When it comes to decorating your living room, nothing sets the tone for how the room will look and feel like the couch, or sofa, as designers prefer to call it. Since this is the most important piece of furniture for the room, most designers advise starting with it and reserving a good deal of your decorating budget for it. But with so many styles on the market, from deep sofas to sectional sofas and everything in between, deciding what style is best for you can be a challenge.

That’s why we asked designers to weigh in on the biggest couch (sofa!) trends for 2025. A few spoilers: Sofas with curves are still in fashion, but traditional silhouettes, like an English roll arm, are as well. There is truly a sofa style for everyone in these designers recommendations. One point on which all designers agree: even more than style, comfort is the most important consideration. (But who says you can’t have both?)

As Atlanta-based designer Audrey Frances Doty says, “Today’s sofas are all about relaxed living. Deep seats and plush cushions are must-have elements that invite lounging. It’s not just about aesthetics; it's about how a sofa supports a lifestyle. Whether it’s a family movie night or curling up with a good book, comfort-first design is the new luxury.”

We couldn’t agree more. Read on to discover the seven couch trends designers are loving most for 2025.

Conversation-Starting Curves

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This is, by far, the most popular sofa trend among designers right now. “For me, it’s all about curves right now,” says Los Angeles-based designer Jeff Andrews, who recently updated his collection with A. Rudin with curvaceous pieces inspired by Vladimir Kagan. While some are still into the more dramatically curved silhouettes, such as kidney-shaped sofas, which have been gaining in popularity over the last several years, most designers are drawn to more subtle curves—a curved back, say, or curved arms.

One reason for their preference for the style is how sofas with curves help facilitate conversation. “I am obsessing over curved arm sofas with just the right amount of arm slope so the shoulders can rest and the body can settle,” says Brooklyn-based designer Catherine Brophy. “Curved arm sofas create very cozy corners and encourage connection with others.”

Thanks to their conversation-starting shapes, designers are increasingly drawn to specifying curved back and arm sofas when pairing two. “They offer symmetry with a ‘stay awhile’ mentality,” says Omaha-based designer Brandea Morton of B Morton Design. One more reason designers love a curved sofa: “movement around it is so much easier, especially if the sofa is floating in a room,” says Brophy.

Traditional Trims and Welts

Redd Kaihoi Dallas House Family Room

Even while designers are breaking the mold with curvy sofas, they are embracing traditional embellishments like trims and welts to level up their designs with custom detailing. “I’m loving that specific trims, welts, and other little accent details are making a comeback! For a while, everything leaned so minimal—one fabric, one tone—but now we’re seeing more personality come through,” says Austin-based designer Laura Britt of Britt Design Group.

Accents like these are best used on more contemporary silhouettes, paired with simpler fabrics, according to designers. Says Britt: “It’s especially striking when we pair those tailored details with a modern, clean-lined sofa frame—it creates this beautiful balance between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary form.”

For example, Chicago based designer Brynn Olson loves to embellish the bottom perimeter of a modern sofa with an embroidered tape trim. “We love how it introduces both pattern and glamour to a space; it's such a signature and exclusive touch of style,” she says. Jackson, Mississippi-based designer Melanie Bryant also loves to use trims and fringe, but prefers to pair streamlined ticking stripes with these embellishments “keep the furniture feeling classic and understated.”

Classic Silhouettes

Sarah Bartholomew Nashville Home Study

While this may not sound like a trend, designers are revisiting silhouettes popular from decades past, such as the Billy Baldwin tuxedo sofa and English roll arms sofas, and falling in love with them all over again. “We’re loving classic silhouettes like the iconic tuxedo sofa by Billy Baldwin and the classic English roll arm sofa by George Smith—both tailored and timeless,” says New York-based David Frazier.

Tampa-based designers Jordan Winston and Tate Casper, of Oxford Design, agree and point out that tried and true silhouettes like these are almost guaranteed to be comfortable. “We are always drawn to classic English roll arm sofas because they are the perfect blend of timeless, pretty, and comfortable,” says Winston.

Sumptuous Upholstery

summer thornton chicago living room

Speaking of comfort, designers are increasingly drawn to ultra-luxe upholstery choices like velvet, mohair, even alpaca to ensure their clients feel cozy while sitting on their sofas. “I gravitate toward cozy, natural materials like linen, cotton velvet, mohair, and wool blends—they wear beautifully and feel inviting,” says designer Regan Billingsley. Houston based designer Meg Lonergan agrees: “Comfort is key—without sacrificing high style.”

Designer David Frazier is doubling down on the trend, pairing different body and seat fabrics in similar tones—a mohair body, for example, with silk seat cushions—for an ultra luxe look and feel. Says says Atlanta-based designer Audrey Frances Doty: “Texture is everything now, and I’m drawn to sofas upholstered in rich, tactile fabrics like washed linen or plush velvet.”

Bold, Graphic Pattern

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Several designers who weighed in are ready to say goodbye to the solid-sofa-plus-pillow formula, long a staple of the decorator’s repertoire. “For so long, the standard has been to upholster in neutral, plain fabrics and have the pattern and color come from the pillows,” says designer Carey Karlan of Darien, Connecticut-based Last Detail. “Lately, clients have been more willing to use floral patterns on upholstered pieces.”

Designers are especially loving bold patterns on sofas for their forgiving nature. “Patterns can also be more forgiving as the sofa is often the most used piece of furniture,” says Atlanta-based designer Laura Jenkins, who has always loved stripes on a sofa and has been bringing in more tapestry-inspired fabrics for sofas recently. “They offer incredible pattern, richness, and durability. Adds Lonergan, “a bold, memorable pattern will stand the test of time—and eventually become a classic.”

Warm Earth Tones

Meredith Ellis New York Apartment Living Room

Those designers who still prefer a solid sofa are finding themselves drawn to warmer, earthier hues for their sense of grounding welcome and elegant comfort. “I'm loving the resurgence of earth tones such as deep mochas, warm chocolates, and soft clay tones,” says designer Audrey Frances Doty. “These hues feel grounded and organic, yet incredibly luxurious. They work beautifully in both contemporary and traditional settings, and they create a sense of warmth that immediately draws people in. These tones are especially impactful on larger pieces like sofas, anchoring the room with a sense of calm sophistication.”

Jewel-Like Hardware

Alex Papachristidis Hamptons Fireplace

Yes, you read that correctly: Sofas can have hardware, too, in the form of metal accents like feet, arm details, or even strapping. And just as warmer shades are trending in upholster, warmer metal tones are as well. For example, Kaitlyn Murphy, senior designer at Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, has been loving sofas with bronze accents lately. “Especially when paired with dark green, deep purple, and rich came mohair, these details create a truly luxurious feel.” Two examples she especially loves: the Palla sofa and the Masson sofa, both by Dmitry & Co.