How to pick the best sofa style for your space

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In the market for a used sofa? Shopping pre-owned and used sofas can be tough. Actually, let’s be real, it can be agonizing, as finding the perfect used sofa that fits your space is no simple task, especially with the number of living room furniture options available. Where do you begin, a tuxedo sofa? Or maybe the camelback sofa? Does it sound like we’re even speaking English to you at this point? Maybe you haven’t even heard of these and you thought you just had to decide between a standard sofa, sectional sofa, or a loveseat (shout out to all our readers who also live in small apartments!). Have no fear, we promise you, you’re not alone if you haven’t heard of half of these sofa styles. We’re going to give you a quick breakdown of the most common types of used sofas, in all styles. We’re talking modern sofas, traditional tufted couches, velvet sofas and more. We’ll help you find the one!

Ok, we’ll start with the tuxedo sofa because it sounds the fanciest. Just as it sounds, this is a luxury sofa. Think the black tie sofa, with a classic, cool style. This sofa was born in the 1920s, and is a contemporary sofa style. The silhouette is boxy, and generally the arms of the sofa are the same height as the back, giving it a sort of Gatsby living room style vibe. If you're looking for a sofa for a formal living room rather than a family room, this is probably the one for you. Its compact silhouette is also great if you’re trying to figure out how to downsize a living room!

Next, the camelback sofa. This one is easy to remember because its curvy silhouette honors its name. If you're looking for a traditional sofa but still want something cool, this is a great structured sofa. If you’re going for a romantic living room vibe, or a traditional living room style, this is the sofa you should have in mind. These are often claw-footed sofas, with scrolled arms. There are modern sofa takes on this classic style sofa, but we personally encourage you to go for the real, authentic used sofa. This sofa is traditionally seen as a 3-seater sofa, but also is great as a loveseat. Personal recommendation? Grab this as a velvet loveseat!

Ok, moving on, the Chesterfield sofa. We definitely think of restoration hardware’s Chesterfield sofa when we come to this style. Its a British style sofa, hallmarked by the tufted style in the upholstery. By the way, this sofa can come in a variety of materials, but we think its best either in a velvet fabric or brown leather. This sofa is traditional in style, but when accessorized in certain ways, it can really look fresh and funky! This is another boxy silhouetted sofa, so keep that in mind if that’s what your shopping for. Notice that like the tuxedo sofa, this style sofa is level in the back and sofa arms, which are also often scrolled. Depending on the style of the room, we’d make sofa upholstery recommendations for you. If you're looking for a masculine sofa, we’d recommend brown, black or navy leather. If you're furnishing a space with a lighter aesthetic, a pastel velvet chesterfield sofa can feel super fun and chic.

Ever see those sofas that almost look like what you saw in cartoons as a kid? A lot of them were based off of the English roll arm sofa. This silhouette is classic and will give your space a sophisticated style that still has playful hints that will remind you of being a kid. This sofa is a traditional sofa, but also works for a contemporary living room. The cushions are plush, so if you’re looking for a comfy sofa, you can’t go wrong here. While meeting traditional and sophisticated notes, this sofa can also fit a more casual space as well, depending on how you style it with your home decor!

Ok — sometimes you don’t want to search by bizarre sofa names you’ve never heard of, and its easy to hunt for your dream sofa by style instead. If this is your move, we recommend searching for a mid-century modern sofa, or just mid-century sofa if you’re lazy with your typing like we often are. These sofas are low profile, always functional, and simplistic in style. If you have a minimal living room, we absolutely recommend this style couch for you. If you’re wondering what brands have the best mid-century modern style sofas and living room furniture we always recommend starting with West Elm because no one does it better. Crate and barrel and Cb2 also have a great variety of mid-century sofas, so if you need some inspiration or a good starting point, we say go there too!

Finally the track arm sofa. We know, we’re sorry to hit you with another funky furniture name. If you need help remembering this one, think of those plush, cloud sofas you see in luxury homes on tv that you just want to sink into. These sofas are so comfortable, and normally extra wide, so they’re perfect for seating lots of guests. If you need a sofa to binge watch netflix, or work from home, and are prioritizing comfort, this is your sofa. These sofas are typically boxy in style, plush, and characterized by their giant sinkable cushions. The most famous track arm sofa? Definitely the Restoration hardware cloud sofa, Restoration hardware Belgian track arm sofa, or the Barrett track arm sofa from crate and barrel.

Overwhelmed yet? We hope not, but we do hope you enjoyed our guide on how to shop for your perfect living room sofa.