Three years ago, I was looking for a sofa to replace our bulky sectional which you can read all about. Having a small living room made it claustrophobic with a large sectional. We needed something that was smaller scale but still comfortable, and of course it had to fit my style. 

I was browsing online one day for sofas and landed on Article.com and was completely smitten. Article has beautiful, stylish, and modern furniture at great prices. They have so many different styles of sofas! After some back and forth, I ultimately decided on the Sitka in quartz white. 

If you are contemplating an Article sofa or maybe you’re researching and need more info, I am writing this complete Article furniture review of our sofa for you. It’s definitely seen its fair share of use over the 3 years we’ve had it. Maybe this will help you pull the trigger on a new stylish sofa!

My Article Furniture Review on the Sitka Sofa

10 out of 10 means I LOVE IT. Here are the categories I will rate:

• Overall Look

• Price

• Comfort

• Fabric

• Quality 

Let’s dive into the fine details of the Sitka Sofa.

Overall Look 10/10

This sofa makes my heart happy!  I love the clean, modern straight lines and the fact that it does not have peg legs. I’ll admit, once the sofa was delivered and sitting in our living room, I wasn’t quite sure about the size. It felt a little small compared to our bulky oversized sectional.  This sofa actually sits lower than our previous sectional, therefore, the back profile is lower than most traditional sofas. However, my husband and I can lay comfortably side by side while enjoying a movie, so it’s still plenty long and the cushions are nice and deep.  The measurements were exact as listed online and it looks just as it did in photos. Comparatively speaking, it’s just a smaller-scale sofa than our previous sectional but I wanted something less bulky and that’s what this is. It is all part of a modern sofa, which I love! 

Price 7/10

Obviously pricing is all relative. This Article sofa is reasonably priced to me, but might feel outrageous to you. I’ll give you two explanations on my 7/10 rating:

1. Competitors and other sofas similar to the Sitka are right around the same price range. Pottery Barn does have a sofa with a comparable look who’s starting price is $500 more, so Article is reasonably priced I would say without compromising quality.  

2. Taking into account quality, I would say the price is great. We bought a cheaper sofa in the past and it didn’t last. It started pilling just after a few months and it just felt cheap. Especially when you think about how much you use it, whether or not you like to admit it, you definitely get your money’s worth. We still have several years with this sofa and have no question it will hold up.

Comfort 8/10

Comfort is paramount when deciding on a sofa.  Who wants to sit or lay down after a long day and be uncomfortable?  Not me or my husband. I didn’t want to sacrifice comfort for style. When it arrived and I sat down on it for the first time, I was a little worried I wouldn’t like it, but I was surprised how comfortable it actually was! It felt soft and comfortable, but not so soft that you sink in. My husband was skeptical of my choice at first, but after the first week with the sofa I am pretty sure he fell in love!  One of my favorite features are the down filled back cushions. If you are going for a super soft big sofa you sink right into, this is not it. It’s comfortable and soft yet keeps it modern, sleek structure which I love.

Fabric 8/10

I love the fabric and color, although I know getting a white couch was a risk (more on that later). It is soft and woven and super pretty. However, it does snag easily. There are just a couple snags that are minor and I am probably the only one who notices them, but nonetheless they are they. I think they are both from Bria’s nails when she snuck up on the couch before she wasn’t allowed. At first, cleaning the couch was easy and just required soap and water for spot cleaning. As it got more dirty overtime and spot cleaning no longer worked, it became more of a challenge to keep clean. It is dry clean only so while the cushion covers are removable, I tried steam cleaning it a handful of times over the years. That also worked better in the beginning than it does now. I also think the water from steam cleaning has caused the fabric to stretch and become more weak and thin. In the last 6 months I started noticing slight pilling on the areas your knees rest on the front of the cushions and where two cushions meet. But overall, the fabric is pretty and comfortable.

Quality 10/10

Without a doubt, the quality of the sofa is a 10. When I was couch shopping the second time around I did a TON of research on what makes a quality couch. everything from the kiln dried hardwood to the high resiliency foam and down feathers makes this sofa such a high quality piece. The sofa itself is heavy, which again, is another sign of quality. It feels completely solid and sturdy, and every other Article piece we have is no different. 

Now that we went over the ratings, here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of the Sitka sofa. 

The Positives:

Down-Filled Cushions

Down sofas are super comfortable and high-quality, so this was definitely a selling point for me. The two back cushions are down (the two seat cushions aren’t), but it does make for a comfy couch. The caveat to down cushions is you do have to fluff them periodically when they smashed. 

Color

Jordon always jokes with me that my favorite color is white (it’s actually purple and blue), since the majority of things in our home are white. So, it was to no surprise that I wanted a white sofa. I know, I know, gasp! They show every little bit of dirt, but every single inspiration photo I had for our living room design had a white sofa, so I had to go with what my heart wanted and try it. The white fabric is really pretty and more of a beige off-white than a true white which I personally like. The texture of the fabric is also nice because it is a linen blend so it has the laid back vibe. 

Cushions Don’t Slide

Our previous couch cushions slid out so bad, that anytime you sat in it, they were immediately sticking out a quarter or more from the couch. It was super annoying, so I was hoping these cushions wouldn’t slide. I’m happy to report, they do not! The bottom cushions stay perfectly in place. 

Not Bulky

When I was looking for a new couch, I did not want bulky. Our living room is small and our old couch was just way too big and bulky for the space. I like the smaller frame and less overly stuffed cushions. 

The Style

Of course, one of the most important things when choosing a couch is the style. I love the sleek, modern sofa and its clean lines. Another thing to consider when looking at couches is if the cushions are removable, so if you did want to try dry cleaning them, you can.

Well-Made

Cheap couches exist out there, but you get what you pay for. Our first couch we purchased was on the lower end price wise and it just felt cheap. The fabric pilled after we had it just a few months. I knew I wanted something that was a quality piece this time around. When you’re looking for a well-made couch, you want to look at what type of wood is used for the frame, the cushion fill type. This couch is made of kiln-dried solid wood which is high quality because that means it won’t bend or break with regular use. A couch that is heavy to lift up on your own, is also a good sign it’s well-made. I can hardly move this couch on my own, and I feel like I’m a pretty strong and athletic.

The Negatives:

Sits Low

It’s not really a big deal to me, but I just wanted to include it so you are aware if you’re looking at getting this couch. This is definitely a modern couch so it sits lower to the ground than most, and may feel odd at first or make it more difficult to get up. One thing to note, the rest of your furniture in the space should sit lower as well in order to be proportionate with your sofa. 

Cushions Need Fluffing

The downside (ha! see what I did there) of down cushions is that you have to fluff them regularly so they keep that puffy full look, otherwise they can start to get squished. I rotate our cushions periodically since we tend to sit in the same spots and I don’t want them to get more worn than other spots. About every week I fluff the back cushions (not the seat cushions) for a few minutes and instantly they look more fluffy and full. It’s a simple fix, it’s just a matter of having to actually fluff the cushions regularly. 

Fabric Snags

The fabric is woven so it can get snagged, especially if you have pets. We haven’t had a big issue with this since our dog isn’t allowed on the couch, but we do have two very small snags on the back cushions. Definitely minor, but something you do have to be aware of. 

Not Overly Cushy

Obviously, you can tell by the sofa design it’s not overly “stuffed” or super cushy. The design is simple and streamlined, so it’s definitely not as big or soft as some other sofas. But, it is still a comfortable couch.

Not Super Easy to Clean (Anymore)

With a white sofa and a dog, I needed it to be easy to clean. On the site, it says dry clean, but I’ve spot cleaned the couch and it’s worked great in the beginning when I needed to treat a dirty paw mark that made its way on the couch. We do drape a blanket over the seat cushions just to keep it cleaner and mitigate any spills or stains, and that has really helped. The arms are what have gotten most dirty over time. Bria rubs against the arms sometimes so they get a little dirty looking. I got this portable steamer cleaner and decided to tackle the larger areas like the arms that just dish soap wouldn’t clean. The steamer worked great and got the arms much cleaner the first couple times. I went over the entire couch with it just to freshen it up, even though just the arms were the areas that actually looked dirty. I’ve used the steamer probably 5 times overall on the couch, most just concentrating on the arms. I will say, when using the steamer you have to be careful of it causing dirty areas to “bleed” if you only concentrate on one area. The water and cleaner can leave a ring around the area you were cleaning. I’ve had this happen when I just went over the arms. I came back a few hours later after it dried and the dirt on the arms were gone, but it caused the dirt to create a ring on the neighboring area I didn’t steam clean. The rings do come out with the steamer again, but it makes it harder to just touch up certain areas. Overall, we are careful not to get it super dirty and while we do eat on it, it’s usually stuff that isn’t too messy. I haven’t spilled any messy food, and we don’t have any lingering stains at all. 

The Verdict:

I would definitely purchase this couch again. It’s perfect for us right now and fits our living room nicely. Anything bigger just wouldn’t be proportionate to the space. The couch is comfortable, looks nice, is well-made and has held up well as we use it every single day multiple times a day. I really like the light white color, but it is high maintenance so I decided to get a slipcover which I’ll share more of below. Article has since come out with 2 other fabric options including a darker grey that are more practical if you like the style of the Sitka.

Our sofa review does not end there…

Custom Sofa Slipcover

The biggest hangup about our sofa was the fabric pilling and it getting dirty and being difficult to clean after a few years of lots of love and wear. I threw around the idea of getting a slipcover because the couch itself is in amazing shape and can last for many more years, I just didn’t want to stress anymore about keeping the white clean, since it got harder and harder with each year. 

I did some research to see what my options were regarding slipcovers and found Comfort Works. They are a family run business based in Australia and are known for making slipcovers for Pottery Barn and Ikea sofas, but they also do custom slipcovers for chairs and sofas and everything in between. I was a little unsure how well the custom slipcover would fit, because I didn’t want it to look baggy or ill-fitting like the standard slipcovers you can buy and drape over. I read lots of rave reviews and knew Comfort Works was the best solution to turn our white sofa into a beautiful piece of furniture without the stress and maintenance to keep it clean!

Fabric Options

Comfort Works has 20+ fabric options to choose from with a variety of colors and materials. They also give you a star rating on the durability and price which is nice so you can see how the different materials compare. Comfort Works even offers free fabric samples so you can test them in person and see what they really look like with the rest of the decor in your room. 

I ordered a wide array of fabric samples to see them in person, but I was torn on doing a lighter grey or going with more of a darker blue gray cover.

I finally decided on Madison Coal which is a dark grey bluish color in 100% cotton so it’s durable, soft, and shouldn’t snag.

Once you decide on your fabric, you have to send over the measurements. This process is extremely thorough and they request around 20 different measurements you have to measure on your couch to make sure you get the right fit. The Comfort Works team was amazing at making sure they got the exact measurements, and even came back to me after I sent them all to double check  I measured on of them right. Super impressed with how detailed the team was to ensure we get the best fit!

Then, they get to work and sew the custom slipcover.

The shipping was super fast and arrived in about a week! I was so nervous when taking it out of the box because I was scared it wouldn’t fit, but I slipped on the cover in a few minutes and sure enough, it fit like a glove! I couldn’t believe how well it fit and how great it looked! The color is exactly what I hoped for and oh my it is SOFT. 

I have yet to wash the slipcover yet, but I am blown away with the quality and overall look of the slipcover. I couldn’t be happier! The stitching is so well done and it truly fits so well. Comfort Works did an amazing job!

I’m so glad we decided to get a slipcover because our white fabric was getting dingy and now I don’t have to worry about it and we can simply enjoy our sofa for years to come.

Anything I missed? More questions? Ask away! Hopefully this Article furniture Sitka sofa review with a slipcover was helpful.