R+C Furniture University

What's Better, A Bench Or Multiple Cushions?

Hi I'm Chris with Roger and Chris. And I'm here today to answer an important question and one that, wow, we get this a lot. What's better, a bench cushion or multiple cushions on my sofa?

All right. First of all, what's a bench cushion? A bench cushion is one long cushion that runs the length of your sofa. You see it frequently on our site if you browse through the images. It's a popular request. We do it frequently for our customers and it looks pretty cool, right? More popular if you go into a retailer, you're gonna see more multiple cushions. It's more of the traditional type of sofa cushion set up. The answer to what's better is, it kind of depends on what you're looking for.

A lot of people like the bench because it is more elegant looking. It's nice with a shorter sofa because it kind of helps elongate it, makes it look a little less choppy. It's particularly nice if you're doing a tight back sofa, which we frequently do. Tight backs do not have those pillows at the back of the sofa so again, it keeps it looking really clean, elegant, it's a little more European in style.

The nice thing about multiple cushions is it gives you more options for swapping those cushions around to even out wear over the years. We do recommend that you rotate your cushions. Flip them, all that stuff to extend the lifespan of it. And with multiple cushions, you have more ways to do that. Beyond that, I think it kind of turns into splitting hairs a little bit.

I could make the argument that a bench cushion is maybe a little bit more comfortable if you're gonna be regularly sleeping on the sofa. People who will be taking naps on it, if you stretch out, lie down to watch a movie, things like that. So if you're regularly getting kicked out of the bedroom because of things you say to your spouse you may want to look at doing a bench cushion. It's probably a good thing to have. You could also get the same effect though if you have three cushions on your sofa. I think two cushions is a bit dodgy because your waist, your hips tend to be at that break between the two cushions. Less comfortable, I think, if you're lying down on it. Also, kind of a punishment seat if you have a third person sitting on the sofa. Otherwise, two cushions are kind of a nice look.

I don't know. I don't have a good answer for this. I think there are a lot of different ways to play it. It's really gonna depend on the length of the sofa you're looking for, the style, the overall aesthetic you're going for, and kind of how you anticipate using it. I have had a lot of folks with young children say, hey, I'd like the bench cushion because fewer areas for LEGOs to find their way into the sofa, fewer places for me to leave my keys. Things like that. The remote, all of that sort of stuff. So, that could be an argument as well. So, lots of choices. I think, think a little bit about the style and size of the stuff you're going to go for. Give us a ring. We'll be happy to talk you through the options and help you make a decision.

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