The 6 Best Reclining Sofas for Lounging, Laying, and Napping

a collage of reclining sofas on a colorful background

(Image credit: Crate & Barrel, Living Spaces, West Elm, American Leather, Ashley Furniture)

published 24 October 2024

Is there a piece of furniture more synonymous with lounging than the reclining sofa? Just the phrase calls to mind visions of Sundays spent lazily on the couch, falling asleep between football games or chapters of your latest book. It's cozy, it's comfortable, and it's functional.

That said, reclining sofas and interior design are a bit of an odd couple. For many years, the point of motion furniture hasn't been high design; rather, comfort, functionality, and durability. It still might be the best sofa for you, but what if you want your reclining couch to take aesthetics and interior trends into account, too? Yes, it's possible — and you've come to the right place.

As Livingetc's sofa expert, I'm well qualified to judge a couch on both construction and style, a rarity in the publishing world. In other words, by shopping with me, you'll get a piece that is well-made and good-looking, and today we're extending that lens to the world of reclining sofas. Using my knowledge of furniture retailers plus my aptitude for scrolling and dissecting customer reviews, I collated an edit of six super solid motion couches, all with various configurations and pros/cons at different price points. We all know reclining sofas aren't the most gorgeous pieces of furniture, so I looked at upwards of 150 different models to try to find six of the very best. Since I was only able to actually try one of those selections, I made the rest based on style and trends, followed then by customer rating (I kept it to 4.5 stars and above), retailer reputation, or a combination of both.

The final result? An actually stylish reclining sofa edit you can trust. I'm serious; you'll be kicking your feet up in no time at all.

6 of the best reclining sofas

Livingetc knows design. We spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, bringing only our edit of the very best to you. Find out more about how we review.

Napa Sofa

Price: Retailer dependant
Size (upright): 41" H x 98" W x 41" D
Size (fully reclined): 41" H x 98" W x 66" D

Pros: All three seats recline; charging ports; high-quality leather; strong warranty protection
Cons: Pricing is retailer-dependant/on the expensive side

American Leather makes reclining sofas for the motion furniture skeptic. The brand's pieces are easily my top recommendation for those in the market, as I actually got to try a few of their offerings during a factory tour in September 2024. Aside from the general construction quality, which I can vouch for, my lounging experience on the Napa was pretty astounding; the reclined position was every bit as comfortable as you'd want it to be, and the electric mechanism operated smoothly. It has a sleek look, what with the channel tufting and leather sofa sheen, and I'd describe the sit as medium-firm. All three seats recline, so there will be no infighting about who sits where, plus there's an in-arm USB port for easy charging.

The Napa is an ideal option for a refined man cave or maybe even your corner office — it has that masculine energy recliners are known for, but with an obviously polished charm. Leather is a material that signals wealth and comfort; this recliner offers both.

Hawthorn Reclining Sofa

Price: $999
Size (upright): 83" W x 40.5" D x 41" H
Size (fully reclined): 83" W x 66" D x 41" H

Pros: Great for people between 5'4" and 5'9"; 433 upholstery options; includes limited lifetime warranty
Cons: A bit less stylish; middle seat does not recline; slight creaking, per one review

It's hard to talk about reclining sofas without mentioning La-Z-Boy, the brand most synonymous with motion furniture. But before your brain conjures up images of Joey and Chandler's apartment, take a look at the Hawthorn, a kick-back sofa with a more streamlined silhouette than you might expect out of a La-Z-Boy classic. Indeed, this recliner has quite the contemporary look about it, presumably because it's compact and would therefore make a great sofa for small spaces. I also find the white fabric, shown here in the colorway Oyster, to be particularly helpful in elevating the look; there is something about a white sofa that (1) looks incredibly luxe and (2) will genuinely never go out of style. If you need a recliner for a beach house, consider this option a strong one.

"Perfect for smaller spaces," wrote one buyer in August 2024. " The fabric we chose feels wonderful. Just the right support and comfortable."

Kennedy Cream Triple Reclining Modular Sofa

Price: $2150
Size (upright): 122"W x 41"D x 43"H
Size (fully reclined): 122"W x 63"D x 43"H

Pros: extra deep seat; modular build; all three seats recline; USB charging; 15-minute assembly
Cons: Only white upholstery available

I quite like Living Spaces as a middle-tier furniture retailer; its pieces aren't cheap, per se, but they're fairly priced and made accordingly. Plus, they have lots of options. (For what it's worth, I bought my couch there and have had no real issues.) What I love about the Kennedy reclining sofa is that it's modular, so it can grow with you over time — an excellent option if you don't like the idea of spending $2000 on a couch that might not fit in your apartment when you move in two years.

One reviewer mentioned how it reminded her of a "more functional cloud couch," alluding to RH's popular and timeless Cloud Sofa, a fixture in modern interior design. The buyer is right; the style appeal of the Kennedy is that it doesn't look like a recliner at all. Rather, it looks like one of the most luxurious couches you can buy. You can't see the frame; the cushions are plush, rather than tight to the seat; and the white upholstery is the cherry on top (another plus: it's polyester, a low-maintenance couch material that's easy to clean). Truly a design marvel.

Leisure Power Recliner Leather Sofa

Price: $4800
Size (upright): 28.5" H x 84" W x 46" D
Size (fully reclined): Unavailable

Pros: low profile offers contemporary feel; hidden control buttons
Cons: No reviews yet; low profile, which is harder on knees and backs

I would never stop you from shopping at Crate & Barrel; it's genuinely one of my favorite places to buy a couch. The specs are top-notch and the customer service is renowned, plus I always suggest taking the chance to try a piece in a showroom or store if you can. This stunning power recliner, which truly stopped me in my tracks, doesn't boast any customer feedback yet, but I'm inclined to trust it given C&B's sofa-building reputation. From a style POV, it's also upholstered in a positively gorgeous and supple semi-aniline top-grain leather (very sumptuous and high brow, but with an added layer of protection), which adds to its design appeal. AND the control buttons are hidden, so no eye sores in sight!

A low-profile sofa like this is yet another interior design staple, calling to mind visions of the iconic Camaleonda from legacy brand B&B Italia. And from a practical standpoint, it would also work great in a room with low ceilings. If you want a stylish recliner but worry that you lack the air space to pull it off, this is your girl.

Elio Reclining Sofa

Price: $4400
Size (upright): 82" W x 42" D x 27" H
Size (fully reclined): 82" W x 58" D x 27" H

Pros: Made in Italy, strong warranty protection, excellent retailer reputation
Cons: Expensive

The Elio is the perfect marriage of stunning manufacturing, gorgeous aesthetics, and forward-thinking function. As just a sofa, it's already quite modern and chic, more abstract in its form than its counterparts; almost like an art piece. But as a motion sofa, it truly astounds. When you're ready, the flat pieces on the top back lift up to form headrests, while the panels on the bottom meanwhile rise up to support your feet.

Though Room & Board offers three additional fabric options for custom orders, I was immediately taken by the gray fabric shown above. It's so versatile, just as fitting in a beige living room as a colorful one. And I also love how the headrests aren't always engaged; this keeps things looking fresh and sleek when the reclining function is not in use.

Harmony Modular Motion Reclining Sofa

Price: $2696
Size (upright): 83.6" W x 41" D x 40" H
Size (fully reclined): 83.6" W x 66" D x 40" H

Pros: 74 fabric choices, super plush, modular
Cons: No customer reviews available

The Harmony is one of West Elm's more popular sofas, known for its head-turning combination of retro and contemporary sensibilities, so it would make sense that the reclining option is every bit as covetable and worthwhile. And not for nothing, West Elm describes it as the brand's most comfortable sofa — if you want a recliner with a really plush sit (not the norm with motion furniture), this is the one for you.

The Harmony is yet another reclining sofa whose form belies its function — it's already a best-seller ... and now? You just turned the relaxation up a notch. West Elm offers 74 fabric choices here but I would opt for their cinnamon brown performance velvet if I were you. For one thing, the velvet upholstery adds an additional layer of luxury to the piece. And for another, brown is a big color trend right now, for both paint and home decor. Functionally, it's also great for disguising stains and will undoubtedly match with any design scheme for years to come. It's the year of that me espresso.

Where should I shop for a reclining sofa?

If you want a reclining sofa that's a bit fancier, I'd try American Leather, which offers some of the most stylish (but expensive) reclining sofas; Crate & Barrel; Pottery Barn; West Elm; or primarily internet brand Homebody, which sells some of the most luxurious looking and well-reviewed reclining sofas I've seen.

But if you're in the market for a traditional, run-of-the-mill option, I'd suggest starting your search at one of the following retailers:

La-Z-Boy — the legacy motion furniture retailer. Function is prioritized over form, and price resigns supreme.
Ashley Furniture — plenty of options at a great price.
Raymour & Flanigan — well-known retailer with traditional options and plenty of showrooms for in-person testing.

Brigid Kennedy is a freelance writer and former style editor for Livingetc.com, where she scoured the internet for the best and most stylish deals on home decor and more. She also served as the website's in-house sofa expert, completely revamping and reworking Livingetc's expansive sofa buying guide by interviewing a total of 17 interior designers and sofa experts at top brands like Article and Benchmade Modern; sitting on upwards of 50 sofas across both Pittsburgh and New York City; extensively polling her friends and family for their own sofa-buying anecdotes and product recommendations; and traveling to Dallas, Texas, to tour the floor of a couch factory. In total, she estimates she has spent 40+ hours (and counting!) reading, writing, and talking about couches with accredited sofa connoisseurs o then pass that knowledge on to you. She describes her personal design style as colorful and clean, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching movies, and curating impossibly niche playlists on Spotify. She recently relocated from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she's decorating and DIYing a new home downtown.