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8 best love seats that are comfortable and stylish

From Dusk’s traditional design to Loaf’s feather-filled sofa, we’ve found the perfect cuddle chairs for any living space

Eva Waite-Taylor
Monday 14 August 2023 11:57 BST
These charming pieces of furniture allow for ultimate comfort
These charming pieces of furniture allow for ultimate comfort (iStock/The Independent)
Our Top Picks

Love seats – or cuddle chairs – are certainly having their moment. For the uninitiated, it’s smaller than a sofa, yet bigger than an armchair, so essentially it is a small settee that makes for an intimate seating space for two. It is a charming and versatile piece of furniture that works well on its own in a small space, but also as part of a seating arrangement in large living rooms.

While this may seem obvious, when it comes to choosing the right one for you and your living space, we’d recommend paying close attention to the dimensions because, if your doors and hallways are narrow, you may have trouble getting it into your preferred room. Luckily, we’ve found options that arrive flat-packed, so there’s still a design that will work for you.

Similarly, material and colour are important to consider, so we’d always recommend ordering as many samples as possible to make sure that you choose the best one to suit your space and interiors.

Whether you prefer the firmness of foam or want a feather-filled option, there are plenty of different designs out there – each one equally as comfortable. And it’s here where you’ll find our favourite tried and tested picks.

How we tested

In order to find the best love seats, we spent months trialling different designs, assessing each one for the fabrics and colours available, sizes and, of course, comfort. We also considered how well-made each one was and the cost. Below you’ll find a selection of the best love seats that will suit every type of interior.

The best love seats for 2023 are:

  • Best love seat overall – Made To Last knapwell love seat sofa: £837, Made-to-last.co.uk
  • Best affordable love seat – Dusk Hampshire love seat: £419, Dusk.com
  • Best bouclé love seat – Cozmo 1.5 seater sofa: £1,060, Mycozmo.com
  • Best for traditional design – Arlo & Jacob Cartwright snuggler: £930.75, Arloandjacob.com

Made To Last knapwell love seat sofa

best loveseat indybest.png
  • Best: Love seat overall
  • Size: W125cm x D98cm x H97cm
  • Filling: Feather back cushions, foam and fibre wrap seat
  • Why we love it
    • Can arrive pre-assembled
    • Striking design

Taking issue with the fact furniture often has a fairly short shelf life, Made To Last is all about designing well-made yet affordable pieces that you’ll cherish for a very long time, and this love seat proves that its craftsmanship is second to none. Handmade in Sussex, the Knapwell has a particularly striking and grand design, with rounded arms, and a wide and deep chair. Just looking at it makes you want to snuggle up in it.

What sets this apart from the likes of other brands such as Snug and Swyft is that, while it’s fairly comparable in terms of price, the back pillow has a feather filling, which makes it feel particularly cosy. Though the foam seat is similarly as comfortable, we did find it needed a week or so to bed in and feel less firm. The cushion covers are removable for easy cleaning, so it’s great if you have little ones running around, furry friends, or perhaps you’re just a bit clumsy.

There are a huge number of different fabrics to choose from, including dark blue velvet, leather and plain linen. And should you be concerned about any tight corners, it can arrive pre-assembled and the delivery team will fix it in place for you. This is an affordable, yet gorgeous addition to your living room.

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Dusk Hampshire love seat

dusk-loveseat-indybest
  • Best: Affordable loveseat
  • Size: W121cm x D93.5cm x H85.5cm
  • Filling: Foam
  • Why we love it
    • Affordable
    • Traditional design
  • Take note
    • Seat cushion needs plumping

Dusk specialises in affordable, yet high-quality, design-led pieces, making it a great furniture brand to know. As for its seating, its range is very impressive, and the Hampshire love seat exceeded our expectations. The chair arrived pre-assembled, making it a great choice if you’re concerned about getting it around tight corners, and it was very easy to put together. As for the design, the sloped arms and wooden legs give it a traditional look. And while there are only six fabrics to choose from, there is bound to be one that will suit your living space.

The size means it can comfortably seat two, but it is also great if you want to curl up on it on your own, of course. Unlike many other designs in this review, the foam seat didn’t need time to bed in; it felt soft and comfortable from the moment we assembled it. But one thing to note is that we would recommend plumping up the seat cushion regularly to prevent any sagging in the foam. Despite coming in at less than £500, it looks far more expensive and feels very high-end.

  1. £419 from Dusk.com
Prices may vary
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Cozmo 1.5 seater sofa

best-loveseat-indybest
  • Best: Bouclé love seat
  • Size: 108cm x 85cm x 75cm
  • Filling: Memory foam and feathers
  • Why we love it
    • Can replace covers
    • Firm seat
  • Take note
    • Difficult to plump cushions

Newcomer to the sofa scene is Cozmo, London-design studio Raw Edge’s first foray into creating more affordable furniture. What sets this one apart is its priority on maintaining excellent quality – this is apparent from the moment it arrives. To make the whole process feel more personal than other “next-day delivery” options, the people behind the brand hand deliver all of its orders where possible.

As for the love seat, we were very impressed. Unlike other sofa-in-a-box brands, the packaging is limited – the cushions arrive in one compact box, and the arms in another – making recycling the boxes more manageable. Best of all, it was incredibly easy to put together. And once it was built, we fell in love. The memory foam and feather-filled cushions are slightly firmer than the others we tested, which we found to be very comfortable. The only issue we did find with the design is that the cushions were sometimes difficult to plump.

Another standout feature that really sets this one apart is the fact you can buy new covers for your sofa. This is something we think all brands should be doing as replacing the cover makes your current settee feel new again. In terms of the fabrics available, the options really are endless. But if it’s a boucle look you’re after, we’d recommend the fleece against the ecru weave, which we found to be a cosy addition to our living space. All in all, Cozmo’s design really hits the spot and we don’t think you’ll be left disappointed.

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Rose & Grey Penny love seat

penny_love_seat_1.png
  • Best: Feather-filled love seat
  • Size: W115cm x H72cm x D103cm
  • Filling: Feather
  • Removable covers: Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Deep seat
  • Take note
    • Expensive

Rose & Grey offers a curated collection of design-led homeware and made-to-order furniture. The range of sofas and chairs the brand has is excellent, and, as you’d expect, this Penny love seat was impressive. Owing to its depth and the fact that the pillows are feather-filled, it was a dream to sink into and undeniably comfortable. Thanks to its timeless and high-quality design, it’s a great investment piece that you’ll love for years to come.

The pillows are feather-filled, making them a delight to sink into, but they will need to be plumped up regularly so that they keep their shape. It is one of the deepest that we tested, which only added to its comfort. As with all of the seats here, we’d recommend ordering fabric samples to gauge exactly how it’ll look in your living room. But luckily there are plenty of options to choose from, including a cream boucle.

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Arlo & Jacob Cartwright snuggler

Arlo & Jacob Cartwright snuggler
  • Best: For traditional design
  • Size: W132cm x H81cm x D113cm
  • Filling: Feather-wrapped foam
  • Why we love it
    • Timeless design
    • Plenty of fabrics to choose from
  • Take note
    • Fairly long lead times

As one of our favourite sofa brands, Arlo & Jacob is a reliable choice for those looking for seating that is not only comfortable but also stylish and well-designed. All of the brand’s designs are made the old-fashioned way; frames are glued, screwed and dowelled by hand, owing to this you may notice that there are longer lead times than other love seats.

Arlo & Jacob’s Cartwright snuggler is a total dream to sit in. The feather-wrapped foam cushions provide more support than an entirely feather-filled seat, yet of course, there’s still the same level of comfort. What we particularly loved about this one was the seat depth (78cm); providing ample space to curl up. As for the design, it’s perfect for those looking for something more traditional, and we loved the fact that it’s raised off the ground as it makes your living room feel slightly larger.

Where fabrics are concerned, there are plenty to choose from, with the option to also add a stain guard, which helps to prevent the love seat from any spills and stains. While more expensive than other brands, Arlo & Jacob should certainly be one to consider if you’re looking for luxury seating at home.

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Snug the big chill

snug-indybest-best-loveseat
  • Best: Love seat-in-a-box
  • Size : W122cm x D88cm x H85cm
  • Filling: Pocket sprung in fibre and foam
  • Why we love it
    • Deep seat
    • Arrives in a box
  • Take note
    • Lots of cardboard waste

Owing to the size and depth of a love seat, it can be difficult to manoeuvre through tight doorways and hallways, but luckily Snug’s sofas and armchairs arrive in different parts ready to be put together in the exact spot you like in your home. The Big Chill was easy to assemble and required no additional tools, with the whole process taking less than five minutes. The cushions are made from foam, so are fairly firm at first, but the seat does soften the more you sit on it.

There are nine different colours to choose from, including dark green velvet and an oatmeal shade, and you can receive up to six fabric samples in advance. Similarly, you can pick between three leg options – metal, gold metal and brown. Unlike lots of made-to-order love seats, this one will arrive with you in less than a week, so it’s a great pick if you’re moving into a new home and you want something comfortable to sit on. It is worth noting though, that it did have a slight chemical scent, which took around three weeks to fully disappear. And owing to everything arriving in different boxes, there was a lot of waste – we’d have appreciated it if the company took away the packaging.

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Loaf smooch love seat

indybest-loaf-smooch-upholstered-cushion-back-loveseat (1).png
  • Best: For a slouchy design
  • Size: W122cm x D104cm x H93cm
  • Filling: Feather, foam and fibre
  • Why we love it
    • Soft cushions
    • Two week trial period
  • Take note
    • Long lead time

Chances are you’ve heard of Loaf. The brand’s sofas are almost instantly recognisable thanks to the slouchy, laid-back designs. Owing to the sheer number of love seats available at Loaf, there’s something for every space. The smooch love seat sits fairly low on the floor, which means some people may feel that it takes up lots of space within their living room. But it’s proportioned perfectly for curling up in, and naturally, there’s space enough on the seat for two.

The feather-foam seat and feather-filled back cushions provide cloud-like comfort and mean the chair almost feels like it provides a gentle hug when you’re sitting down. There are more than 130 fabrics to choose from, so you’re bound to find something that’ll suit your current decor. And what makes this one particularly great is that you do have two weeks to test out your love seat at home. If you’re not happy with it, the brand will collect it free of charge and you can either exchange or return it.

  1. £1,585 from Loaf.com
Prices may vary
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Swyft linen love seat

swyft-loveseat-indybest.png
  • Best: For stain resistance
  • Size: W125cm x H83cm x D91cm
  • Filling: Foam
  • Why we love it
    • Angled back
    • Stain-resistant fabric
  • Take note
    • Lots of packaging
    • On the firmer side

Another sofa-in-a-box brand, this Swyft love seat arrived in parts and was very easy to put together – it took around four minutes to have it in situ. One of the main issues here was the sheer amount of packaging associated with the delivery. Understandably, this is hard to avoid owing to the fact it arrives flat-packed, but we felt that the cardboard could’ve been reduced significantly. Luckily, it can all be recycled and the brand offsets the average carbon footprint of the product.

In terms of comfort, it’s certainly on the harder side, but it still has a nice bounce to it and it’s a joy to sit on. Owing to the depth of the seat and the angled back, it’s a great place to relax. As you can tell from the image, there are no back cushions, so to aid cosiness, we’d recommend jazzing it up with a throw and some decorative pillows. The range of colours to choose from is great, and the fabric is stain-resistant, so you won’t need to worry about spilling a glass of red wine on the sofa.

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The verdict: Best love seat

With so many great designs out there, choosing the best love seat is no mean feat. If you're looking for something affordable yet thoughtfully designed, the Dusk Hampshire love seat comes in at less than £500 and was hard to fault. But for something that is sure to last, the Made To Last Knapwell love seat sofa takes the top spot here; it's a cosy delight that will be a chic addition to your home.

Looking for more seating recommendations? Read our review of the best sofas

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