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Reviewer: Kate McGregor, commerce market editor
Model tested: Pottery Barn York Slope Arm Deep Seat Slipcovered Side Sleeper
The details: Often associated with preppy style and suburban moms, Pottery Barn is a dependable retailer for furniture pieces that belong in family homes. As I am neither preppy nor a soccer mom, I didn’t think I would find my dream sofa here. But the Nancy Meyers gods smiled at me on my hunt for a slipcovered sofa that wouldn’t lose its shape and was available in a sleeper. The York, one of Pottery Barn’s best-selling sofa collections, is available in a myriad of styles, arm shapes, and configurations. You can basically build your dream shape with the York collection, and choose from over 125 upholstery options to boot. So that’s exactly what I did. I chose slope arms to give my new build living room character, a bench seat to limit cracks and crevices, and an airy, linen slipcover that fulfilled my dreams of living in a European country home.
Before Delivery
How much does it cost? Are there payment plans available?
The price range of this iteration of the York sofa is between $3,499 and $4,899, although certain fabric options (like the performance basketweaves) are currently on sale starting at $3,039. My version, the 95-inch sofa in Everyday Performance Linen with a bench cushion, is currently not on sale and falls on the higher end of the range at $4,699. This is definitely an investment piece, but there are payment plans available through Affirm, starting at $163 per month.
What are the upholstery or customization options? Did you choose any?
Because this piece is part of Pottery Barn’s classic line of sofas (as opposed to a designer collaboration or seasonal offering), you can choose from 134 upholstery options. From linen to velvet, basketweave to boucle, there are almost an overwhelming number of choices. To see them in person, I went to a Pottery Barn store, selected a handful of fabric samples (these are also available to ship to you, but I wanted to dig in right away!), and held them around my house for an embarrassingly long amount of time—it took me weeks to choose between five just-different-enough white fabrics.
Ultimately, I opted for the Ivory Everyday Performance Linen. I don’t currently have pets or children, but I knew this was a sofa that would have to see me through many years, and whatever spills and stains may come with them.
What is the lead time for customization, manufacturing, and delivery?
Currently, there is about an eight-week lead time for this sofa, as it’s made to order, no matter the upholstery. Occasionally, certain fabrics or cushion options are ready to ship, like mine was. Because I didn’t have to wait through the manufacturing process, my sofa arrived about a month after I placed the order.
What kind of couch or seating arrangement did you have before, and what drew you to your new couch?
I owned a three-seater, 84-inch wide sofa from All Modern previously. I loved it. Three years, countless naps, and a durable blue velvet upholstery that withstood a number of house parties and weekends spent pet-sitting. However, hosting guests in my small New York City apartment was quite difficult, especially without a sleeper sofa. I knew I wanted something larger, longer, and more plush—the cushions on my previous couch were on the firmer side, great for naps, not ideal for eight hours at a time.
Delivery and assembly
What was the delivery process like?
Delivery was…complicated, to say the least, despite opting for white-glove. I didn’t realize that my hallway’s width was just a hair larger than the sofa’s size, a major miscalculation on my part. It took nearly 45 minutes to maneuver the sofa out of the elevator with the help of two deliverymen. Delivery constraints meant that the sofa could not be unwrapped or disassembled—we couldn’t even take the cushions off. After 30 minutes spent calling couch doctors in the area (the quote came back at nearly $900), I ended up enlisting the help of my neighbor across the hall to keep his front door open to get the sofa at the right angle (I owe him dinner). All in all, I would recommend ensuring your ceiling height is taller than the sofa’s length. Tipping it vertically was the easiest way to maneuver through my building.
What was the assembly process like? How long did it take and how many people?
No assembly was required. The sofa arrived fully built, and an extra set of legs. Originally, the taller, rectangular legs were used, but after a week living with them, I decided I wanted to swap them out for the shorter, black, round legs. While I wouldn’t recommend tackling this process alone—it involved flipping the sofa over and navigating the underside with a drill—I am stubborn, so I did it anyway. The process of swapping out the legs took approximately 30 minutes, and I got an upper-body workout for the day.
After delivery
What are the dimensions? How does it fit in your space? Would it be better suited for a certain type of home?
The overall dimensions of the York side sleeper are 94.5"W x 44"D x 36"H. When the queen-size bed is extended, the sofa measures 94.5"W x 61.5"D x 19"H (from the floor to the top of the mattress).
This is definitely the largest sofa I’ve ever had, and I would barely call it apartment-friendly. It doesn’t feel oversized or imposing once placed in a living room, but it’s taller and deeper than any seating I’ve had previously.
Sit test: Is it comfortable? Does it feel well-made? Does the couch have a tendency to sag?
This is one of the most comfortable sofas I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on, and I’ve tested a lot. It’s become a bit of a problem actually. I have to actively work on not dozing off if I’m working from the plush, bench-style cushion. The back cushions are supportive, and I use the lumbar pillows as a sort of arm rest, as the arms are quite low, almost level with the seat. While the couch doesn’t have a tendency to sag, the cushion fill does tend to bunch wherever I’ve been sitting if I’m there for hours at a time. But it’s nothing a simple fluffing can’t fix. The cushions don’t spring back immediately, but they do retain their shape after a few minutes.
Is the sofa suitable for particular decor styles, and if so, which?
With its sloped arms and slipcovered form, this sofa is definitely for the more traditional design enthusiast. If you covet a more structured silhouette as opposed to the sculptural sofas making the rounds right now, the York sofa is for you. It simultaneously feels sophisticated and grounded. There are also square and round arm versions of this sofa if you prefer a more modern look to something a bit more classic and going for a bolder upholstery can liven up the clean lines of the sofa. An ochre velvet, for example, leans midcentury modern, while a nubby boucle gives off contemporary energy.
Is it durable and practical in a modern home?
In my experience, yes. While I’ve only had this sofa for a few months, there has been no sticking, squeaking, or snagging. Even the sleeper mechanics are smooth and don’t creak, and with my limited arm strength, I can still pull out the sofa bed with one hand. Performance upholstery ensures that I don’t have to restrict my daily coffee to the other side of the living room. The solid wood frame feels sturdy and substantial; it doesn’t slide around when I plop down, like my previous sofa did.
Is the couch kid- and/or dog-friendly?
This sofa is absolutely designed for lounging. While white upholstery is not ideal for sticky hands and post-walk paws, the performance upholstery and tight linen weave have so far provided me with confidence in its longevity—and I’m assuming most parents would choose their fabrics differently. Plus, the slipcover adds an additional layer of durability to the sofa’s design. It’s removable and machine-washable, but you can also buy replacement slipcovers for added peace of mind. While I don’t have either kids or pets right now, the comfort and construction of this piece make it very family-friendly.
What are the care and cleaning instructions? Do you think stains could be easily removed?
Thanks to the upholstery being performance, I don’t worry about spills or stains—performance fabric isn’t 100% stain-proof, but it does mean it’s a bit easier to clean, because of its stain and moisture-resistance. Of course, I’ve been extra cautious, ensuring I’m eating dinner at my island rather than my couch, but this fabric is meant to be lived with. According to Pottery Barn, the care tips are simple—vacuum regularly, keep out of direct sunlight (this is particularly important if your upholstery is a bold color that could fade), and blot spills immediately with a clean towel or sponge. Standard upholstery cleaners can be used for larger messes. But arguably most important, the slipcover is machine-washable.
Do the photos do this product justice? Was there anything you were surprised to see IRL?
Yes. I don’t feel like I was surprised by any aspect of this sofa. Luckily, my upholstery pick was the one they shot website imagery for—rather than just renderings—so I was able to get a better feel for the real-life color and shape detail. Having a fabric swatch at home with me also helped to mitigate any shock once the couch arrived; I already knew how it would look and feel. The sofa was taller than I had expected, thanks to the first set of legs that provided an extra three inches, but that was easily fixed when I swapped them for a different set.
Would the couch be easy to move to another room? Would it be easy to move to another apartment or home by yourself?
This couch, as comfortable as it may be, is a beast. The sleeper mechanisms add significant bulk and weight to the overall unit. While I can semi-easily push and pull it around my living room, I would not recommend it, nor would I say it’s meant to be moved by one person.
Sleep Test
What type of mattress does your sofa have? Materials? How plush/firm is it?
The sleeper includes a memory foam mattress, and I would say this is on the more plush side of sleeper sofas I’ve previously encountered. The mattress is quite thin compared to a standard bed, only five inches, but it holds its shape quite nicely, and you can’t immediately feel the sofa’s base as you lie down.
Lay test (pulled out): Does the couch easily convert into sleeper mode? How many people are needed to convert the sofa? How many people can sleep on the sofa at once?
The couch can easily be transformed into a queen-size bed by one person. To really test out the smoothness of the mechanics, I consistently opened the sofa with one arm and only encountered sticking when getting the bottom leg of the bed unfurled. The bench seat, at 90-ish inches long, is quite unruly to move alone, but it’s definitely doable. The bed can easily (and comfortably) sleep two people; it’s a standard queen-size bed.
Comfort: Is it comfortable? Does it feel well-made? How does it compare to the traditional mattresses you’ve slept on?
The bed feels really well-made. I prefer a medium-to-firm mattress, so it’s a bit plush for my preferences. My regular mattress is 16 inches of combined foam and spring support, a vast departure from this sofa bed. But after a few afternoons spent testing out the sofa bed, I would happily spend a night or two on this couch and not fear a newfound crick in the neck. Friends who have spent multiple nights on the sofa bed remark that it’s the most comfortable pull-out couch they’ve ever tried. There is a support beam in the middle of the frame that can be a bit uncomfortable if directly sat on, but it’s easily avoided when two people stick to their respective sides of the mattress.
Did you put sheets on the sleeper sofa? Was it easy to put them on?
Yes. I used standard, queen-size sheets to make the bed. Because of the mattress’s thinness, there was a decent amount of excess material around the corners, but it easily tucked underneath for a smoother appearance. Thankfully, the sofa’s low arms make putting on sheets an easy experience—no climbing over or navigating around back cushions necessary.
Overall Grades
- Comfort: A+
- Value: A
- Delivery and assembly: B
- Style: A
- Overall couch rating: A
