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The Cloud Sofa. The name tells you everything you need to know. You can imagine how it will feel before you even sit in it, said designer Travis London, principal of Studio London Co. 600d Polyester Fabric In Pakistan
The sofa from RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) is found in celebrities' homes, including Kerry Washington and Kendall Jenner, and costs more than a luxury vacation. It's also as plush as the name suggests. "We want our couches in our living rooms to be inviting and comfortable," said London. "So that is why the sofa has become such an iconic sofa."
But with that luxury comes a high price tag. A three-piece sectional costs over $10,000. Since the Cloud couch debuted in 2015, many retailers have created more affordable versions. We asked four designers for their recommendations.
For a budget pick, London said Ikea's Härlanda couch comes pretty close, aesthetically, to the Cloud Sofa. "It has all those extra pillows so that's one great, affordable dupe," he said. The foam and polyester cushions likely won't have quite the same downy softness, though.
The Härlanda comes in a few configurations, and you can also customize it by adding a chaise (with a storage cubby) or more seating sections.
The low, chunky-armed Oceanside sofa from Crate & Barrel is a pick from designer Amber Guyton, creator of Blessed Little Bungalow. "It's not as, I would say, pillowy" as the RH sofa, she said. The cushions are a little firmer, but it's still soft and inviting.
You can get the Oceanside in either a sofa or sectional and customize its layout as well.
Even if it's lacking the oversized extra pillows, the couch ticks other boxes that make it Cloud-like. "The comfort is there. The durability is there. The customization with the different fabrics is there," Guyton said.
Leslie Murphy, owner and creative director at Murphy Maude Interiors, said TOV's Cali Peal Tweed Modular Sofa has a similar softness to the Cloud Sofa "with deep armrests for laidback lounging."
The Cali comes in either a sofa or sectional. The modular design means you can buy individual pieces to fit your room.
Murphy also likes the removable covers on the cushions, which makes them easier to clean.
Guyton has the Harmony sofa in her own home and says the wide, deep size of the cushions are very similar to RH's. "The padding is super comfortable," she said.
She's bought the sofa for several clients, who love it, too. It comes in a variety of sizes and configurations, so you can find something to fit your space. It's Guyton's top recommendation for getting close to the Could couch's softness and style.
Another sofa London recommends is the Ever Sofa from Crate & Barrel. "That is a sofa that's just very similar to the RH Cloud," he said. Even its throw pillows look very close.
As with other Crate & Barrel options, the Ever comes as a sofa or a sectional. It doesn't come in as many colors and fabrics as the brand's other couches on this list, however.
Though armless, the Grant is very similar to the RH Cloud, Guyton said. The aesthetic and plump pillow-top-type cushions are close to those of the iconic couch. The Grant also comes in a sectional.
Guyton recently tried the couch and said it feels as comfy as it looks. "it is like very heavenly," she said. "Very cloud-like."
Guyton said Crate & Barrel's new Unwind sectional is very reminiscent of the RH Cloud couch. It's so new that it's only available in one color right now, but a rep for C&B said more colors could be added for fall.
Color and fabric options aside, you'll find many of the same configurations as other Crate & Barrel sectionals on this list.
The Lumin is a new sectional from CB2 that London said has "those high pillows that the Cloud sofa is known for." The back cushions are not quite as large as the Cloud Sofa's, so there are gaps in between them.
Another modular option, you can either buy the Lumin as a sectional or purchase the pieces separately.
Paige Gray, partner and lead interior designer at Parker & Harlow Interiors, said Sundays' Movie Night sofa "has very similar lines and costs a bit less than the Cloud Sofa." She also called it "almost identical." You can arrange the separate pieces of the sectional differently depending on your layout.
Sundays is a Canadian company that ships to most states in the US. "You may need to wait on certain pieces, but it's worth it for the quality and price point," said Gray.
"It's one of those products that's like truly an experience," said Blessed Little Bungalow's Amber Guyton. People love how oversized and comfortable it is.
It helps that they may have seen it and sat on it in person. Diners at RH's rooftop restaurant have to first make their way through the showroom. "The Cloud Sofa's everywhere," said Guyton.
And it is as comfortable as it looks. "It is like sitting on a cloud," said Studio London Co.'s Travis London. "I mean, the sofa is basically one huge pillow."
London said mimicking the pillows is the most important future. "It has huge pillow backs" with down filling, he said, so if you want that softness, that's what you should look for.
If you don't want to get a whole new couch, you could look into new pillows for your existing one instead. "By doing that, you are adding more of the bounce factor and the comfortability," said London. "So that is a great way to do it on a budget."
More generally, though, London said he likes his own RH sofa because it's lasted a long time, and he's updated it with new fabric as his tastes change. "If you have good bones in a sofa, you can constantly reupholster the sofa throughout its lifetime," he said.
The deeper seat and 18.5-inch height of the Cloud Sofa's cushions might not be for everyone, said Guyton.
"The female clients I have, they don't wanna feel like a little kid with their feet dangling off the sofa," she said. People with mobility or joint issues may want something higher and less deep as well.
Then there's the white or linen color you often see on the Cloud couch. "You definitely have to be mindful of that with shedding pets and kids and markers and all of that," said Guyton. If you're looking for an everyday sofa, you might want to go with a darker color. Otherwise, you may end up with a comfy couch you don't actually feel comfortable sitting in, she said.
Both London and Guyton say looking at consumer reviews is crucial, especially if they include images of the couch in their home.
The first thing to pay attention to is how people describe the comfort, said Guyton. "If I can't take a comfortable nap on my sofa, then I'm not going to invest in it," she said. You'll also want to pay attention to measurements, including width, seat depth, and seat height.
Some retailers also provide information on how much wear and tear a sofa can withstand. "Look at the wyzenbeek test on a fabric's durability," said Parker & Harlow Interiors' Paige Gray. "The higher the better, but for upholstery, I wouldn't dip below 30,000 for lightly used pieces and 50,000 for more heavily utilized sofas."
Then, London said, look for a retailer with a really good return policy. That way, if you don't like it or it doesn't fit, you can send it back with minimal hassle.
Many of the recommended sofas on our list aren't shipping for several months due to lingering supply chain issues and high demand.
Guyton said it's worth the wait to get what you want. "You don't wanna settle for something just to fill the space," she said. "You wanna know that it's going to stand the test of time."
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