Despite loving all things interior design and spending a significant amount of my free time scouring furniture websites and scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration, I’ve always struggled to find sofas that speak to me. There are many great, well-made options out there, but many of them are either too expensive or too big for my small living room.
However, my sofa in the living room was looking a little battered, and as someone who is always eager to redecorate my space, I decided it was time to start looking for a new one. One of the biggest challenges of living in my current apartment is that the front door of my building is only 30 inches wide — yes, narrower than a cubit! I had to get creative with various pieces of furniture through doors, and I had to call the couch doctor (a service that cuts sofas in half and sews them back together like nothing happened) once before. It was quite an expensive endeavor and I’d rather not go through that process again unless absolutely necessary.
All that to say, my search for a sofa was pretty limited. I couldn’t buy anything unless at least one side was 30 inches or less, and since I have a pretty narrow living room, I also didn’t want my sofa to go over 70 inches wide, max. The space is simply too small to cram much more into it, and after trying a few different configurations in this area, the sofa really works best floating in front of the window versus the wall.
Many of the loveseats I’ve fallen in love with have been too deep and bulky, which has left me wondering if I’ll ever find a relatively compact sofa that fits my aesthetic. I spent hours searching all my favorite furniture websites, thrift stores, and more, and finally, while browsing the West Elm range, I finally found the sofa of my dreams: the Mella sofa.
At 67.3 inches wide, 33.3 inches deep, 28.7 inches tall—and only $799, which isn’t cheap, but very reasonable for West Elm—this sofa was a winner on so many fronts. Price and size are obvious, but one additional nice thing about living in New York is at least that shipping from major retailers can be extremely fast when items are in stock, which this sofa was (and still is). Case in point: I ordered Mella on a Tuesday and by that Friday it was sitting in my living room.
As soon as the delivery team unpacked the sofa and helped place it in my space, I knew I had made the right decision. The sofa has a chic, low-profile batwing backrest that gently curves at its ends, a silhouette that feels minimalistic but not too modern in style. It perfectly complements my eclectic, vintage decor. The “clay” velvet reads like a tan in person and is neutral enough to work well with many other shades so it can really blend into any aesthetic.
I also like that the seat cushion is comfortable but still firm; the piece doesn’t really show any indentation, even if you’ve sat on it for a while and then finally stood up. The legs are also slightly exposed, so you get that little bump of wood at the bottom of the frame, which makes the piece feel really formal.
I couldn’t recommend this sofa more; you’d never guess it comes at such a competitive price based on how stylish it looks and how comfortable it is. I’ve even seen a few Instagram posts from friends considering the same piece — I told them to buy because they won’t regret it! This piece has really made my living room feel more like home, and I don’t feel like I have to compromise on style or size.