What's the best couch for a minimalist living room? Our shopping editor picks the 12 calming couches to buy now

Get the minimalist look in your living room with any of these beautiful couches

A minimalist sofa
(Image credit: Norm)

To get the perfect sofa to complement your minimalist scheme, you want a statement piece of furniture that is calming, simple and beautifully crafted. 'When minimalism is done well, it feels warm and friendly, and with a sofa, this can be achieved with clean lines, nice textured fabrics, and soft detailed edges,' says Kashi Shikunova of YAM Studios. 

To find the perfect minimalist living room furniture piece to work in a minimalist room, we've scoured the web and found these 12 couches from the best home decor stores that would slot in perfectly. 

12 minimalist couches to bring a sense of calm to your living room

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A minimalist curved white sofa

(Image credit: Mary Wadsworth. Design: Irene Gunter, Gunter & Co)

What should a sofa for a minimalist look like?

If you're looking for the best minimalist couch ideas and furniture pieces for your living room, look to the core principals of this design ethos to influence what you buy. At Norm Architects, minimalism is about a holistic approach to the home, and the company has dedicated 15 years to the development of soft minimalism. 'This balances richness with restraint, order with complexity, and simplicity with depth to arrive at harmonious outcomes of enduring relevance. Rational architecture becomes poetic, minimalist furniture acquires softness and nature-inspired aesthetics invoke touch,' says Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, founder of Copenhagen’s Norm Architects, who practices soft minimalism. So how do we apply this ethos to sofa buying?

'In minimalism, small details are very important as there is nowhere to hide, and having a sofa which is simple but beautifully crafted is important,' says Kashi Shikunova of YAM Studios. For a minimalist living room, look to something that is warm, with clean lines and prioritizes texture. The sofa proportions have to work with the space too. 'If the space is very big is good to go for a large deep modular sofa so it feels well proportionate with the space. When space is small, better to go for a narrower 2-3 seater so it doesn't overpower the space,' recommends Kashi.

'Comfort is important to consider, for example, low sofas do look good but a seat height below 380mm might feel uncomfortable for many people. There are many stunning minimalist sofas that have a comfortable seat height where look and comfort work together in harmony.'

When it comes to the fabric itself, look to something that is simple in color, and unfussy. 'Consider a sofa upholstered in a single fabric without unnecessary embellishments such as trims, piping, or fringes,' says Irene Gunter, co-founder of Gunter & Co who designed the below scheme. 'Minotti is a great option for modern sofas with clean lines; one of my favorites is the Seymour sofa. Alternatively, look for a curved design, such as the iconic Holly Hunt Serpentine sofa designed by Vladimir Kagan, who is widely considered one of the greatest designers of all time.'

If you're looking for the best minimalist couch ideas and furniture pieces for your living room, look to the core principals of this design ethos to influence what you buy. At Norm Architects, minimalism is about a holistic approach to the home, and the company has dedicated 15 years to the development of soft minimalism. 'This balances richness with restraint, order with complexity, and simplicity with depth to arrive at harmonious outcomes of enduring relevance. Rational architecture becomes poetic, minimalist furniture acquires softness and nature-inspired aesthetics invoke touch,' says Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, founder of Copenhagen’s Norm Architects, who practices soft minimalism. So how do we apply this ethos to sofa buying?

'In minimalism, small details are very important as there is nowhere to hide, and having a sofa which is simple but beautifully crafted is important,' says Kashi Shikunova of YAM Studios. For a minimalist living room, look to something that is warm, with clean lines and prioritizes texture. The sofa proportions have to work with the space too. 'If the space is very big is good to go for a large deep modular sofa so it feels well proportionate with the space. When space is small, better to go for a narrower 2-3 seater so it doesn't overpower the space,' recommends Kashi.

'Comfort is important to consider, for example, low sofas do look good but a seat height below 380mm might feel uncomfortable for many people. There are many stunning minimalist sofas that have a comfortable seat height where look and comfort work together in harmony.'

When it comes to the fabric itself, look to something that is simple in color, and unfussy. 'Consider a sofa upholstered in a single fabric without unnecessary embellishments such as trims, piping, or fringes,' says Irene Gunter, co-founder of Gunter & Co who designed the below scheme. 'Minotti is a great option for modern sofas with clean lines; one of my favorites is the Seymour sofa. Alternatively, look for a curved design, such as the iconic Holly Hunt Serpentine sofa designed by Vladimir Kagan, who is widely considered one of the greatest designers of all time.'

Oonagh Turner
Livingetc content editor and design expert

Oonagh is a content editor at Livingetc.com and an expert at spotting the interior trends that are making waves in the design world. Writing a mix of everything and everything from home tours to news, long-form features to design idea pieces on the website, as well as frequently featured in the monthly print magazine, she's the go-to for design advice in the home. Previously, she worked on a London property title, producing long-read interiors features, style pages and conducting interviews with a range of famous faces from the UK interiors scene, from Kit Kemp to Robert Kime. In doing so, she has developed a keen interest in London's historical architecture and the city's distinct tastemakers paving the way in the world of interiors.