The couch you choose says a lot about your space and your taste. Arguably the grounding piece in your living room, couch shopping naturally tends to bring out the indecision in all of us. So we research: We scroll on Instagram and Tiktok, we look to celebrities, and—if you’re really tapped in—you google buying guides and consume every credible online review in search of the most authentic sentiments. But in a market as oversaturated as the furniture industry, what gives a sofa undisputable appeal in 2026?
“The couch is one of the more interesting pieces of furniture because it really is reflective of current emotional signaling,” says Los Angeles–based journalist Leonora Epstein, who also writes the design newsletter Schmatta. Epstein deduces that in the current cultural climate, mass market appeal boils down to bigger questions on how we approach our home lives. “Are we feeling more introverted and thus sitting on couches with oversized cushions and cozy textiles? Or are we feeling more exuberant and trying on couches meant for entertaining?”
Proposing an answer to Epstein’s hypotheticals, 2025 ushered in an era of soft-looking modular couch builds, often lower or fully grounded in profile, as the most dominant mass-produced designs, a trend we don’t see stopping any time soon in 2026. “People are gravitating toward pieces that feel relaxed and lounge-driven rather than overly structured,” says Tricia Benitez Beanum, an estate sale specialist, interior stylist, and owner of LA–based vintage showroom Pop Up Home. “There’s a real return to furniture that supports conversation and intimacy at home. Modular sofas naturally encourage that.”
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Those embedded in the furniture resale market like Beanum and product designer Chyelle Milgrom have a close understanding of what’s sought-after by second-hand buyers. Better known by her online moniker @fbmarketslut, Milgrom turned her passion for thrifted furniture into a business when she opened her namesake vintage furniture store and cafe in Bushwick last year. “On the more progressive end of the spectrum, postmodern, relaxed silhouettes (think: saggy, low-slung sofas like the Natuzzi and Maralunga) have already emerged as the current It style among the cool and chic,” she says. “They align closely with the cavalier, moody, and understatedly sleek direction we’ve been seeing in fashion.”
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Naturally, the alignment of furniture and fashion provides a source of inspiration for celebrity interior designers like Tiffany Howell, founder of LA-based studio Night Palm. Last year, her Poet sofa, a buzzy collaboration with Ellison Studios, made waves for its refreshing interpretation of ’70s-leaning silhouettes. Howell describes her design process the same way a couturier might describe fitting a bespoke gown. “I think about posture, how fabric falls on the body, the tension between structure and softness.” Those in the know, like Epstein, took note of the “Bond-like curved sofa,” plastered all over social media feeds. We even pinpointed it as a zeitgeisty followup to Ellison Studios’ beloved Muse sofa.
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Ellison Studios Muse Sofa
Ellison Studio’s Muse Sofa reviewed as part of AD’s annual Seat Week in 2022.
Howell proposes that we’re on the cusp of seeing more refinement in the year ahead. “In 2025, silhouettes felt relaxed but confident. We saw exaggerated softness everywhere,” she muses. “The desire for comfort is not going anywhere, but we’re moving from overinflation to balance. We will still see softness, but with better tailoring and clearer proportions.”
Amy Auscherman, director of archives and brand heritage at MillerKnoll, agrees that design predilections are pointing toward styles that blend softness with sculptural, architectural silhouettes—which she sees as a trend-resistant shift that’s bound to repeat itself time and time again. “John Pawson’s Drift Collection for Herman Miller and Johnston Marklee’s Biboni for Knoll were two new releases that, for me, represent the contemporary exploration of architectural softness.”
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Drift Sofa by John Pawson
John Pawson's Drift collection approaches living room seating with a cozy, minimalist design philosophy.
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Overwhelmingly, many of the experts we spoke to expressed their interest in seeing bolder colors and prints flood the market. “Diagonal stripes, layered textiles, unexpected combinations—I’d love to see less tone-on-tone and more confidence with color, texture, and print,” says Beanum.
“Particularly among niche interior design enthusiasts, [there] is a growing appetite for sofas with stronger character,” agrees Milgrom. “Pieces featuring funky or ornate patterns, carved frames inspired by styles like Spanish Revival, or traditional detailing applied to modern forms are gaining traction.”
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The explosive intrigue around Kendall Jenner’s living-room-anchoring chintz floral sectional, masterminded by AD100 designer Heidi Callier, epitomises this shift. “We wanted something a bit more modern for Kendall's sofa. I loved the idea of mixing a classic traditional chintz with a more modern sofa shape,” says Callier. Of course, it’s easier for a couch to have a viral moment if it appears in an A-lister’s home like Jenner, and Open Door viewers were quick to express their fondness for the sprawling sectional with comments praising the bold design choice.
Still, Callier deserves her flowers (chintz, of course), for how she deftly flirts with experimental upholstery stylings. “I love a printed sofa done in an impactful textile. I started using these in projects many years ago and they are always the thing clients love the most,” Callier told us. “I think there is a fear of using pattern in a bold way, on a piece of upholstery, but it can really make a room.”
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House of Hackney Equuis Wilton Sofa
Use House of Hackney’s Wilton sofa to energize your space with a healthy dose of zebra print à la Paloma Elsesser.
At the end of the day, the desire for longevity is still key to not just owning a memorable couch, but loving it years down the line. “I’ve changed out my sofa five times over the past decade and I’d like to not continue that habit,” says Epstein. She suggests monitoring Milgrom’s favorite haunt, Facebook Marketplace, to get a sense of what buyers are offloading from major retailers. “It’s also a great way to see how certain models hold up over time.”
Milgrom adds that shopping second hand not only makes an impact in your design scheme, but it can also be a more environmentally sound choice. “As a vintage lover, I’m especially drawn to the idea of people giving beautiful vintage upholstery a second life; it’s often far better quality than what you’ll find on new, generic, mass-produced sofas, [which] end up rotting away in landfills.”
“The silhouette should endure; the fabric can evolve,” agrees Howell. “Sofa exhaustion is real. When we see the same silhouette over and over, especially without true comfort attached to it, it begins to feel hollow.” Beanum simply puts it: “If a design is strong to begin with, it never really goes out of style. Great pieces always find their way into the conversation.”
