Last year my parents made some updates in their living/family room and I have been wanted to post about it because I think their space came out beautifully. I also wanted to share with you a little about the sofa they selected, which is the Pottery Barn Chesterfield sofa and provide a real-life review of it for you.
Having my eye on this sofa for my own home, albeit only wishfully as with three kids and two dogs I still need washable slipcovers, I suggested they consider the Chesterfield Upholstered Sofa from Pottery Barn when we were discussing the updates they wanted to make which included replacing their leather couches.
Real Life Pottery Barn Chesterfield Sofa Review
You can see my mom selected the Pottery Barn Upholstered Chesterfield Sofa in Oatmeal Linen, isn’t it beautiful? I also have some lower-cost alternatives for you with this same look so please read down to see those, but I wanted to show you how the sofa looks in a real home and up close. Sofas are costly and ideally are a piece of furniture that will last you for years, so deciding on the perfect one can be a little stressful.
This sofa is classic, and I think it is really as beautiful as it looks in the catalog. I admit I am fearful when we visit and my kids sit on it, but since my parents are well-behaved adults with well-behaved friends, I think for their purposes upholstery works fine. Though, with six grandchildren I am hopeful they have given it a coat of Scotch Guard or two just to be safe! There are some other fabric options, like Sunbrella brand, that would be more durable if you have kids I’d be sure to consider those too, as well as all the performance fabrics which are known to hold up really well against stains.
They have the standard 86″ sofa, it comes in a larger size for a larger room as well as a loveseat. Our decorating tastes are very similar, you can tell I take after her {more of their home is HERE} in more ways than one.
Sofa | Throw Pillows | Monogrammed Pillow
They paired the sofa with some neutral accent chairs. With their room design, the sofa faces the fireplace {the door to the kitchen is on the wall to the right of this picture} so a love seat wouldn’t work well in here.
Chair {similar} | Drapes | Rug {no longer available, similar HERE and HERE}
I wanted to show you up close the iron sconces that are over their fireplace. These were an antique store find {Antique Farm House may have something similar, I am always looking!} I believe from Middleburg, Virginia and they are fabulous. After they moved in they realized that the fireplace surround is a faux “painted” marble, you have to get up close to actually tell it isn’t stone.
Before I show you some other sofa alternatives, here is one more look at the Pottery Barn version.
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If you aren’t willing to make the investment in a Pottery Barn piece, I have some other lower-cost alternatives for you.
This is the Gordon Tufted Sofa from The Home Decorator’s Collection. I don’t own this one either, but I have seen it in the linen fabric on display at The Haven Conference {Home Decorator’s Collection is a sponsor for Haven each year} and I am always struck by how pretty this sofa is. This one is 91″ so for size it is in-between the three options, be sure to measure your space to be sure how much length you need. I feel like the fabric is a nice quality and the structure of this sofa seemed very sound, though the reviews are not as good on the leather version so do take note of that.
Right now it’s 17% off for St. Patrick’s Day too, making it less than $1000. Home Decorator’s offers matching chairs that are also very nice looking, they are HERE, again, I have seen these in real life and they really are pretty and very cozy to sit in. A pair of these were at the top of the list for our Library before we inherited a piano– #storyforanotherday.
The “low” version of this sofa is the Annelise 86″ Chesterfield which is $680. I know, for that price my kids can eat all the chocolate they want on it! {OK, not really}. Seriously, the description has a cotton linen material and this sofa also has nail head trim. I can’t testify to the quality since I don’t own it but if you are looking for a budget Chesterfield sofa this one could certainly be a good alternative.
As I mentioned I still have slipcovers on most of my furniture, but I have friends who enforce strict ‘no-eating-on-the-couch’ rules which certainly help if your ready to pick beauty over function, which these Chesterfields certainly have. One thing thatI believe is important is to select a very classic, neutral-colored couch, as it will withstand ever-changing decorating trends.
If you aren’t ready to make a sofa purchase right now, here is an easy-to-pin graphic so you can tuck these sources away for later.
I hope this is helpful and I appreciate my parents allowing me to photograph their home and share it with you today, they are just the best 🙂
XO,






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I love any chesterfield sofa. I would like to share another idea for a low cost choice. I bought this sofa from macy’s 3 years ago. the velour type fabric is amazing for kids & pets. It washes off perfectly & still looks the same as 3 years ago…even though my dogs (2 labs) like to sleep on it when we let them in every night. The pet hair wipes off with just a towel. Just wanted to share. https://www.macys.com/shop/product/martha-stewart-collection-saybridge-sofa?ID=625489&CategoryID=35419#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D449%26ruleId%3D88|BS%26slotId%3D11
Thanks! That is a great resource 🙂
XO,
Amy
A most beautiful sofa!….Looks fantastic in that beautiful room!
the sofa is very pretty, just want to know the color is ” Oatmeal Linen,?
since the PB online picture looks more darker than yours, thnaks
Yes, the performance Oatmeal Linen. I hope that helps!
Considering buying this. How comfortable is it?
Hi–it is very comfortable. It’s not a sink into it type of sofa obviously but it is so well made. You’ll definitely want some throw pillows up against the back if you are lounging but I think it is great. I hope that helps! Amy
Amy….Thanks for the post. I am looking at PB’s build your own sectional in the Chesterfield series that would completely wrap around two walls and have a chase at each end. With that in mind,…I see you mentioned the “sink into” comfort of it. do you think this series is cozy enough for a complete wrap around sectional? I am looking for that cozy movie night scenario for our vacation home. We would obviously also have to go with a more durable fabric option…..any suggestions from PB’s options?
Thanks
Terry