8 best sofas – our tried and tested favourites

Finding the best sofa for your home can be a difficult decision. After all, a sofa needs to fulfil a lot of criteria, including suiting your decor, budget, and, most importantly, providing a place to relax and get comfortable. And with even the most affordable sofas still proving a hefty investment, it's a purchase we all want to get right.

Plus, once you start the search for the best sofa for your home, you'll soon discover there are a whole lot of options to choose from. There are classic two and three-seater sofas, chaise sofas for putting your feet up, multifunctional sofa beds that allow you to offer guests overnight sleeping space (find more of those in our guide to the best sofa beds), modular sofas that come in sections so you can configure your own seating layout, and spacious corner sofas that have plenty of room for friends and family.

Whilst nothing can beat going to test out a sofa for yourself – after all, one person's 'too soft' can be another person's 'just right' – not all sofa showrooms are within easy reach, and you can easily lose multiple weekends traipsing around the shops sitting on sofa after sofa.

That's why the Ideal Home team is here to help. We've done the legwork to narrow down the options in the hunt for the best sofa. Our review team has walked many miles around multiple sofa showrooms and tried and tested all of the bestsellers, toning our glutes with sit-test after sit-test so you don't have to. We've also read multiple reviews from existing owners, grilled furniture experts on the details, and considered upholstery options, lead times, and, of course, pricing when coming to our verdict on which are the best sofas to invest in.

Sofa deals

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may officially be over, but there are still some great sofa deals to be found in the extended Cyber Week sales. We’ve rounded up where to shop for today's best sofa deals below.

Argos: up to 20% off bestselling Habitat sofas
Darlings of Chelsea: up to 35% off sofas
DUSK: stylish sofas now from just £319
John Lewis: up to 20% off a wide range sofas
Sofa.com: up to 20% off the brand's bestselling sofas

The quick list

For in-depth buying advice just keep on scrolling, but if you're ready to start shopping now then you'll find our edit of the best sofas available right now – in terms of style, price, and budget – listed directly below.

Best sofas 2023 – our tried and tested top picks

Best sofa overall

According to online reviews, the Draper sofa has some of the best owner satisfaction levels of all John Lewis & Partners' sofa designs, and, after visiting several branches to test out the brand's full seating collection, we're inclined to agree that it's one of the brand's top picks.

Comfort-wise the sofa frame offers that rare combination of a high-backed design that will suit those who prefer to sit upright paired with a deep seat that offers space for those who prefer to curl up and lounge. The foam and fibre seat cushion adds some welcome squish-factor whilst maintaining its shape well, plus, opting for the single bench-style cushion design means the larger widths can happily seat 3+ without anyone getting left sitting in the gap.

If you want to get even more comfortable, then this model is also available with an unobtrusive and easy-to-operate footrest so you can really recline in style.

The modern design has a nod to a classic Chesterfield with its buttoned cushion detail and will blend easily into a broad range of interiors helped by the 90+ upholstery options. It's also available in a good range of sizes, including a 2, 3, and 4-seater, plus a chaise sofa option, and with prices starting from £1449, plus delivery in just a week if you opt for a more restricted upholstery choice, the design manages to tick a lot of boxes at a good price.

Best budget sofa

Comfortable and stylish, there's a lot to like about Habitat's Julien sofa, and at just £595 for the 180cm wide 2-seater or £695 for the 220cm wide 3-seater, if you're looking for an affordable contemporary sofa then this option ranks high in our books.

Of course, at this price point you can't expect everything, so there are some compromises to be made. Mainly the limited upholstery options (you're going to need to like velvet), plus the shortage of width options compared to other sofa models on this list. The fixed seat cushions also mean you can't just flip over a cushion if a spillage occurs, and the low-to-the-ground frame with 40cm seat height may not be for everyone. 

So why does the Julien still score so highly with us? Well, for the price, this is one comfortable sofa. The fixed fibre-wrapped foam seats are on the slightly firmer side but the model we tested still had a good amount of squish, and we loved the seat depth, which with the foam-filled seat cushions offering good comfort and support was perfect for sitting or curling up on. Plus the low armrests are well-padded and the perfect head height for naps.

And, although the upholstery options are limited, the velvets are amongst some of the nicest we've sampled, with a lustre that feels a lot more luxe than most sofas of this price-point can muster and deep rich shades in some great colourways. Plus, although the coordinating range isn't extensive (there's no matching ottoman available to turn this sofa into a chaise sadly), the matching armchair is a great buy too.

Best quick delivery sofa

A modular sofa is the ultimate versatile seating solution, with individual seating sections allowing you to configure a bespoke sofa layout to best suit your room. You can add, subtract or rearrange the modules if you want to transfer the sofa to a different room or move home, and invest in more sections as and when budget allows.

Swyft's Model 03 is a contemporary modular sofa-in-a box that also offers some jaw-dropping delivery times. Lead times are under one week, and can be as short as 24 hours dependent on stock – a rarity in the world of sofas where lead times can often run to several months.

The modular units don't come cheap, and you're going to need a modern home and quite a bit of space to suit this contemporary design, but we love its boxy shape. It works particularly well in an open-plan layout, where the low-to-the-ground design can be used to zone and anchor a spacious room. Upholstery options are also limited, but all are versatile and on-trend shades.

And, although the low seats and backrest won't be for everyone – you're going to need to prefer lounging to sitting upright to be comfortable on this design – if you're looking for a minimalist sofa with designer looks (without the matching price tag) then this quick-delivery, super-versatile sofa is a winner.

Best corner sofa

The Barbican collection is one of John Lewis & Partners bestselling sofa ranges, and with its on-trend mid-Century-modern meets Scandinavian-cool good looks, it's easy to see why. 

Looks aside, sitting down on this sofa collection doesn't disappoint either with fibre-wrapped foam seat cushions delivering some welcome squish-factor and sink-in-ability combined with a low maintenance fill that keeps its shape and doesn't need plumping. The back cushions are a slightly firmer fibre construction that offers good support and a comfortable angle to recline.

The Barbican comes in a whole host of sofa sizes along with a range of coordinating footstools and armchairs, including small and medium-sized 2-seater, 3-seater, 4-seater and a variety of relatively affordable chaise and corner configurations. All are useful options for a small to mid-sized living room as the sofa's curved frame, slim armrests and high legs mean it looks and feels a lot more compact than many comparable options. That means spacious seating without adding visual 'bulk' to the room or taking up excess floorspace.

There are also over 100 upholstery options on offer, including a good range of leathers, plus, a choice of either light oak or dark wood leg finish to tailor the overall look to your tastes.

Best value large sofa

If you have the space to work with then you're unlikely to regret opting for more sofa to stretch out on, especially if you have multiple housemates, family, or friends to seat comfortably. 

A large sofa generally means (a lot) more expense though, which is probably why the great value Kendrick sofa is one of Habitat's most popular designs, offering spacious seating at a very affordable price point compared to other designs of this size.

There are generously proportioned 2, 3, and 4-seater sofa options, plus a 3 or 4-seater chaise and two corner sofa configurations to choose from, all in Habitat's luxe-look velvet upholstery. And while the colour choices may be limited, all are great shades that lend statement style to this contemporary design. 

What's more, we loved the comfort levels on all the models we tested. The seat is deep, especially if you're on the shorter side, but we found it very comfortable for sitting or lounging, with comfortable seat cushions that have a nice amount of sink, and soft yet supportive back cushions. The padded armrests are also super comfortable, with the low arms a great height for resting your head for a nap.

Although the back may be a little low in height for some, this low profile design also works especially well in an open plan room where it won't interrupt the flow from one zone to another, delivering a designer look without the designer price tag.

Best classic sofa