The style looks very classic to me. I couldn't be comfortable on a sofa that deep. I am just a tad over 5' so I would definitely have the Lily Tomlin look going on.

We bought a deep sofa some years ago and chose it as DH likes to nap on the sofa. I have short legs so I use two cushions :-)

i would say not trendy. Sofas generally are getting deeper because of longer-legged people and great rooms. But they've been around a long time and will continue to be around.

Good luck Funky! Please post pics when it's in place.

I am a corner gal-- unless we have company, I have my legs pulled up indian style or something equally unladylike. With a few extra pillows, it's perfect for our style of lounging.

Ha! This made me laugh... because this is me too! When we have company (or certainly if I'm at someone else's house) I sit properly. If not, I'm sprawled out or have my feet curled up under me.

Back to the topic at hand, I think that is a lovely sofa. It doesn't look particularly trendy and the depth doesn't appear obnoxious. Some of the deep sofas seem overall oversized in such a way that I could see them being dated, but that one looks normal to me.

As long as you have some more shallow chairs for guests to sit on, and direct them to them, it should be fine. Deep sofas give me a backache, and I'm tall. Nothing worse than visiting someone's house, and the sofa has as many pillows on it as a king sized bed---and you need them all behind your back to be able to get your feet on the floor! Deep sofas are fine for lounging, but not good for sitting upright comfortably.

If you have room for some depth, I think depth is great. I also think it is a timeless straight lined sofa. Love it!

Chiming in to say I think it's a great looking sofa and agree with others about the depth!

I am short, too. We looked at the C&B, too. I was concerned about the deep sofa thing, but less deep didn't seem to look like it would fill our space right. We looked and looked and finally recently bought two of these Bernhard Clinton Sofas -- LOVE them. Similar in line and depth, just a bit less depth it looks like. We paid 1300 each. (a bit of a sale price I think) They are a grey/steel color and have rivets. We like the rivets on the back and side as the back is not against a wall or console table and the sides are exposed.

Good luck with the hunt!

{{gwi:2141292}}

http://www.highfashionhome.com/clinton-sofa.html

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:2141290}}

The company I work for has been making deep sofas since the 1970s, but we are scaling back a bit now. It was a trend in the late 1970s, and so if it is not already dated, it might be considered retro. Today, ours do not typically go beyond 41" deep, except for sectionals, but we manufacture custom sofas/sectionals as deep as clients request. My boss is somewhat petite, and she likes to sit on sofas with her feet curled up underneath her, but I cannot sit on some of our sofas without additional pillows/cushions behind me. I would not want one that deep for myself, but then I do not have a huge living room either, and my sofa is already fairly close to the TV. You really need a huge room to accommodate a deep sofa, but if you have it, then they can be great.

I do not think of deep sofas as being youthful - quite the opposite - and the one you pictured is very classic looking and will stand the test of time in the future. One trend I have noticed is that sofas built to the floor are not as popular as they used to be, and I personally never liked them! I like legs on a sofa, although the one I most recently worked on is built to the floor.

Lars

Thank you all for your input! A number of you have mentioned large spaces-- we do not have a large space but we do have room for the depth and I am going with the camp that says "a few large pieces in a small room makes it cozy". Originally, I nixed this sofa because of it's size.. but I have worked out floor plans, looked at many photos online (houzz, blogs, etc) and I think it will work nicely for us.

Live_wire, that's a great point about other chairs. TY!

Publickman, thank you for the insight! Funny, I don't remember deep couches from the 70s but then I spent the 70s running around outside! When the six of us gathered to watch tv, I usually chose the floor!

Nightowl, that's a lovely sofa too-- and a great price! I love the look of two sofas facing each other!

Thanks much Holly-Kay, Akt, Prickly, Colleen and Pal!

We will sit on it one more time to confirm our choice and I will order after the holidays! I should check when their next upholstery sale starts.

Three criteria that must be met before I buy a sofa...has to be deep, must have a slipcover, and must have removable pillows. As long as it has a classic shape and the fabric is kept neutral how can it look outdated? The versatility can't be beat. 1) Layer with (trendy) throw pillows and shorter people have the support of a back cushion without their legs dangling over the edge.
2) Doubles as a bed for overnight guests. Simply remove the back pillows and cover the seat cushions with a sheet. Voila, you've got a decent bed without the guest feeling like they're going to fall over the edge
3) deeper sofas still provide enough room to sit down without needing to toss decorative pillows aside
4) Tall people (my husband falls in this category) can finally be comfortable because the sofa is in scale with their height.

Funkyart, how big is your living room? If I remember correctly you were redoing your grandmother's home. A few years ago I purchased a deep sofa, 43 inches, that looked fine within the scale of the showroom. I had premeasured the length to make sure it was sized for my older livingroom but failed to take the depth in the equation and when they arrived it looked awful in my space. I would suggest you block out 46 inches to see if is not to bulky for your room. I was so happy when we were able to finish a lower level den to move that beast to and replace it with a more standard sized sofa.

I have noticed that very deep sofas seem to be popular right now at RH... I sat on one and felt like edith ann from snl... and I'm fairly tall! the saleswoman said people fill in all the extra space with pillows, but my guess is that the very deep sofas are very trendy and will phase out sooner than later... they look really odd to me... but, they would be great to sleep on I would guess- 2 people could probably fit!...

Roarah - This is a good question! I had originally passed on this sofa because of the depth so when I returned to it, I worked through floor plans specifically focused on the depth. My room is 15 x 24-- the fireplace is on one of the short walls (a large chest is on the other). The sofa will face the fireplace so despite the small room, there is plenty of depth space. HOWEVER.. it does sort of sit like a block in the middle of the room. I see how it works in the floor plan but can't really predict how it will actually "feel" in the room.

There's another consideration-- I have a large coffee table-- it's tall wide and long. It is unique-- was made from an antique quilters frame. It adds interest to the room.-- but it also adds bulk. The configuration that works for this sofa ends up with a series of "big blocks" in succession .. like dominoes! I'd have a large chest on the back wall, then a large sofa, then a large coffee table... and then the fireplace. So while i have the physical space, I am not sure i will like the visual reality.

This is the big coffee table (in seller's home). You can't see the cool wooden gears but you can get a sense that it is, indeed, a "block". I'd consider a new coffee table but this size works well for us. It's perfect for our beloved scrabble games, casual or elegant meals for two.. and it accommodates two laptops easily. Due to its height, it does work better with the slipcovered Willow.. I am just scared off by rumpled slipcover syndrome!

I was visiting a friend the other day who recently bought a new sofa. I didn't pay attention to its depth, but when I sat down my legs went horizontal! lol.

They may be nice for lounging as long as you sit near the armrest, but not great for company.

Agree with Oakley. Deep sofas are great for lounging, napping, kids piling on etc. Not great for entertaining. So just depends on the main function of the room. Personally, I'm short so I don't love deep sofas.

I never have thought the depth of a sofa would date it as opposed to the general style. That could just be me.

I love our 48" deep sectional and probably wouldn't consider a normal alternative at this point in our lives. For us, it works. We like to curl up, and I think it is very comfortable!

As stated, it is not ideal for company that wants or needs to sit upright, though. There is no way our grandmothers could sit on it due to mobility issues. So, I need other seating with some guests in mind.

Anyway, since we use the sectionals 98% of the time (vs.by company 2% of the time,) it was the right choice for us. :)

This post was edited by lolauren on Fri, Dec 12, 14 at 17:50

If I curl up on a sofa, it's not long till I'm asleep.

I'm 5'4" with short legs and I hate deep sofas, unless I pile pillows behind me and not sure that's a great look either.

I was at a friend's the other night for our book club. I sat in her deep sofa and was in agony by the end, with the edge of the cushions cutting into my thighs because my feet didn't reach the ground. I wanted to put my feet on her coffee table, but it would have been frowned upon.

My parents have a very deep sofa in their condo at Palm Springs. It is very comfortable. I absolutely love sitting on it. I tend to slouch, and it is just right for this. They have a lot of pillows on it, so you can push yourself out so it is not so deep if you want. I am also 5'6". I dont find these sofas young or trendy - just another choice available for comfort and style.

In general - I dont get the gi-normous furniture thing - Im not well travelled enough to know but I suspect furniture, mattresses, houses, dinner plates, cars everything seems to be made for the ever increasing size of the average American. Seems to me not a matter of taste/ style or trend... but function. If you have a big huge honkin house then you need furniture & accessories thats appropriately scaled to fit- can't have skimpy little furniture or the space will feel cavernous. Likewise, small spaces (typical European or Americans like me who just prefer small and cotagey) call for small scaled.

Although this is an older thread... I would love a 40" deep sofas, because my growing daughter comes and snuggles with me, and essentially pushing me off our current sofa.

Also I would recommend getting two identical sofas as supposed to getting a sofa and love seat combo. The price difference is quite insignificant and you get a better conversational arrangement out of it. Three sofas in a "U" configuration against a fireplace would be classy if you have the room.

You may want to look at sofa with a chaise end,

Okay -we all know I'm a dinosaur, but I believe that if one buys a timeless classic sofa in a classic size, that sofa will never look dated and will fit all sized people. One of my "things" is long, 3-4 cushion sofas. NO ONE ever wants to sit in the middle on a sofa, unless it's a small child! So one has given up a ton of real estate to a sofa that is going to seat 2 people when one entertains.

A 72" sofa will fit anywhere. If the room is huge, use multiple seating areas with multiple 72" sofas. They are timeless.

That one looks like a family sofa for a great movie night....