Pottery Barn York Sofa Review [Honest & Unbiased]
Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post, at no cost to you.
Considering purchasing a new sofa and looking for a Pottery Barn York sofa review?
We upgraded our family room this year with two of the Pottery Barn Square Arm York sofas, so I’m here to give you an honest, un-sponsored review of them.
Since the York sofa is one of Pottery Barn’s made-to-order items, you want to be absolutely sure this is a great choice for your family.
Today we’re going to look at my fabric selection, quality of the seat cushions, and washability of these slipcover sofas.
PLUS how it’s holding up with my young kids!
Let’s get started…
What We Love About the Pottery Barn York Sofa
First thing, let’s quickly cover everything we love about the Pottery Barn York sofa…
- The washability of the slipcovers
- It’s cozy, casual look
- The quality of the Performance fabric
- Option to purchase single replacement slipcovers
Now, time to get into the nitty gritty details you’ll want to know.
Pottery Barn York Sofa: Fabric Choices
Washability
Our family chose the Performance EverydayLinen fabric in the Oatmeal color and I have ZERO regrets!
I am a HUGE proponent of choosing a washable slipcover sofa if you have kids.
Every upholstered sofa I’ve had has eventually been ruined by the inability to clean stains out.
Well not anymore!
Pottery Barn’s website states that the care instructions on this Linen fabric is dry clean only, but I’m here to tell you that this fabric is completely safe to wash in your washing machine.
We’ve washed our performance fabric slipcovers multiple times and they are showing no signs of wear.
Why choose Oatmeal over a white slipcovered sofa?
Washable or not, I didn’t want to drive myself crazy constantly keeping on top of white fabric.
Oatmeal was a nice compromise for a lighter fabric that wasn’t quite white.
Below is a fairly accurate representation of the color, with minimal editing!
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Replacement Slipcovers
Another great benefit to slipcovered sofas is that if you did ever have a stain that you couldn’t get out – you can always purchase a SINGLE new slipcover for one sectional of the sofa.
No need to purchase an entire set of replacement covers because Pottery Barn offers the option to purchase a slipcover for a single section, should you have an irreparable accident.
That was a huge relief and selling point for me!
Pottery Barn York Sofa Review: Cushion Quality
Bench Cushion vs Two Cushions
The Pottery Barn York Sofa comes with down blend seat and back cushions.
While I prefer the look of the bench cushion, I opted to get the 2 Cushion seating option.
This is due to the likelihood of the bench seat eventually sagging in the center if people routinely sit in the center of the sofa.
By having two cushions, you reduce the risk of sagging since the seating area is not as wide.
Pro Tip: Rotate your cushions every quarter to prolong their life as well!
We tend to sit on the same side and in the same spot every evening.
A note on sagging: Pottery Barn does use steel sinuous springs to provide continuous cushion support.
So far, we’ve seen zero sagging or signs of wear!
Back Cushions
Moving onto the back cushions… due to the down blend, the back cushions are very maneuverable.
This is actually what makes them such a comfortable sofa!
However, it is more of a relaxed look, so if you want a very tailored looking sofa, the Pottery Barn York sofa may not be for you.
When I have guests coming over, I typically fluff up the back of the sofa to it’s normal state.
Here’s a real life photo of what I mean!
Before
After
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York Square Arm Sofa: Comfort
Square Arm vs Slope Arm
If comfort is of upmost importance to you, I suspect you’ll choose the Square Arm sofa versus the Slope Arm sofa.
Having a place to rest your arm while drinking coffee or red wine is really nice!
The sloped arms are beautiful, but they’re not so practical.
Standard Depth vs Deep Seat Option
Another aspect to the comfort of the Pottery Barn York sofa is the depth of the seating.
Maybe families debate whether to get the deep seat version or standard depth.
As an FYI, the standard depth is 38.5″ which is what we have and pictured, whereas the deep seat version is 43.5″.
In my opinion, the standard depth is already very deep, with plenty of room to fully lay down (or even sleep) in comfort.
Super deep sofas tend to be hard to get out of for older people etc!
An exception to this rule would be if you have an extremely tall husband or if you plan on using the sofa as an extra guest sleeping space.
Final Words on Shopping for PB Sofas
If you’re anything like me, it drives you crazy that Pottery Barn doesn’t publish reviews on their products!
Purchasing a new couch is an expensive investment, so you find yourself endlessly searching for Pottery Barn sofa reviews.
Are shoppers happy with their Pottery Barn couches?
I’m here to tell you YES! We are very happy with these beautiful, neutral sofas.
I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the York sofa again!
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Just a few questions/comments …I have two PB York sofas. I’m working with PB to resolve a year long fabric issue. My performance cotton slub slipcovers, which favor the linen look but are labeled machine washable, shrank considerably. I washed on cold, delicate without drying. Did you experience any shrinkage with your everyday linen slipcovers? Are your slipcovers the performance everyday linen? A PB salesperson I spoke with today also said she washes her linen slipcovers even though it says to dry clean them. I really want a washable slipcover. I am torn between the warm white denim and am now considering the everyday linen based on your review. Thank you!
Hi Carrie! My slipcovers are the Performance Everyday Linen in Oatmeal. So I’ve washed my seat cushion covers and my back pillow covers a bunch of times and I’ve had no issues with shrinkage on those/they fit back on every time. However, I washed the sofa frame slipcover on only one of my sofas and I did put the temperature on high because a friend of mine had told me to do that so they dry without wrinkles and it did in fact shrink. It doesn’t come down enough to cover the legs now. So I’m trying to hold off on washing the frame cover on my other one as long as possible, but when I do, this time I’ll make sure to do it completely on low temperature and hopefully that makes a difference! That’s so odd that yours shrunk without drying? With my experience, you may want to avoid the linen too. They are not cheap! Sorry to hear you’re going through that too. -Kelly