A Love Letter to the Best Couch For the Money

Dear Blue Couch, 

I never thought I’d be writing a letter like this to a couch. But you, our Article Ceni in Blue Lagoon, have meant so much to our family. I love you so much that I bought two more of you for our house in the Catskills, though in Volcanic Gray, which isn’t quite the same but still is really great. 

You’re my favorite place to read and nap. For the first two years that I owned you, I sat with my back against your armrest for at least half of my workday, my legs crossed on top of your sturdy cushions. Blythe took over that spot (pictured above), though with her legs resting on our Article Amoeba coffee table, when she worked from home during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. And in those weeks before the kiddo was born, I slept comfortably on you when I was worried my tossing and turning would make Blythe’s already strained sleep more difficult. You’re where our parents sat when they held the newborn kiddo for the first time. We were sitting on the floor with our backs to you when we watched him take his first steps. You’re where he’s learning to climb, leaning over your back and thinking about testing his limits. And now, you’re where he watches “Sesame Street,” the only thing he’ll sit still for, while I make dinner every night. 

When we found you, I was already researching couches, but I hadn’t found anything I was particularly excited about. It was 2017. Blythe and I were about to move a few blocks to a new apartment in Crown Heights in Brooklyn. I heard an ad on one of my favorite podcasts, 99% Invisible. The host, Roman Mars, raved about Article, the company that makes you, almost like he was bragging about the various pieces of its furniture owned. He talked about how much he appreciated Article’s well-built and stylish mid-century modern furniture. I don’t think he mentioned you then—he did in later ads—but I was interested.

I was looking for a simple and elegant couch with clean straight lines. I wanted it to have a solid wood base, not individual wood or metal feet—those have broken on me in the past. It had to be big enough for three adults to sit comfortably on. And I wanted to spend less than $1,000 even before the 99% Invisible discount. You ticked each of those boxes.

You come in a handful of funky mid-century furniture colors like Aquarius Aqua and Seagrass Green, but I knew Lagoon Blue was perfect for us. I wanted you to accent our living room, to stand out against the white walls and pale wood floors. And you did. When I carefully cut you out of that rectangular box already assembled, you were so striking. I moved the cardboard away and sat down, and knew immediately that I’d made the right choice. You were the most comfortable new couch I’d ever sat on. Your high-density foam cushions were supportive with just the right amount of give. It’s the exact way you still feel today. 

In those early days, friends who came over would marvel at you the same way I did. They’d say, “I love this couch. Where did you get it?” So we’d tell them. If I had a friend or family member who said they were looking for a new couch, I’d always recommend you. I think everyone who sat on you loved you.

If I had one criticism, and it’s only about our Volcanic Gray couches, the cushions require occasional adjustment because they slip forward. Your cushions never move. I assumed something about the way the Article Ceni were made had changed—and maybe it has. I emailed Article customer service asking if anything about you or the way you were manufactured was different in 2019 than it was in 2017, but they didn’t respond. So I requested fabric swatches to see if that would give me an answer. And I think it did. 

The threads of your fabric (and every other color except Volcanic Gray ) are noticeably thicker than the Volcanic Gray. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s why they slip. Because the fabric threads are thinner, maybe they don’t fit as well. And maybe your thicker threads keep them more snugly in place. Without a definitive answer from Article, that’s my theory. Anyway, it’s not a deal breaker, but I’d just recommend getting any color other than Volcanic Gray.

Other than that, the only negative thing I’ve read about you is that taller people have reported more challenges when trying to stand from a seated position because you’re lower to the ground. Our taller friends haven’t said anything like that, though none are exceedingly tall. And to us average-height folks, that’s never been a problem.

In the four years that we’ve owned you and the year plus that we’ve owned the Volcanic Gray couches, your cushions haven’t sagged. Your springs haven’t started creaking. Your wood frame hasn’t cracked. Other than a bit of pilling, you look as you did on the day you were delivered. You’re solid and beautiful. You are the perfect couch.

So I guess part of why I’m writing this is to let the world know how wonderful you are. Everyone who spends time on a couch—and who doesn’t these days?!—deserves you. But I also wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being the best-looking, most comfortable piece of furniture I own. And more importantly, thank you for being comforting, always there and something I associate with some of my fondest memories.

Love,
Jack