11 Couch/Sofa Alternatives For Your Home – Great Options for Your Living Room

Is a couch too costly or large for your living room? Or maybe you want to change its layout with some novel types of chairs. Either way, there are many worthy couch substitutes, both comfy and inviting.

Compact options are poufs, ottomans, chaise lounges, and futons. Would you like especially relaxing seating? If so, consider oversized recliners and swing chairs. These are a few possibilities, ranging from low-cost to high-end.

With this blog, I help you think creatively. For photos of each furnishing, click on the links. Then, picture your living room with delightful seating, lighting the eyes of all who enter.

Let’s now discuss 11 couch alternatives for your home as shown below.

1. Ottoman

Does your living room have a formal look? In that case, meet the ottoman, a stylish upholstered stool.

This stately accessory stands 13 to 20 inches high. Fabric choices are linen, leather, cotton, polyester, and velvet. Materials can also be tufted, improving their comfort and longevity.

An ottoman is wonderfully versatile! It can serve as a chair, footrest, or coffee table. Plus, it can have storage compartments, handy for holding pillows, blankets, toys, and books.

Ottomans come in a broad range of sizes, suiting whatever space you have. You’ll also find them in various shapes, such as round, cylindrical, rectangular, and square. Ottomans with legs are the easiest to lift and reposition.

2. Pouf

On the other hand, does your living room have a casual vibe? If so, picture an arrangement of low, plump pillows called “poufs.”

Most are either square or round. Often, they’re made of cotton, knitted or woven in eye-catching designs.

Since poufs have a foam core, they’re both springy and sturdy. Plus, with their soft outer materials, poufs are safe for young children at play.

Poufs tend to be smaller than ottomans. Also, they don’t have legs or storage space.

Still, poufs are cute accessories, posing sweetly as chairs, footrests, and side tables. For those who like sitting on the floor, tall poufs can provide back support.

3. Chaise Lounge Sofa

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With this easeful furnishing, you can lean back and stretch out your legs. Most chaise lounges feature an armrest on one or both sides.

Thus, you’re supported in a half-sitting position, by which you can read, nap, or watch TV.

Chaise lounge sofas come in many appealing styles, from Victorian to contemporary. Some are sleek and elegant, featuring scrolled wood, plush fabrics, and fancy finishes.

Does your living room have a modern design? If so, consider sofas with geometric shapes and straight lines.

Since a chaise lounge has a trim profile, it makes a small room appear larger. Plus, it can nicely seat two people for short periods. Like ottomans, some chaises have storage space, ideal for stowing bedding for an overnight guest.

4. Bean Bag Chair

As you settle into a bean bag chair, you can feel muscle tension flee. Its flexible filler molds to your body, embracing you supportively.

Meanwhile, bean bags are one of the most affordable couch substitutes. They also connote a carefree mood, helping your guests and family unwind.

Since bean bag chairs are lightweight, you can easily move them without marring your floor. Thus, changing your living room’s layout is a cakewalk.

You can also buy extra casings in an endless array of colors and designs. Then, with a simple cover swap, a bean bag gets a fresh, new look.

To facilitate cleaning, opt for removable, machine washable casings. This way, when food spills occur, you can take them in stride.

Precautions

Note that a bean bag can be:

– tough to exit. Due to the shifting filler, rising from the chair can be difficult.

– unsafe for babies. The folds of a bean bag can trap a baby, causing suffocation.

– an environmental hazard. Many bean bags contain expanded polystyrene balls. Since they don’t decompose, they threaten our natural resources and wildlife. For an eco-friendly filler, choose cotton, beans, buckwheat, or rice.

5. Love Seat

This compact sofa invites two folks to cuddle. Accordingly, the name “loveseat” is fitting. There’s also ample room for two people to chat, facing each other diagonally.

The average loveseat measures about 60 inches long, at least 15 inches less than a standard sofa.

You can also distinguish this charmer by its two cushions. Meanwhile, loveseats come in a vast selection of fabrics and styles, suiting every décor.

A loveseat can hug a corner of your living room, creating a cozy nook. It can also face a focal point, such as a bay window, beckoning you to enjoy the view.

Moreover, you can buy a pull-out loveseat with a bed, offering dreamy sleep for an overnight guest.

6. Swing Chair

As a swing chair gently rocks you, pressing worries evaporate. If you hang it by a single chain, the seat twirls in a circle or drifts side-to-side.

When you suspend the chair by two ropes, it moves forward and back. Either way, the motion soothes you.

Choose from three types of seating. A bench design features a wooden seat, offering the most stability.

With a hanging egg chair, the shape is oval with a curved seat, often in wicker or rattan. A hammock has the least support, made entirely of rope.

Before buying a swing chair, ensure adequate space for it to sway. At a minimum, you need 3 feet of clearance behind the seat and 14 inches on either side.

Next, decide whether to get a frame, a free-standing mount. Frames can have either a circular base or legs, the latter requiring more floor space.

Or, the support can be your ceiling joists if the mounting capacity is 600 pounds. For do-it-yourself installation, see this comprehensive article.

7. Futon

With this simplistic piece, the cushion quickly converts to a guest bed. First, pull the bottom frame about 8 inches forward. Then, grasping the edge, lift the frame off the floor.

Next, the back drops automatically, creating a cushy platform bed! Here’s a brief video of how to easily open and close a futon.

Thus, you save money by not having to purchase an extra bed. With a split-back design, each guest can either sit up or fully recline.

Unlike a traditional sofa bed, the futon lacks an annoying metal bar in the middle. Plus, your futon will come boxed, readily fitting through doors, staircases, and hallways.

Popular frame styles are metal, wood, modern, contemporary, and transitional. To match your specific décor, choose from an infinite selection of slipcovers.

You can also replace the original mattress with another futon-friendly one. Some frames have handy accessories, such as pull-out cup holders and drawers.

8. Floor Pillows And Cushions

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Does your living room have a Boho theme? If so, floor pillows and cushions are the perfect complement!

The difference between the two lies in their seat structure. Typically, a floor pillow has a smooth, rounded surface. On the other hand, a floor cushion is level, possibly enhanced with tufting.

Either way, daily use can improve your posture! Have you noticed that lazing on a sofa can make you slouch? Conversely, floor seating engages your back and core muscles. In turn, they get stronger, fostering better balance and flexibility.

Moreover, floor pillows and cushions have a homey look. When not in use, just stack them neatly in a corner, reclaiming your walking space. Below are details to consider when shopping.

Dimensions – The seat should be at least 26 inches across, promoting relaxation and stability. For thickness, aim for 3 to 5 inches.

Filler – Most affordable is polyester. Yet, foam is more resilient, maintaining its shape over time.

Fabric – Chenille and velvet are luxurious! Breathable options are cotton, corduroy, linen, and polyester. Tufting adds character while ramping up comfort and longevity.

Other helpful features are carry handles, backrests, and machine washable covers.

9. Cloud Couch/Sofa

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For supreme luxury, there’s the cloud couch, where you customize the size to fit your space. Its iconic features are white, enormous, deep-set cushions filled with goose down. So, upon sitting, you free-fall into softness.

The cloud couch is the brainchild of Restoration Hardware. Its smallest modular piece is 6 feet long, retailing for $4,000. Then, each additional unit costs another $4,000. Thus, the cloud is a pricey purchase, favored by many celebrities.

This mammoth furnishing poses some challenges. For starters, the oversized frame is hard to squeeze through doors.

Since the upholstery is 100 percent linen, wrinkles are rampant. Moreover, the down pillows deflate with use, needing regular fluffing. Lastly, the base sits low. Thus, climbing out of the cloud takes effort.

A better value is a cloud couch “dupe” or lookalike. Consider one with vegan filler, sparing geese of painful plucking and a brutal death. Meanwhile, vegan dupes can bring the same heavenly comfort as a genuine cloud couch.

10. Daybed

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Would you like a combination bed and sofa that’s fun to own? If so, opt for a daybed.

Its frame has three sides, typically housing a twin mattress. Some models feature storage drawers or a wheeled pull-out bed called a “trundle.” As a sofa, the average daybed fits three adults.

Popular frame materials are metal, wood, upholstered fabric, and wicker. Most manufacturers sell their frames and mattresses separately.

I recommend buying a spring mattress. Memory foam lacks resilience, compressing too much with sitting.

Now, let’s talk about the fun part – dressing up your daybed! First, choose your color palette, matching that of your living room.

Then, decide whether to get a daybed cover set. It comes with shams, pillowcases, a bed skirt, and possibly a quilt or comforter.

Or, you can handpick the accessories, such as attractive slipcovers and throw pillows. Still, avoid using a standard twin comforter as it won’t tuck into the frame.

11. Oversized Recliner

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Folks will feel like royalty in this king-sized chair! An oversized recliner measures at least 50 inches in width.

To fit one in your living room, you need 1 to 3 feet of space from a wall. This way, when the chair tilts back, it won’t scrape off the paint or leave scuff marks.

Oversized recliners come in two types of upholstery, fabric and leather. Fabric is softer and cushier but more susceptible to staining. While leather cleans easier, scratches can ruin it. Additionally, leather costs more than fabric and isn’t vegan.

As with all recliners, when you raise your feet above heart level, you experience zero gravity. This position relieves pressure on your abdomen, joints, and muscles.

Consequently, tension dissolves. If you have a history of back pain, zero gravity may bring relief. Meanwhile, an oversized recliner promotes better digestion and calmer breathing.

For additional living room seating, consider furnishings that fit more people. Prime candidates are a futon, daybed, floor pillows and cushions, and poufs.

Styles

Lastly, I’d like to categorize the above options as four basic styles. This way, you can better evaluate the ideal couch alternatives for your home.

• Bed/Sofa – futon, daybed, loveseat, and chaise lounge sofa
• Formal – ottoman and oversized recliner
• Casual – bean bag, poufs, floor pillows and cushions, and swing chairs
• Lavish – cloud couch dupe

Whatever you choose, everyone will love sitting in your living room!