When shopping for a sofa, one of the decisions to keep in mind is how many seat cushions you prefer. It might not be something you pay attention to naturally, but it is an important consideration. I am going to go over the three basic types--bench seat, two-cushion, and three-cushion seats—and explain the differences. Note that these are general guidelines and often depend on the overall scale of the sofa. A more standard 85” wide sofa might have different considerations than a 100” wide sofa.

Bench Seat

Sofas with bench seats are my personal favorite. I think they look very tidy and tailored, and they offer the benefit of being able to squeeze in an extra person without worrying about who gets “the crack.” The bench seat offers more space because it doesn’t visually demarcate seats. This is particularly true when it also has a “tight back” (no back cushions) as shown above.

However, especially if you are using a patterned upholstery fabric, you might end up with seams. Without going into terms like “railroaded” and “up the roll” fabric application here, I recommend you ask the upholsterer or sales person about whether seams will be present so you can make an informed decision. If even tiny seams along the width of the sofa will bother you, select a solid fabric without a definite direction and ask that it be “railroaded”. And sometimes the seams are present as a design feature, no matter what the fabric, so ask!

Another consideration is stains; obviously, there are only two sides and one cushion, so it’s a bit harder to hide an unremovable stain if it happens twice (once on each side). However, with performance fabrics and talented upholstery cleaning specialists, I am less bothered by this scenario occurring. I would rather use a high-quality performance fabric and even an upholstery-protecting spray service like Fiber Seal or Ultra-Guard.

No matter how many cushions on the sofa, I recommend that my client regularly flip them to ensure even wear over time. I flip and rotate my own cushions quarterly, with the change in season, as an easy way to remember.

Finally, if you like to nap on your sofa, a bench seat offers a more uniform platform than one with cracks.

Two-cushion

The image above has two seat cushions. Specifically, it is what we call a “two over two” sofa, or two back cushions with two seat cushions. If you think about where the sofa is going, and how many people you need to fit on it, that will help you decide if this is the right choice for your room. The two wide seat cushions are very roomy, and if you usually only need to seat two adults per sofa, it works out. When children are on a two-cushion sofa, they squeeze in three-to-a-sofa without minding the crack. The look is a bit more relaxed than a bench seat.

It is easier to clean the cushions on a multi-cushion sofa or, heaven forbid, flip a cushion with an unremovable stain. Again, though, performance fabrics and a good upholstery cleaner will save you. Please also rotate and flip your cushions regularly for best long-term wear.

If you are using a fabric with a pattern, please make sure the upholsterer is aware of correct pattern placement on each cushion.

Three-cushion

The statements above regarding two-cushion sofas apply for three-cushion sofas as well, with the additional note that (given an equal overall sofa width) a three-cushion sofa tends to look more formal than a two-cushion sofa. Each seat will be narrower. It is possible for three adults to have their own cushion. (Whether unrelated guests will want to sit that close to each other is also debatable— that’s getting pretty cozy.) Because each seat is narrower, a three-cushion sofa is not designed to maximize comfort and will probably be best suited for a sitting room or formal living room where guests tend to sit a bit more upright and formally.

I cannot stress enough that the above generalizations are dependent on the overall scale of the sofa. I’m sure there are some very roomy three-cushion sofas, but they are probably also wider overall.

I hope this little guide has been helpful, and if you need assistance sourcing the right furniture for your project, do not hesitate to reach out.