If you have your heart set on finding a mid-century modern sofa, shop strategically. “We recommend clients visit a local retailer or showroom so they can try out the furniture pieces for themselves,” says Karen Nepacena, owner and principal designer at Destination Eichler. “[I]f that’s not possible, it’s important to read all the online reviews, especially the poor ones, and check your measurements not once, but several times.” Here are the best places to buy mid-century modern sofas online, backed by our research. The brand’s modular sofas can be customized based on your preferences for fabric (performance fabric, leather, and velvet are the only options), leg finish, arm style (slope, arch, or block), and cushion style (flat or tufted). The company also sells ottomans, accent chairs, and coordinating pieces like the Serif Coffee Table, which has its roots in mid-century Danish modernism. Unfortunately, showrooms are currently limited to just four cities: New York, Boston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. If your furniture costs more than $999, Article won’t charge you for front-door delivery. The shipping experience also tends to be easy and seamless (our tester called it “almost too easy”)—and although assembly may be required, it’s usually not a hassle. Wait times are clearly listed on the product pages. Every piece is quality-made but can vary between different styles. However, Article’s customer service is excellent should you have any problems. The Chelsea Sofa has a distinctive-looking pleated back, and our tester said that the Preston Sofa was “absolutely beautiful and surpassed our expectations.” The company also carries complementary furniture for the bedroom, dining room, and home office. Although the prices are a little high, sales are frequent; a recent end-of-summer promotion offered 30 percent off everything. If you have pets or kids (or other messy types living with you), you’ll want to read their guide to pet- and kid-friendly fabrics before making a final selection. One note: the retailer has just nine showrooms currently, mostly in big cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Austin. However, you can also register on their site to hear about pop-up events. Casara Modern offers an impressive list of their own in-house fabrics, along with hundreds more options through commercial textile distributor Mayer (note that they don’t offer other customization options like changing the leg style, leg color, etc.). Your biggest issue will be narrowing it down to one, but the excellent customer service team can help. They also allow shoppers to provide their own fabric at no extra charge. If you’re looking for pieces to pair with your new couch, Casara Modern also sells coordinating chairs, end tables, and restored vintage furniture items through their sister site Urban Americana. Unfortunately, they only have one showroom in California, so most shoppers will only be able to browse online. Still, they make durable furniture and back their products with a standard five-year warranty. All Modern is known for having responsive customer service, align with plenty of unusual fabric options like tweed, twill, leather, and velvet (though they have fewer customization options than other retailers). Reviews are a big part of the shopping experience, and some couches may have thousands of write-ups to pore over. This is important since the quality may vary between different sofas from different brands. There’s also a fairly large sale section, with markdowns on popular brands like Blu Dot. With one showroom in Massachusetts, most shoppers will likely shop online. Unfortunately, many of Scandinavian Designs’ pieces only come in one color, so this retailer isn’t the best option if you’re looking to customize a particular piece. Still, each piece retains high-quality construction that should last for years in your home. And the site also has a robust clearance section—at the time of publication, there were a few mid-century sofas discounted. Scandinavian Designs was founded in the 1960s by an entrepreneur who sourced furniture from his native Norway, and there are stores in 14 different states. Some pieces are only available in-store, so we highly recommend stopping by if there’s one in your local area. While the price range on their pieces is higher than other retailers, they have a nice mix of materials to choose from, including leather, velvet, and a post-consumer polyester-linen blend. If you need a sleeper, the queen-size Diplomat Sleeper Sofa has a wooden frame and is an elegant alternative to the usual clunky pull-out couches. “[W]hen it’s not used for sleeping, the high-resiliency foam cushions keep you comfortable and supported,” says our tester. For something simple and straightforward, the Guide Sofa comes in four different fabric choices and two shades of wood (walnut or white oak) for the legs. We like that many of their pieces have fabric, frame, and other customization options to help make the pieces uniquely yours. Even better, they focus on sustainability and make sure their pieces are durable and long-lasting. Note that some options require assembly, but Blu Dot offers in-home delivery and assembly. At press time, a search for “mid-century sofa” brought up more than 1,000 results, though the list dropped to less than 400 when filtered by Prime sellers only. The classic-looking Rivet Cove Tufted Apartment Sofa costs about $800 and gets lots of high marks. For something funkier (and under $300), we love the orange Christopher Knight Bridie Loveseat. Depending on the brand, there are various fabric and customization options to choose from. Be sure to read reviews carefully and keep an eye out for potential pitfalls in quality, such as foam cushions that don’t withstand the test of time or items that arrive in poor condition due to shipping issues with the seller. Also, return policies can vary, so check the specific seller’s policy before you click “Buy Now.” Many sofas on Apt2B have more than 50 fabrics to choose from, and you can often customize the wood for your leg color as well. You can also sort by American-made options, which some shoppers will appreciate. The company has a 100-day return policy, so you can really take your time getting to know your couch, though make sure to read the fine print as it’s the shopper’s responsibility to cover shipping. While they have higher prices than other retailers, the frame and workmanship on each sofa are covered by a lifetime guarantee. Unfortunately, they do not have a physical showroom, so you can only shop online. In terms of design, Inside Weather is not exactly reinventing the wheel, but styles like the Jett Sofa and the Soba Sofa are beautiful and functional. Besides typical three-seater sofas, Inside Weather also has sectionals, armchairs, and sofettes (similar to loveseats), including a cozy-looking one with a chaise extension. One thing that stands out about Inside Weather is their commitment to eco-friendly practices: Not only are their shipping methods carbon-negative, but they also resell “lightly loved” returned furniture at deeply discounted prices in their sale section to reduce landfill waste. Each piece is made to be durable and long-lasting and is backed by a one-year warranty. You’ll also have fun browsing the more contemporary and futuristic options, like the 98-Inch Cumulus Fabric Sofa, which is made completely by hand and has tufting that’s reminiscent of a giant cloud. Another option, the graphic-looking Swoosh Modular Sofa, was designed to mimic the conversation sets that were popular during the ‘70s. While there aren’t as many customization options as other retailers, each sofa has various fabric options to choose from. You can even order fabric samples to test in your home. All in all, Kardiel is ideal for the buyer who is tuned into the history of mid-century decor, wants to make a serious statement, and doesn’t mind splurging a bit to do so. A recent perusal of the site turned up finds like a 1950s daybed sofa from Germany (for $500) and a funky purple leatherette Italian loveseat with a starting bid of around $500 and a “buy it now” price of $1,300. To find sofas quickly, simply go to the mid-century modern landing page and navigate to seating, then sofas. There are dozens of filters you can apply as well, such as new, vintage, “21st-century pre-owned,” location, place of origin, and “in stock now.” Since there are so many options available, it’s easy to find different fabric options, but there aren’t any customization options. Some pieces can be purchased outright (and in some cases, you must negotiate an offer), others are up for auction, and some are a combination. If you’re serious about finding a piece, make sure you act fast on 1stDibs since the turnover is quick. While we wish that there were more customization and color choices, given the prices and the excellent customer service, Castlery is a good option if you’re not set on a specific color and are trying to stick to a budget. There are also lots of sale items, and there’s an especially helpful ready-to-ship sale section that includes mid-century-inspired pieces like the Hans Sofa with Ottoman, which has flared legs and armrests and simple tufting. Although there’s no showroom, Castlery has created an impressive virtual studio that allows shoppers to navigate through it in 3D mode, pull up product details, and even measure items. Each sofa is made with high-quality, durable materials and is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty to protect your purchase. Sofas start at about $2,200 and quickly increase. Many pieces hover in the $4,000 to $7,000 range, though the Wood Frame Sofa, which comes in eight different leather shades and is designed to look as though it’s floating, costs more than $21,000. The website is easy to explore, and the In Stock section can help people narrow down options that are ready to ship—at press time, there were nearly 50 sofas available immediately. Design history lovers can also nerd out in the Shop by Style section, where you can sort by different types of modern design, such as Postmodern, Nordic Minimalism, Modern Pastoral, and Bauhaus Industrial. DWR allows you to customize the upholstery of each item, along with other minor design details, like wood paneling. Each sofa is designed with top-quality materials, and some have specific maintenance requirements. However, the brand offers care instructions for various materials on its website. Bianca Pineda, a staff writer covering bedding, bath, and home decor content for The Spruce, contributed additional reporting. She spoke with Carlie Rice, social media manager at Havenly, for insights on the mid-century modern style, along with decor tips.
