Best Sofas for Apartments That Feel Stylish and Comfortable

When you live in an apartment, there are extra considerations you need to make when it comes to buying a sofa. As much as looks, style and comfort matters, you need to make sure you choose a sofa that you can get through your front door, stairway or lift in the first place. And if you're renting, you'll want to choose a sofa that works for your home now, but isn't too difficult to take with you if you ever decide to move.

Since your sofa will most likely be the biggest piece of furniture you'll buy, getting it wrong isn't always the easiest mistake to undo, so it's important to do a few practical checks when it comes to dimension, proportions and configurations.

I've spent weeks crawling the internet to find the best sofas for apartments, focusing on style, practical dimensions and configurations while reading through hundreds of reviews and testing some in their showrooms where possible.

Best Overall: Room & Board Metro Loveseat

Any time someone asks me for a sofa recommendation, I always point them to the Room & Board Metro. It performs well and nothing about it feels like you’re settling for less, from the solid construction to the high quality cushions and the clean design. It has a good range of color options to choose from and it leaves enough room around it for the rest of your apartment to actually function.

If you live within 40 miles of their stores, you can take advantage of their free in-home Fit Call service where they'll take measurements of your space to ensure your sofa can fit upon delivery. You also have the option to choose Room & Board’s full service delivery which includes assembly, placement and packaging removal which is useful if all you want to do is get straight to enjoying your couch.

Best Budget: IKEA KIVIK Sofa

IKEA’s KIVIK is another sofa that always gets a mention from me. It doesn’t try to be a premium sofa, it tries to be reliable and for the price it mainly does a good job.

It's a suitable choice for apartments because it comes in three large boxes that and is very easy to put together and take apart. It also has a supportive seat and good enough proportions to work in different layouts without completely taking over the room.

One of the best things about the KIVIK are its replaceable slipcovers that are also removable and machine washable, which means that spills, wear and just changing styles doesn’t mean you have to invest in a new sofa.

It’s worth noting that as long as this sofa has been around, there have been mixed opinions on the comfortability of the seat, with some people finding it just right and others considering it to be a little too firm, so if this could potentially be an issue for you then try it in store if you can. 

Best for Small Apartments or Studios: IKEA KLIPPAN Loveseat

The KLIPPAN has been around for a long time, which tells you something. It’s not a trend driven sofa but instead a simple compact two-seater that does what it needs to and fits when other sofas don’t. It's easy to assemble and the replaceable covers can also be washed.

It can easily fit through tight hallways, staircases and elevators so moving it into an apartment is easy to do. If you ever move into a bigger apartment, the KLIPPAN also works well as a secondary sofa.

When I tried it out in IKEA, the frame felt solid which most owners also confirmed is the case, but it has a firm seat that is better for sitting down rather than for lounging.

Best Sleeper: Joybird Briar Sleeper Sofa

Sleeper sofas have a reputation for solving one problem only to create another, whether that's an uncomfortable bed or sofa that doesn't look great, or a setup process that's more of an unnecessary hassle than it should be. The Briar doesn't come with that set of issues.

It's one of Joybird's bestsellers and has a single bench cushion that easily folds out into a comfortable queen mattress. As an everyday sofa it also does what it needs to do, and I like that the mid-century design makes it look like any other stylish sofa without it being obvious that it's a sleeper too. With a width of just 79 inches, it's a compact option that is suitable for both apartments and small spaces.

The frame feels solid, the seat is firm but comfortable and there are two options to choose from when it comes to the mattress. Though the standard mattress is good for occasional use, if you have frequent guests that usually stay a few nights, then upgrading to the TEMPUR-Response Memory Foam Mattress is a good idea and owners that have chosen to do so describe it as a step up from what most sleeper sofas offer.