anywhere. Four things decide whether a given sofa does that for you, and each one can be read off a spec sheet.

• Seat depth. The distance from the front edge of the seat to the back cushion. Too deep and you slump or your feet leave the floor. Too shallow and your thighs hang unsupported.
• Seat height. The distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. It decides whether your feet rest flat and how far you lower yourself to sit.
• Cushion fill. The foam, its density and firmness, and any feather layer over it. This is what you feel in the first few seconds.
• Cover. Fabric or leather, which changes how the seat feels on bare arms and how it cleans up.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) writes its seating advice for office chairs, yet the body measurements carry over to a sofa. CCOHS says the highest point of the seat should be "just below the kneecap" with your feet flat on the floor. It also says the gap between the seat's front edge and your calves should fit "a clenched fist (about 5 cm or 2 inches)".

Its checklist for choosing a chair asks for "a seat depth that does not put pressure on the back of the knees". A sofa that passes those two tests for your body is a sound place to start, whatever name is on the tag.

How to find your own seat depth and seat height at home

Your body sets the target numbers, so measure it before comparing sofas and sectionals in our Duncan showroom. A tape measure, a hard kitchen chair and a wall are all it takes, and it is quicker with a second person.

1. Knee height. Sit on the hard chair with your feet flat. Measure from the floor to just below your kneecap. A sofa seat at or slightly under that height keeps your feet flat, which is the CCOHS rule above.
2. Thigh length. Push the chair against a wall and sit all the way back. Measure from the wall to the crease behind your knee.
3. Take off the fist. Subtract about 2 inches from your thigh length. What is left is roughly the seat depth that holds you upright with your back on the cushion.
4. Add room for lounging. If you sit sideways, tuck your legs up or nap lengthwise, a seat deeper than that number will suit. A firm toss pillow can fill the space behind you when you sit up.
5. Repeat for the household. Write down the numbers for everyone who uses the sofa daily. When two people differ a lot, one compromise is the taller person's depth plus a back pillow for the shorter one.

Maker figures are taken on an empty sofa. A softer cushion gives a little under your weight, so it can sit slightly lower than its listed height. Overall sofa size and room fit get their own page, which starts from how seat depth matches your legs.

Which cushion fill is most comfortable?

Cushion fill is a matter of preference rather than a single right answer, so the useful thing is knowing what each fill does. Foam is described by density, the weight of one cubic foot of it. Density tells you how much material is in the foam, while firmness tells you how hard it pushes back.

Island Living says it uses "high quality polyurethane foam ranging from 2.0 to 2.75 pound density in seats". Decor-Rest's pages list 1.9 lb standard foam on the 2003, a 2lb soft foam core on the 2286 and 2309, and 2.5 lb foam on the 2068.

La-Z-Boy describes its ComfortCore cushions, used on the Paxton and Kennedy, as giving "just the right amount of support for a long or short sit". That is the maker's claim, and sitting on one is the only real test of it.

Under the cushions, Decor-Rest says all its seating "is sprung with 8 gauge no-sag sinuous spring construction," with "5 springs per seat". Sinuous springs are S-shaped wires that run from the front rail to the back rail.

What type of sofa is the most comfortable for how you sit?

The type of sofa that is most comfortable depends on whether you sit upright, curl up or lie down. How the cushions are built matters as much as the fill inside them. Arm shape plays a part too, so learn the sofa types and their arm shapes before you go and sit on a few.

• Box bench seat. One long seat cushion, as on the Decor-Rest 2309. There are no seams between cushions, which helps anyone who lies along the sofa.
• Tight seat. The seat is upholstered to the frame, as on the 2286. Nothing slides, and there is nothing to flip or plump.
• Loose back, box seat. Separate cushions, as on the 2068. They can be turned and reshaped, which takes a minute every so often.
• Reclining. A footrest lifts your legs, so seat depth matters less for napping. How a reclining sofa compares with a fixed one covers the trade-offs.

For upright sitting and conversation, a seat depth near your own measured number with standard or firm foam is a sensible starting point. For lounging, look deeper, at the 23 to 25 inch range in the table, with a soft core or a feather layer.

What brand is the most comfortable couch?

No brand is the most comfortable couch, because comfort depends on fit and every maker builds several fits. La-Z-Boy alone spans 20.5 to 25 inches of seat depth across the three sofas in the table. The same name can be too deep for one person and too shallow for the next.

The better question is which model, in which depth and fill, suits the people who will use it. Merit carries several makers for that reason, and it is also why ranked lists of "best" sofas can disagree with each other.

What is the comfiest couch in Canada?

No ranking settles that one either. What a Canadian buyer does get is makers who build to order in this country, so fill and cover are chosen per sofa. Decor-Rest calls itself "a leading Canadian manufacturer of fine upholstery," at an address in Woodbridge, Ontario.

Island Living builds its made-to-order line in Burnaby, BC, and the Carmanah is one of those. Its in-stock range is made overseas for Island Living, so the origin depends on the listing. The differences between sofas built in Canada are set out maker by maker.

Fabric or leather on a comfortable sofa

The cover changes how a sofa feels, mostly through its contact with bare skin. It also changes the price. The Decor-Rest 2003 is $1,549.00 in fabric and $2,899.00 in leather. The 2230 is $2,149.00 in fabric and $3,399.00 in leather.

How each cover wears, cleans and handles pets is laid out in our fabric and leather comparison.

Ordering a comfortable sofa through Duncan: lead times and delivery

Most sofas Merit sells are made to order in the cover and fill you choose, so the wait depends on the maker. Each lead time below runs until the sofa is ready for pickup or delivery.

• La-Z-Boy sofas and loveseats: 8 to 10 weeks.
• Decor-Rest: 8 to 10 weeks.
• Island Living made to order: 6 to 8 weeks, or 2 to 3 weeks if Island Living has it in stock in Vancouver.
• Ashley: 4 to 6 weeks.

Delivery from Merit's Duncan store costs $150 across the Island, assembly included. Some Gulf Islands can be reached on request, and pickup at the Duncan store is free. Exchanges are encouraged up to 30 days, case by case, which is one more reason to measure before choosing.