My experience with sofas from Pier 1 is that they are not very comfortable.

On the other hand, my mother has a sofa from Pier 1 which she has always thought is comfortable.

This may have something to do with the face that she is about five feet tall and I am five ten. I don't know.

But the foam cushions just don't make for comfortable sitting!

Yes, ten inches makes a BIG difference in comfort.

OKAY patrick (too)!!!!!!!!!!

That's ten exclamation points for ten very BIG very comfortable (or not) inches!!!!!!!!!!

girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl, I just couldn't resist! go on ....

What would be the better alternatives to foam and poly? Springs and cotton? Is there an AT article that outlines all of the different elements of a sofa and what to look for?

YCH,

there was a ny times H and H article where 2 upholsterers hit the fleas and looked at the innards of an upholstered chair and discussed the merits and dimerits of what to look for. Search for it, it wasn't too long ago. It was extremely enlightening.

I thought that most sofas have some kind of foam cushions. They might be wrapped in down or some batting, but aren't most cushions foam at the core? Also, most of the high-end Italian sofas I've seen (B&B Italia, MDF Italia, etc.) seem to have just foam cushions.

For that price I'd probably go with this CB2 Shelter sofa at $799:
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=102&f=2693

Like Curtis said, Pier 1 upholstered pieces seem a bit hard and stiff. (I'm opening a door here for P2)

Sorry, not Curtis, but Dave.

I got mine at La-Z-Boy and it's 74" wide. Many of their sofas come in what they call "apartment size", though you won't find them on the website. Mine was about $800. It's plenty comfy, and deep. I'm only five feet two, so that might have something to do with it.

I think Crate and Barrel and Room and Board have "small scale" sofa selections. Would be pricier though but worth it for what you get.

My girlfriend has a sofa of similar size from Pier 1. It is a foldout with foam cushions. The problem is, it's impossible to sit on it for more that two minutes without the seat cushions sliding out from underneath you. It is the single most uncomfortable piece of furniture I've ever sat on.

I doubt that you would have the same problem if this is not a foldout, which it does not appear to be. However, I just needed to kvetch.

olga, anne--

You complete me. ;)

If you are willing to spend a bit more ($100), I would check out the new Lenox sofa from Room and Board :

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB4121&dept=RB183

It is only 65" long but they also have an entire 'small-scale' sofa collection shown on the web-site. Back in Minneapolis (where they are based), everyone had a Room and Board sofa. I found them to be made well and comfortable. They have a store in Soho if you are in New York.

WOW! Bryan, you're my hero! I think you pointed me in the direction of the bed of my dreams...

Here's what I found after following your link:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB1225&dept=RB121

I wish I could tell if it's black/dark gray. I suspect it is because they say it's "Handcrafted from natural steel" ...so it shouldn't be brown, right?

Here's my current (cheap) bed. It's a canopy bed I bought on ebay for less than a hundred bucks almost four years ago. I'd like to replace it with something more high quality this year...

http://jalpuna.com/2005/10/a_new_home_in_t.shtml

A canopy bed with curtains instead of a canopy rocks in a loft!

Awe crap. A qucik call to room and board tells me that the entire had and foot sides of that bed are each one solid 80x55 inch piece. I don't think I could even get it into my loft. Anybody know where I can find something similar?

Wow, typo city there. Sorry!

Rob--

That is THE most gorgeous bed. I've lusted after that one for a while.

The color is definitely a warm gray... but has some almost-brown coloration to it. It is very rich and neutral, and definitely "reads" as a steely gray, with a fair amount of color variation (in a good way) when you get up close. But it is sealed so you don't get metal dust on your sheets.

If you want a cheap(er) way to check the color, and can't get to a R&B location, order one of their natural steel picture frames or picture ledges. Should give you an idea of the finish/color. I think it is a really gorgeous color.

But I find it hard to believe that bed can't be dismantled to fit just about anywhere... I'd call the 800# if you talked to a store, or vice-versa.

And I think we went to Typo City during one of our family car-trip vacations. :)

I like that bed, too. Space limitations forced me to settle for the Parsons Bed from Room and Board, which is made of the same steel. Patrick is very precise in his description of the color. I like the variation and raw/elemental look of it. Plus, it's indestructible! Good luck!

Rob, where'd you get your dining table?

Cilla - I wish I knew! I got it from some place in Dallas when I lived there a few years ago... The name of the place was Euro-something-or-other. I can't quite recall. They did have some great modern stuff though.

Rob, I'm betting you mean Eurway. They have a website:

http://www.eurway.com

Before IKEA arrived in Dallas, they were just about the only place one could find reasonably-priced furniture with clean lines. I have a couple of pieces from there and have been extremely happy with what I have. For what it's worth, I've always had a good experience in the store with their sales staff and delivery/assembly personnel.

I don't care for that CB2 Shelter sofa - the sides are too high! What a weird design. It's like wearing blinders - woe betide if you actually want to talk to someone who isn't on the (bitty) sofa with you. ;)

(This is where someone comes along and says, "Actually, they aren't that high," and I reply, "Piffle!" because I have nothing else to add.)

they are high, but I like that about shelter sofas--you can sink in and brood while life goes on around you. but I'm not sure that one is long enough to lie down, on, which would be a serious drawback.

All,

Thanks for the great info here on apartment-size sofas!
Does anyone have an experience with, or feedback on, the Eugene sofa from Room & Board (Linked from my name)?

We're a mixed height family, so I'm hoping this will work across heights!

I had a Pier 1 sofa, it looked great in the store, but turned out to be very uncomfortable.

I have the LLoyd sofa from Somnia. The legs come off so it was easy to get it up narrow stairway and around sharp corners. It's so comfortable and it's stylish. Not overstuffed, clean lines. Not sure where you are in Jersey, but they might deliver.
http://www.somniafurniture.com/shopsite/product23.html

I've never tried that exact sofa but I bought a different sofa from Pier 1 about 6 years ago and it was complete crap. It was so uncomfortable that we had to put pillows under the cushions to stabalize the seating. It felt good in the store and then it just dumped out at home.
Hope this helps.

Check this site.
We have one . Very good quality and plenty of storage.http://www.wiederusa.com/

I actually went out to look at (and sit on) the Alli sofa last weekend. I thought it was really comfortable and the perfect size -- it still looks like a sofa, not an oversized loveseat, if that makes any sense. Anyway, the only thing that held me back from buying it was the color selection -- it only comes in chocolate brown and a dark gray, neither of which work for my living room. Hope this helps!