Short answer: To compare sofas for long-term value, whether modular or traditional, work out the cost per year of use instead of comparing price tags. Add up what you expect to spend, including delivery, covers and repairs, divide by the years you expect to use the sofa, and then check the frame, the foam, the fabric, the covers and the warranty. A good value sofa lets you wash, repair or replace one part instead of buying the whole sofa again.
Two sofas with the same price can cost very different amounts over ten years. The same checks work at any price level, so you can compare a modular sofa with a traditional one, or with a high-end sofa, using facts instead of names.
On This Page
- How do you work out the cost per year of a sofa?
- Which quality signals can you check yourself?
- What is inside our cushions?
- How durable is the fabric?
- Modular or traditional: which holds its value longer?
- Eight questions to ask any retailer
- Our recommendation
- Explore our sofas
How do you work out the cost per year of a sofa?
Cost per year puts every sofa on the same scale, whatever the price tag. Use this formula and fill in your own quotes.
Cost per year = (purchase price + delivery and setup + covers, parts or repairs you expect to pay for) ÷ years you expect to use the sofa
How do you work out the cost per year of a sofa?
| Line | Traditional sofa | Modular sofa |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | P1 (your quote) | P2 (your quote) |
| Delivery and setup | D1 | D2 |
| What you pay when the fabric or cushions wear out | R1: a new sofa or full reupholstery | R2: one cover, cushion or module |
| Years you expect to use it | N1 | N2 |
| Cost per year | (P1 + D1 + R1) ÷ N1 | (P2 + D2 + R2) ÷ N2 |
A short worked example with placeholders. Sofa A costs P and you replace the whole sofa after Y years, so its cost per year is P ÷ Y. Sofa B also costs P, you replace one cover for R after Y years, and you keep using it until year Z. Its cost per year is (P + R) ÷ Z. Sofa B is the better value whenever (P + R) ÷ Z is lower than P ÷ Y. The more of the sofa you can fix instead of replace, the smaller R becomes.
For our sofas, our design expectations are 7 to 10+ years for the whole sofa, and 10 to 15 years if you swap cushions, covers or modules instead of buying a new sofa. These are expectations, not guarantees, and they depend on use and care. Our guide to how long our sofas last explains each part, and our guide on whether our sofas are worth the money covers how we think about price. Check the size before you compare value: a sofa that does not fit is poor value at any price, and our sofa size guide helps.
Which quality signals can you check yourself?
Ask for specifics, not adjectives. Each row below is something a retailer should be able to state plainly, with what we offer next to it.
Which quality signals can you check yourself?
| What to check | Why it matters | What we offer |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | The frame is the part you cannot replace cheaply | Solid wood in the high-stress areas. Each seat is tested to 600 lb and rated for 350 lb for everyday use. Our design expectation for the frame is 20+ years |
| Seat foam | Denser foam resists long-term softening | D35 high-density foam in Ciello and Gaia, with layered foam in our other collections (details below) |
| Fabric abrasion | Martindale rubs show wear resistance | From 15,000 to more than 200,000 double rubs, depending on the fabric (table below) |
| Removable, washable covers | Washing covers is cheaper than replacing a sofa | Fully removable, machine-washable upholstery on Ciello, Gaia and Atmosphere. On Neptune and Orian, the seat and back cushion covers come off, and the arm and base covers are fixed |
| Replaceable parts | You fix one part instead of buying a new sofa | Replacement covers for Atmosphere, Cassini, Ciello and Gaia, and individual modules on each product page |
| Warranty | It shows how long the maker stands behind the build | A 5-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects |
| Accident cover | Spills and tears are not manufacturing defects | Optional CozeyProtection+ on sofas, sectionals and sofa beds: 3 years of coverage for stains, spills, tears and breaks, added when you order |
| Trial and swatches | You can test before you commit | A 30-day free trial and free swatches |
What is inside our cushions?
Foam is hard to judge by looking, so ask for the layers. A D number is a foam density rating. Density and firmness are not the same thing: a higher number does not automatically mean a firmer seat.
- Ciello and Gaia: a D35 foam core, 2.4 inches thick in the seat cushion, wrapped in fiber fill, over an additional 1.5 inch D35 base layer. The softness is cloud-like, and the loose cushions need fluffing every one to two weeks.
- Atmosphere: medium-firm layered foam that holds its shape without regular fluffing. The sleeper seat cushion has three layers of about 2 inches, 4.7 inches and 2 inches, about 8.7 inches in total.
- Neptune: firm, layered foam. The sleeper seat is about 5.1 inches thick in total, in three layers of D35, D28 and D18 foam.
- Orian: a firm seat of 4.3 inches of D35 foam with a thin fiber layer on top.
Our comfort guide explains how each collection feels, so you can match the foam to how you sit.
How durable is the fabric?
Martindale testing counts the double rubs a fabric survives before it wears. A higher count means more wear resistance, but it does not tell you how a fabric handles pet claws, pilling or stains. Our guide to sofa fabric types and our explainer on performance fabric go deeper.
How durable is the fabric?
| Fabric | Martindale double rubs | Example colors |
|---|---|---|
| Aquaforte Velvet | More than 200,000 | Chocolate, Aqua |
| Performance Textured Weave | 54,000 | Mocha, Cerulean |
| Performance Chenille | 48,000 | Sage, Espresso |
| Corduroy | 15,000 | Cypress Green |
| Bouclé | 15,000 | Cloud |
Corduroy and bouclé pass the abrasion test for home upholstery, so choose them mainly for their texture and look. When a retailer says "performance fabric", ask for the exact fabric name and its count, because the label alone does not say how it will wear.
Modular or traditional: which holds its value longer?
It depends on whether your life changes. A modular sofa is built from separate seats, arms, corners, chaises and ottomans, so it can follow you. Our guide to modular sofas explained covers the basics, and are modular sofas worth it weighs the trade-offs.
- Reconfigure: add, remove or rearrange compatible modules when a room changes.
- Replace one part: swap a cover or a module on compatible collections instead of the whole sofa.
- Move house: modules ship and travel in separate boxes, and you can rebuild the sofa to suit the next room.
- Add seats: start with a two-seater and grow later, within compatible collections.
A traditional sofa wins on a seamless look and on zero assembly, and it is the simpler choice if your room and household will stay the same. Modular sofas have visible seams between modules, and setup takes about 20 minutes per module on Atmosphere, Ciello, Gaia and Neptune.
Eight questions to ask any retailer
Use these for any sofa, including ours. A clear answer to each one is a good sign.
1. What is the frame made of, and how is it tested?
2. What foam is in the seat, and how thick and dense is each layer?
3. What is the exact fabric name, and what is its Martindale count?
4. Do the covers come off, and can I machine wash them?
5. Can I replace one cover, cushion or module?
6. What does the warranty cover, for how long, and what voids it?
7. What happens if the sofa is damaged by accident?
8. Can I try it first, through a trial, free swatches or both, and can I add seats later?
Our recommendation
Pick by how long you want to keep the sofa and how much you want to be able to fix.
- If you want the softest seat: Ciello or Gaia, with fully washable covers and a willingness to fluff the cushions.
- If you want less cushion upkeep: Atmosphere, with medium-firm layered foam.
- If the sofa must also be a bed: Neptune or Orian, keeping in mind that their arm and base covers are fixed.
- If you want the lowest cost per year: choose the fabric with the highest count you like, add the optional CozeyProtection+ if accidents are likely, and fix instead of replace.
If you want help matching a layout to your room, you can book a free design consultation.
Explore our sofas
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.