5 Couch Alternatives to Keep You Lounging in Style

Sofas are fine and all, but couch alternatives can open up bigger realms of comfort and style. Don't feel like you're stuck with the traditional options, especially if you're running low on space. There's cooler choices out there.

A couch is the usual way to furnish your living room. The main concern is that if people are staying over, they need a place to sleep and relax.

If you don't have a guest bedroom, a couch is the only way to host people without giving up your own bedroom, or so people think. However, if you look around, there are several other ways to furnish your living room without investing in an expensive couch.

5 Couch Alternatives

The following are the five best alternatives to couches. You'll soon see all of the benefits they can offer that a typical sofa can't, and perhaps decide you like these even better than the regular types of couches.

Futon

A futon gets a bad reputation when it's used in an adult home, but the negative PR aside, nobody can deny that any types of futons can be one of the most convenient and functional additions to your home.

They are comfortable in the short term, they don't take up too much room and if you have a guest visiting, this is a great way to make space for them without giving up your own bedroom. They're not only great sofa alternatives, but are even more common in some cultures than a couch.

Ultimately over the long-term, a futon's sufficient support is revealed to not be enough compared to a regular couch or mattress. The material compresses, you feel the bars or boards beneath you, you have decreased temperature regulation, and you'll begin to feel the lack of proper body support.

The great thing about a futon is that since they're foldable, you can simply put them away when you don't need them. It's a perfect alternative to a couch as it doesn't tempt you with lounging when you are working from home on a busy day.

At the same time, if you want to stretch out in front of the television on a weekend, this is one of the best ways to furnish your home. Everyone knows laying on the floor is super relaxing, and doing it on a comfy cushion like this is even better.

You can also get futons in a variety of styles and colors to brighten up any room. Just as there's a lot of aesthetic variety in couches, a futon also offers a lot of versatility in terms of design.

You can experiment with a lot of colors and various kinds of fabric to make your living room seem homely and grown up. If you live in an apartment and are strapped for space, a futon is one of the best ways to make sure there is room to sit when people come over, but at the same time also have floor space so your apartment looks bigger.

Loveseat

Whether you live alone or live with a full family with little kids, a loveseat is an interesting and stylish way to furnish your living room without taking up as much space.

A loveseat will serve the same purpose as a sofa but at the same time, it will take the style quotient a notch higher and it makes for a better way to add warmth to your home. Everyone loves to sit on these double cushion length seats.

If you're on your own, you can stretch out on an entire loveseat and enjoy an afternoon reading or watching television. If there are more people around, a loveseat is spacious enough to accommodate people just like a couch would.

A loveseat is one of the best ways for someone who lives alone to furnish their home. You can avoid buying a large couch that only takes up room—especially when you don't need that kind of space on your own. Why is it called a loveseat anyways? Turns out it was designed for couples, but a single person can enjoy it all the same.

If you have people over occasionally, the loveseat can be more than adequate as a replacement for a sofa. Of course, even if you had a couch you would have to have other seat arrangements in order. So whether you have a couch or a loveseat, you'll do this either way.

But one of the best things about a loveseat is that it is a great looking piece of furniture. Even the most poorly designed loveseat looks fashionable and elegant. You can play around with a variety of fabrics and colors, getting the perfect loveseat that matches your walls and the aesthetic of your room.

Chaise

A chaise is like a sofa, but it has legs like a chair and the seat is elongated for people to stretch out and be comfortable. A chaise is an elegant piece of furniture that'll give your living room a sophisticated, European parlor look.

Technically, the whole term is ‘chaise longue’ which is colloquially shortened to chaise. In French, a ‘chaise’ is simply a chair, and a ‘chaise longue’ refers to a long, reclining chair.

The literal translation in English would be ‘long chair’. In many ways, it is like a deck chair but it is richly upholstered and is furniture for the interiors of your home and may not make for great deck furniture.

A chaise is an extremely comfortable piece of furniture not only for lounging, but even to sit and work. If you work from home or have to bring back home from the office, but don't feel like sitting at a desk and chair, a chaise lounge is a great way to simply recline and work comfortably.

Of course, this is not a great solution if you are looking for a long-term workstation. For that, browse through the types of desks so you know what your real options are.

However, if that is what you end up using your couch for anyway, a chaise lounge is a much better alternative because it'll give better posture for your spine. Health should always be taken into account.

A chaise lounge also does not take up as much floor space as a couch and will make the room look spacious even as you get plenty of room to unwind and straighten your spine.

Floor Cushions

Who says you need to stick to all the conventions when you are decorating and furnishing your home, especially with all these couch alternatives out there? There's no ground rule that says you absolutely must have a couch in your living room.

In fact, you can do away with all conventional furniture and make use of your floor for comfortable and cozy seating arrangements. Floor cushions instantly make a room look warmer and more inviting. It's very Bohemian.

If you're young, live alone, and have people over occasionally, floor cushions are a great way to keep your home light and spacious. If there are older people living in the house, or if you are going to be hosting elderly people, floor cushions, of course, may not be the most comfortable.

But if that's not a concern, your friends and younger guests will, of course, have a good time even on floor cushions. In fact, kids may actually prefer to sit on floor cushions. I do and I'm middle-aged. With kids you just need to learn how to deodorize a couch because they're going to get these things nasty over time.

What’s more, a floor cushion doesn't have to be fixed in one place. You can move it around easily without any trouble. If this is a rented accommodation, investing in floor cushions instead of a couch will also make it easier for you to move around.

Floor cushions are also versatile because you can experiment a lot with style, fabric and color. It also won't cost a lot of money to change the cushions, get them re-feathered or to simply replace the outer covering to change the style and color.

They're great, light, and convenient alternatives couches which would be laborious, to say the least, to move around. In fact, you can also experiment with a minimalist Japanese floor seating aesthetic!

Bean Bags

If you have kids at home, a bean bag will be a huge hit with them. Bean bags are one of the most exciting couch alternatives. They may not be the most comfortable to sit and work on (but to be honest, you shouldn't be working on your couch either).

But bean bags certainly do make for extremely comfortable seating arrangements to lounge on a weekend or to watch television and play video games after a long day at work. Kids can jump on them and you don't have to worry about the couch sliding around and scratching the floor.

A bean bag is also flexible so you can move it around without much to worry about. They also don't need to be confined to a single room. If you want to bring the beanbag into your bedroom, to the guest room, or even to the balcony or terrace, that can be done without hassle. Of course, the same can't be said of a heavy couch.

A bean bag also doesn't cost a lot of money and when you think you're sinking into the bean bag too much, you can get them refilled, again, without spending a lot of money. If you live alone, a bean bag is certainly a better alternative to a couch.

It won’t take up any space and you do not need to spend a ton of cash on an expensive sofa and other more elaborate furniture. A beag bag is also available in a variety of different colors so you can match it with the rest of your room and the colors of the walls.

Alternatives to Couches & Sofas Are Sweet!

When you think of furnishing your living room or family room, it seems like a very obvious decision to invest in a good couch. But the more you think about it, the more you may realize that other options don't cost as much money and don't require as much work to maintain.

The options that have been mentioned above are some of the most cost effective and easy ways to replace a couch in your living room. It'll hurt your pocket a lot less to replace a bean bag or a floor cushion than to replace an expensive and fancy couch. Couch alternatives are the way to go.

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