I don’t know about you, but when looking at sofas, I’m mainly looking for 3 things: cozy, cute, and sustainable.

I feel like having a soft, comfy sofa is one of those things that’ll determine whether your living room actually makes you want to curl up and relax, or whether you feel like you don’t really have permission to rest. Plus, when you’re a fellow “flexible WFH creative,” as I call it (I work at my desk, on yoga mats on the floor, in the living room, dining room, studio…) you’ll want a couch that gives you the comfort for cozy working.

In most spaces, I love looking for inspiration through Japandi sofa styles, because they’re simple, elegant, and nature-inspired, which is almost everything I look for in an interior anyway.

What are the best Japandi sofas?

Alright, so let’s get into the top contenders of the best Japandi sofas so you can start inviting this modern, simple, sustainable, addition the the already-existing beauty of your home.

Best for Cuddling: Joybird Bryant Daybed

Current pricing: $3,599

Warranty: Lifetime

What we love

• Many 5-star reviews for its ultimate comfort
• Amazing, spunky style
• So many color options: Royale Peacock, Plush Terra Rose, Key Largo Zenith Teal, and more
• Works with Affirm for interest-free pricing if you’d prefer a payment plan
• GREENGUARD GOLD Certified (third-party chemical emissions testing), including water-based and low-VOC glue and no flame retardants
• Side-by-side fabric comparisons so you can pick your perfect color
• Faux down means no animal cruelty!

What we’d change

• Synthetic materials mean there are still going to be some sketchy chemicals
• Certain design colors are additional costs. For example, the Bentley Daisy costs an extra $170
• Smaller than other, traditional sofa styles; won’t necessarily fit a grown family of 3 or more
• Expensive for the size– there are some couches that are this price but fit 5+ people

Explore the Joybird Bryant Daybed →

Most Natural + Organic: Natural Home by The Futon Shop Roma Mid-Century Modern

Current pricing: $3,409.45

Warranty: 1 year

What we love

• Free shipping!
• 2 types of fabric to choose from with a few different color options: Linen or 100% recycled velvet, with mostly neutral colors like blues, whites, beiges, and browns
• Made up of a coconut fiber base with no synthetic glues
• You can pick from 2 types of firmness levels (cushion fill) for the seat cushions: latex noodles for an extra soft feel, or natural wool and latex for a medium-firm feel

What we’d change

• Their website is a little underdeveloped. When trying to click around, some of their buttons were cut off at the bottom, and the layout of their information is a little harder to read and navigate compared to other sofa brands
• Very short warranty period, with 1 year on an upholstered sofa and 1 year on the sofa cushions; plus, the warranty only covers the actual product, not the shipping costs
• I couldn’t find a place on the site that talked about the sofa reviews

Explore the Roma Mid-Century Modern →

Most Compact & Comfy: Inside Weather Modular Bondi 3-Seater Sofa

Current pricing: $3,375

Warranty: 1-year

What we love

• This is a modular sofa, which means you can arrange it in a tone of different ways to fit your room
• Sustainable: the wood frame is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), domestically sourced and CertiPUR-US foam, recycled down alternative pillows, and PFC-free & OEKO-TEX® Certified non-toxic fabrics
• Super customizable with beautiful color options like Avocado, Rose Quartz, and Slate Blue
• Made in America

What we’d change

• The upholstery is made of polyester, which isn’t the most natural and sustainable material out there
• Very short warranty period compared to other sofas with lifetime warranties
• No interest-free payment plans: only ShopPay options, which have an APR of at least 15%

Explore the Inside Weather Modular Bondi 3-Seater Sofa →

Most Trustworthy: Medley Kirnik Sofa

Current pricing: $2,828-$3,142

Warranty: Lifetime warranty on frames and wood structures, 10-year warranty on cushion cores, 5-year warranty on fabrics

What we love

• 3 types of materials with so many color options to choose from, including natural material (natural latex foam and wool fiber) and with colors like Palomar Molasses, Linara Forest, and Inspire Lake (as well as neutral and white colors)
• Back and side pillows have removable zipper covers so you can clean it easily
• Made in the USA
• Sustainable materials like FSC-Certified Wood, plant-based latex foam as well as CertiPUR-US®-Certified Foam, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Wool, all the natural fibers are Greenguard Gold Certified, GOTS Certified, or Oeko-Tex 100 Certified, and the finishes are plant-based, odorless low-VOC, and water- and heat-resistant, like beeswax and olive oil

What we’d change

• This sofa seems less about coziness and more about support. While I’m sure it can be used for cozy movie nights, it’s firmer and more structural compared to, say, the Joybird Bryant Daybed, which is designed for optimal coziness

Explore the Medley Kirnik Sofa →

Related: The best Japandi furniture pieces (+ brands) to adorn your earthy sanctuary

Most Recycle-Friendly: The Sabai Essential Sofa

Current pricing: $2,828-$3,142

Warranty: 1 year

What we love

• 12- or 18-payment options (interest-free!) with Klarna if you’d like to get on a payment plan rather than purchase full-out
• Recycled and upcycled fibers, no off-gassing, and FSC-certified wood frame
• They have a closed-loop program called Repair Don’t Replace, which says that the sofas are designed with durability and longevity, and when it is time to replace, you can resell your furniture with Sabai Revive to give it a new life
• Fast shipping! While other brands will take several weeks or months to ship, US orders take between 1-5 days to ship
• Can choose a fabric option between recycled velvet and upcycled poly

What we’d change

• Although the couch is made up of recycled materials, they’re still not the best materials. I’d still prefer natural materials over polyester

Explore the Sabai Essential Sofa →

Most Non-Toxic: Savvy Rest Verona Sofa

Current pricing: $3,699-$3,999

Warranty: 5-year limited

What we love

• Option to choose either hemp or organic cotton as the fabric– both GOTS-certified, sustainable options, as well as Talalay latex, which is much less toxic than regular
• Zero VOC finishes and no formaldehyde, flame retardants, cardboard, particle board, plywood, veneer, or metal coils– which could all be toxic!
• Can choose a few different feet stains to blend in with the rest of the wood tones in your space
• Seat cushions are totally removable
• A ton of different color options to choose from across all the fabric types

What we’d change

• No returns! The website claims, “due to the custom nature of this product, we are unable to accept returns. In addition, allowing returns would require us to spray our products with chemicals in order to “clean” and resell them, harming the purity of our natural materials.” Understandable, but still a huge bummer if you want the flexibility to be able to exchange it if you don’t want it

Explore the Savvy Rest Verona Sofa →

Most Customizable: Floyd Four-Piece Form Sectional

Current pricing: $2,821-$4,030

Warranty: 1 year

What we love

• These are marketed to be very pet-resistant, which beads up spills so you can easily wipe them off. Those with kids and pets would probably love this– especially if they’ve always dreamed of having a white couch
• Still has the minimalistic, basic look so you can dress up the rest of your home, but is still super durable
• Modular and customizable!

What we’d change

• Not a fan that it’s made of polyester
• This has a pretty short warranty policy for a couch

Explore the Floyd Four-Piece Form Sectional →

Related: 33 reasons why KonMari is the best way to organize your home

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Buyer’s guide: How we found our fav Japandi sofas just for you?

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what I did to actually gather up all these cozy comfort couches– and no, there isn’t a Japandi collection in any of these stores (but wouldn’t that be cool?) Here’s how we conduct the research for these couches:

Style

At the end of the day, this is a decor piece– albeit, a really large one! When looking at each Japandi couch, we looked for those key indicators that the couch would fit in a Japandi space, with features like clean lines, wooden legs, refined material that looked taught instead of flobby, and having that overall contemporary and timeless design that can tie an entire Japandi-style room together is what we looked for.

Pricing

We wanted to give you a few different price points to work with almost any budget.

Of course, the furniture pieces that are more organic and natural are going to be pricier than ones that are made cheap. It’s always hard to suggest cheap products because were conscious about how we’re a contributing factor to adding to the landfill– so when we suggested couches, we wanted to make sure you had a few different price points and options so you could still achieve that Japandi looks, no matter your budget.

Materials and Sustainability

A big part of the Japandi style is honoring the simplicity of nature, with natural woods, eco-friendly fabrics, and overall sustainable materials. This is a priority when showcasing the different couch designs for you, so know that we’re intentional about how the beauty and comfort align with the health it brings to our homes.

I hope in your search for the best Japandi sofa for you, you have everything you need to make an informed decision about your new home addition. While nothing’s perfect, I do think that items can truly speak to you, even through a website, so take the time you need to browse through options so that you’re comfortable with your decision and in your new cozy seat!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is the meaning of Japandi?

Japandi is a design style that combines Japanese and Scandinavian.

What is the description of the Japandi style?

Japandi style tends to be nature-inspired, minimal, and light and shows visual comfort with organic materials. You’ll often see rooms with lots of neutrals like beiges, whites, and taupes, minimal but intentional furniture pieces, and organic materials like wood to bring the outside in.

What is the difference between Scandi and Japandi?

Scandi is influenced by Scandinavia– simplistic, neutral, and minimalistic. Japandi is a combination of Scandi and Japanese, which has the Japanese essence of intentionality, some florals, paper lanterns… you can make it what you want!

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