Since you mentioned that your boys mess up the back cushions, go with either of the tight-back sofas.

I suppose either ........... because it wont matter in eighteen months, when you're ready to put ANY of them at the curb. The sad truth is nothing fast and inexpensive is ever good. . Fast, AND good is not even possible .......you need 16 weeks, not eight to 12

If I sound like the doomsayer? I know my sofas........and what makes a good one. If you've nothing to sit on for the space? I guess you have a nose against the glass. I'd just ask myself how long I wanted to own these, how willing I'd be to replace in a couple years. Room and Board is fantastic for hard pieces, for their case good options. ...........not so much on upholstery. Arhaus? Quite a bit of style but no real longevity. Was better a couple decades ago, but with pricing not that far off from a couple DECADES ago, what do you think makes profit? Taking out guts, that's what. Lesser construction, cushions with so much soy, they disintegrate.

I GET the urge for a brand new space after a huge remodel. ......I do. Just know where you're headed.

Hickory Chair, Taylor King, CR Laine, even Lee Industries.......all far better, but you need more time, and not one can be purchased online. You need a brick and mortar. But all will give you eight way hand tie, better cushioning options, fabric options et AL. The delta in pricing? Yes, costs more, and will outlive your posted selections by a factor of quadruple or triple, in both looks and comfort, depending. Even the best of what I listed means care to vacuum, to flip and rotate cushions regularly and know that in ANY sofa, the wider the seat or back cushion? the more truth to what I said. This is true, even with spring down cushioning and is why for SO long, the standard number of cushions was three: )

My own Taylor King sofa, now 24 years of age, and four coverings later? Looks and feels like the day it was DELIVERED. SO........I ASK, If a Hickory Chair was 5,000 and lasted seven years and an Arhaus was 3,000 and lasted two years, and a Room and Board crashed and burned after 18 months for its 1600.00 bucks ? Only you can decide.

That's just truth. Sorry : ) More than you wanted to know, I am sure. But if I had ANYTHING to sit on? I'd use it and wait.

( Longevity listed in in descending order and pricing )

PS to my sofa rant.......

Want to see how EASILY one can be fooled? Below is a Bernhardt sofa. If you were to flip it over? It would look like the worst box springs ever to accompany a mattress. But it LOOKS GOOD RIGHT? AND ITS 4K, On that alone, you should think.....nice quality? You would be dead WRONG. Total crapola. Spell pure JUNK. unless of course, you just never sit the heck down.

To be fair, Bernhardt is great for accent case pieces, consoles, cocktail etc. : )

https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/bernhardt-melena-sofa-ivory-108-prod200450249?childItemId=NMHB3ZZ_

Boys are hard on furniture. Get them their own bean bags for the floor to use. They will love them and your sofa will look good for a little longer :-)

Thanks for the input!

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC, my husband's one stipulation is no back cushions that need constant readjustment. I was excited about the options at R&B and went into Arhaus only to rule it out. I was surprised at how firm the back cushions were on the Ashby - they felt like memory foam. My big hesitation there is that the stocked color is very light. It's Crypton, but I'm skeptical that's any match for my family.

@JAN MOYER, I hear all your points, having seen your similar feedback on other threads. I won't get into a debate about whether $5k & 5+ months is the only reasonable starting point for a sofa, but I will point out that I'm not ordering online and have visited a number of bricks and mortar stores, not just the ones I mentioned above.

But I am glad to hear you don't think well of the Bernhardt option. I saw several versions of the Candace over the weekend that fit my needs (tight back, two cushion, 96"+) but it wasn't particularly comfortable and looked a little too dated for my space/life.

I was speaking of AVAILABILITY to purchase online. Yes of course both Room and Board, and Arhaus, and Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware and Lazy Boy and West Elm, and DWR, and Johnathan Adler and others have retail brick and mortar stores.

As I said......it is just sofa truth, and only you can decide

Below? Two Hickory Chair in nearly indestructible indoor outdoor fabric. In consideration of three boys, climate, comfort, and all else........: ) ( ditto the chairs )

"Reasonable " expectations simply need to match and marry time frames and budget because upholstery is the core of a room. Plain and simple.

In general · More Info

OP - I like the ashby sofa you posted. I'm also in the market for 2 new sofas and will add that to my list to check out. I'm OK spending up to $3k - but that's my limit. Please share what you end up picking.

Jan - I like the ones you posted too -- i checked all the sites & with no prices listed, I'm guessing I can't afford them :-(

@ Paula

I always ask a client: What can you "afford" to throw away? I don't want to be screamed at for a dead horse beating, I truly don't.

I simply ask, given the difficulty and agony that goes into sofa selection ? Is it better to bite a bullet, and get a 5k sofa once, and wear it out in ten/twelve years? Or buy a very OVERPRICED (albeit stylish ) sofa relative to any quality expectation, and toss it three times in ten years?

That's all . Because that is the question.......right? Or get one at 1500 bucks and toss it four or five times? It's personal math, and personal decision.

Nine grand plus tax and delivery in ten years or five grand in ten years. Three times to the "agony," or ONCE.

Rule of thumb? It should only hurt once. When you pay . On anything that gets daily use!! Sofas, your mattress......a faucet at your kitchen sink.....

We're not talking about that little chair side table you pick up for 69 bucks at TJ.....FINE. lol

You can likely get an upholstered Taylor King sofa for under $3k. I paid less than $4k for a three piece Taylor King sectional. That being said, my Taylor King sectional ain’t that great. Furniture I’ve purchased from Resto and Crate has held up far better.

I have to agree with Jan on this you get what you pay for and IMO with kids good leather furniture from Italy can withstand pretty much anything . We got a sofa from Italy all leather no springs just perelli webbing when our 3 boys were small that sofa is now more than 40 yrs old and is in our sons basement media room he repalced the stuffing in the seating cushions when we gave it to him about 12 yrs ago and that sofa still sits the same and looks awesome. Get the best you can afford and stop filling landfills with cheap crap furniture , take a lesson from the Europeans they but stuff to last .

What about penny mustard ? also 9 years ago I got inexpensive leather sofas from Macy’s . 4 kids and 3 niece/nephews later who jumped on them on a regular basis, they are still holding up. My husband got ones before marriage that lasted 20 years. They were not cheap but not super expensive either. I guess I have been lucky!

TAYLOR KING........... has provided options at far lesser price and quality. They are NOT the original Taylor King. ............: (

"Lauren Leiss for Taylor King"......Cozy Creations. are examples

NOTHING you buy today, and I mean nothing, will be as good as something bought ten years ago. Let alone 15 or twenty years.

@lavender12145 we currently have Macys fabric sofas (below) that have held up pretty well. $1k each on sale 6yrs ago. I'm planning to donate them when we move back after the renovation. I originally considered trying to replace them in a different color/configuration but they've been discontinued. And most of the other fabric sofas I saw on a recent trip to Macys furniture department looked cheap somehow. My household is divided on leather, and I don't feel I have enough information to assess risks and quality with leather since I don't own any leather furniture.

@smalloldhouse_gw I only mentioned Macys because the talk was about longevity. I mean wasn’t specifically recommending them since you asked from one out of the options and I have tried niether. 2 years ago we went sofa shopping and out of all the stores we visited, found penny mustard and Toms price to be superior. My husband also says if we buy a super expensive sofa that’s meant to last at least a couple decades , then what do we do if we get tired of seeing it? He is of the view that for family room we should buy one that’s comfortable and looks good enough and if needed can be replaced in 7-10 years. For living, just buy whatever is stylish as it won’t need to be used as much. Again can be replaced without hurting in 5-10 years.

I am also looking for a new couch in our living room. I just visited arhaus and loved the Ashby in the crypton fabric. I am concerned about the light color of the fabric. However, I had a room and board sectional reupholstered with crypton in a slate blue a couple of years ago and it has held up incredibly well-two boys using like a trampoline and a dog. I am also looking at room and board. All of our other couches have been from room and board and have been holding up nicely.

The Ashby would be my choice.

I splurged on expensive well-made upholstered pieces in the past thinking “I’ll just get them reupholstered if they get raggedy or I get tired of the fabric.” Little did I know how much reupholstering costs! I have only 4 dining room chairs and every quote I’ve received has been absurd (and that’s before I’ve even picked out a fabric). Yes Taylor King, Hickory Chair, etc. are the creme de la creme, but you’ve got kids, so your stuff is going to take a beating. Go with an Arhaus or Room and Board sofa that you won’t feel guilty giving away or selling when it’s past its prime. If you sink 5k+ into a sofa you are looking at at least a couple grand to get it reupholstered some day.

Smalloldhouse, did you recieve the Axis II? if, so, what do you think and can you give us a pic?

Yes - I was one of the lucky ones in the furniture delivery lottery. It arrived basically on time even though they originally told me one piece would be missing.
Truthfully it’s not my dream couch - I would have loved a darker color and probably something less yacht-like in size. But I couldn’t wait for long delivery times and the Axis fits my tall teenage boys and their friends too - plus occasionally us parents.
And so far it’s held up beautifully to the abuse of my younger kid, who is a walking mess maker. So I’m really glad that we chose this and hope this helps others.

@JanMoyer what are your thoughts on maiden home sofas ?

@JAN MOYER You recommended "Hickory Chair, Taylor King, CR Laine, even Lee Industries". We're in the market for modern, durable, upholstered, outdoor furniture, and the only one of those brands that seem -- from checking their web sites -- to carry any is Lee Industries. Would you have any other recommendations? Thank you!

Outdoor "upholstered" furniture is generally LOOSE cushioned . Not the same as indoor, has no internal structure as 8 way hand tied etc. All outdoor cushioning must allow water through the foam...no matter the covers.

What you want, is a frame that stands up to the elements, and decent cushioning, whether it is modern rattan...iron or anything else. Lloyd Flanders would top Arhaus for me , in terms of quality, whether in loomed collections or any other. RH....some stuff is fine albeit over priced

Just a handful of LFlanders below. Remember...... those dedicated solely to outdoor furniture , generally better than those where it's a category under a far broader umbrella. Accessories such as tables ? Different story. You needn't match to any collection from anyone

@JAN MOYER super helpful, Jan -- thank you!

I would also recommend Gloster. Their teak deep seating is very well made and super comfortable.