Is a 10' Bench cushion practical?

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Furniture and design mavens, help!

It's the final stretch of sofa-buying and need your sage advice - how difficult it is to wash and generally care for a 10' foot bench cushion? I love the look but fear the maintenance.

We are getting a 10' RH Belgian Slope Arm, slipcovered, down fill. My question is, is the care of a bench cushion and covers so big that I should skip it and get the 2 cushion?

The sofa will be for a family of 4 to snuggle up for movie night (comfy) and needs to stand up to dogs, wine, popcorn (washable).

I find bench cushions sleeker and so comfortable when you're piling a lot of folks on, so I'd like to understand it's truly washable - heaving 10' of cushion around makes me a little suspicious. The 2 cushion would be much easier to care for so if 10' is completely unworkable, that's what I'll have to do, but I don't want to give up until I understand how unworkable.

Thank you, wise ones!

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BeverlyFLADeziner

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I am a huge fan of bench seat cushions. That said, what house can support a 10 ft sofa? Additionally, how many people do you expect will agree to sit on a 10 ft. sofa?

Also, a 10 ft sofa requires either oversized coffee tables or multiple coffee tables.

I have n 94" sofa with a bench seat, down filled, and it's like dealing with a dead body to move it.

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Comments (10)

Kendrah
2 years ago
If you have permanent stains you need to hide, you have more options for flipping and repositioning cushions with two instead of with one.
chispa
2 years ago
I have two 8 ft sofas with 1 bench cushion and I wouldn't do that again, when I replace those sofas. These sofas never got a huge amount of use as we had/have a separate TV area. I hate the wrinkles the large cushions get. It is a bit of a pain to flip an 8 ft cushion and I can imagine that getting a 10 ft cushion back into the slipcover will be a pain.

The ideal sofa has several equal sized cushions that can be rotated and flipped!
desq thanked chispa
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apple_pie_order
2 years ago
A six foot cushion is unwieldy- 10 feet would be much worse. It would need two people to stuff the cushion back into the slipcover. In addition, a 10 foot slipcover might not fit in your home washer. If you have to send it out to a drycleaner or go to the laundromat, that'd not be convenient at all. I'd get the two-cushion version.
desq thanked apple_pie_order
dan1888
2 years ago
Cushion construction and cover material come into play. Pocketed innerspring cushions with retain shape better than foam. Latex would also help with longevity. Foam deteriorates on a straight line over a ten-year life. A shorter sofa with a chaise end and a big matching ottoman to push up is a common current choice.
clt3
2 years ago
You need to check very carefully that the fabric you choose is washable. Just because they are slipcovered does not necessarily mean that they are.
elcieg
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
No to the 10' sofa. Using 24" per seat leaves you space for 5 people to sit side by side. (Think pew in church.) What is your plan to on how to serve the popcorn, red wine? A 8 ft coffee table?

I suggest you not invest the money into a RH sofa at this stage of your family life. Look into IKEA for something which will work for the family, popcorn, red wine, washable...
desq thanked elcieg
acm
2 years ago
Much better to have a bench than a crack for somebody to fall into -- it's always in the wrong place! I don't think I've ever laundered my couch cushions, so vacuuming and/or spot-cleaning is no different for one than the other...
dan1888
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Ikea has a chaise sofa. Uppland sofa with chaise. Takes a slipcover. Ottoman is big.
desq
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Huge thanks, all. The sofa is the only option, unfortunately, tucking into a small room in the middle of a floor-through. Surrounded by back console table and side tables on either side. We started at Ikea (we *always* start at Ikea) but this is an oddly shaped room with a lot of traffic through it.

With thanks to this very wise group, we're going with the 2 cushion. Bench are luxurious but washability was an essential component especially since RH - and soon everyone - will move away from PFAS anti-stain treatment. (Ie, fabrics complying with the new CA law might be less stain resistant than they have been.)