When looking into buying a sofa or an upholstered chair, one topic that must be addressed is the comparison of down vs. foam sofa cushions. Knowing their differences will help you make your best choice.
There are three common cushion core options we’re going to discuss: down (usually a feather and down combination), foam, or a down and foam combination.
The Down Filled Couches
Feather-and-down cushions are soft and cushy, or, as Catherine pointed out, “Down allows you to sit into the cushion.”
The question then becomes, Do you like to sit in or on your sofa? If you enjoy the experience of sinking into your couch, down may be your choice.
As you might imagine, this means that a down cushion will change shape as you use it. And it doesn’t “recover” - that is, down cushions don’t readily return to their original form once you’ve sat in them. This gives down cushion sofas a more casual look, which can feel very welcoming. If you prefer a crisp, clean look, you may want a different option.
To provide consistent shape to a down cushion, some will feature pockets or channels that the down is stuffed into as a way of holding the material in place. This limits how much the down and feathers can bunch up in any one area (in the world of outerwear clothing, this is what gives “puffy jackets” their ribbed appearance).
cons of buying a feather filled sofa
Regardless of the construction of your cushion, if you choose all down, you’ll need to fluff your cushions regularly. This helps redistribute the feathers evenly throughout the cushion and add back the volume or space between the down and feathers that gets smashed out when you sit.
We suggest fluffing your sofa daily, especially if it’s in a high-use area. This not only makes your sofa look more inviting (flattened cushions don’t exactly scream "comfort"), it prolongs the life of the cushions. Poorly maintained down will increasingly lose its capacity to fluff up nicely.
Another consideration with having down cushions is allergies. Be sure that you or anyone else who will use the sofa regularly doesn’t have a sensitivity or allergy to down.
Firm foam foundation
Foam can be manufactured in many ways and quality varies widely. In general, foam is crisp and uniform, providing a cleaner, “buttoned up” appearance.
The feel of a foam cushion tends to be more firm; the kind you sit on instead of sink into. For those who prefer more support, foam is an option to explore.
Additional notes about foam
Some people favor natural materials over those that are human-made. While most foam is made of chemicals, there are some more natural options. Look for soy-based foams, which contain as much as 30% soy - the highest concentration available.
It’s important to remember that not all foam is created equally. Lower quality foam will degrade or compress more quickly than higher quality foam.
The firmness or softness of foam also varies. This isn’t particularly linked to quality; it’s more of a personal preference. The key here is to sit on the cushions you’re considering to make sure they’re comfortable for you.