We jettisoned our 'couch' on the last go round of new furniture. We opted for a love seat where both sides recline,have leg rests. It is as well used as the chairs that have the same features. The glider that once sat in our nursery is the least used.

Which ever my poor back/butt/leg can tolerate at the moment. A hard straight back chair is usually what feels best but I'd love to be able to sink into a big overstuffed chair for more than 5 minutes :)

We went with a couch because of its flexibility...it can seat more people and it can be laid upon and used as an extra bed when one is sick or one needs an extra bed. At the old house, though, we did live in our recliners for many years.

Couch...I love to lounge. Sectional even better

Chair. The three-cushion leather sofa is the cat's domain. Except when he's hogging my chair.

Ideally I'd have two seating areas in my LR: two loveseats facing each other with a coffee table, and another area with 2 or 3 easy chairs that swivel for TV viewing.

I've noticed at our home and others that the sofa is the LAST choice for guests, and just like in a plane, the middle seat is the least desirable.

Sofa. I like to be able to put my feet and legs up on it and lie down on it for a nap or watching TV.

Sofa. You cannot fit two cuddling puppies on a chair with you (although I bet they'd try). Human in the middle seat, pup on each cushion (although one puppy takes up more than his allotted cushion space virtually every time).

Both. We have a sofa and chair in our main tv room. I usually sit in the chair and DH on the couch when we watch together. I do love laying on the sofa for cat naps and when I tire of the chair. I think next time around I will get a sofa and two recliners...but they can't look like recliners.

Oh, yeah! The most important thing: the dog thing!

Vintage wing chair for office stuff, couch for TV (but that's because the couch is in front of the TV--otherwise I'd be in my napping chair which is a cheesy papasan).

My dog doesn't go on furniture indoors. If you met him you'd understand.

Fori, Now I want to meet your dog. Are his legs too short to catapult him up to the furniture? Or is he geriatric? Or is this just his particular preference? Speaking of animals on furniture, my first cat was trained to stay off furniture and, yes, she really did stay off---even when we weren't around! She was allowed on my lap, but not on the furniture itself. I knew nothing about cats at the time and it seemed reasonable to me that one would train a cat not to get on the furniture, if that was my preference. Fast forward a number of years and we got another cat. That cat never saw a surface she didn't belong on. I now know what a remarkable cat our first one was. I have no idea why she listened to me and complied so easily, but she was about as perfect as she could be---loving, affectionate, followed us everywhere. She would go outside and back in with us and was just as devoted (or more) as any dog I've ever known.

And to stay on subject, I probably am 50-50 chair-sofa. I like them both. If I could only have one, I guess it would be the sofa due to its versatility. In our new home we will have two sofas, two recliners, and two more comfortable chairs close by in our great room.

Chair usually, The long sofa where I can stretch out all the way is perfect for naps… I don't get many of those these days

Couch. Lounging style. I'm an impatient person, constantly moving, changing pose etc. More space to move on a couch..:)

Couch. I like to be able to lie down.

(Dog: large, dirty, clumsy. When he was a 25 lb baby, with us previously just having had cats, he was invited up to the couch once. Just once. He nearly punctured it. He has since worn through patio furniture, jogging trampolines, and other comfy outdoor "dog beds". He has to ride on the floor of the car, too. He thinks it's normal and doesn't know he's being mistreated.)

It depends. When my ex and I were looking at couch, we couldn't find one that was comfortable for both of us -- he was a foot taller than I am. We bought two recliners, and those worked out well.

We recently replaced our sofa with two lounge chairs and like them much better. We did keep the sofa, and moved it to the far end of the room. Although the sofa is 72" long, it was not really practical for three people, and eventually I needed a higher seat height. The sofa is really a settee, as it has no arms and therefore was supposed to double as a place for a guest to sleep (when we lived in a two-bedroom bungalow in Venice), but no one ever slept there. Now we have a separate guest room, and have no need for a sleeper-sofa. I had more guests when I was younger, but people do not visit me as much any more, and when we have parties, everyone stays in the back yard, which is how I prefer it, although some may stay in the dining room, which is connected to the back yard. I like to keep guests out of my kitchen, unless they are helping to clean up.

We both seem to be chair people. In our great room (which I will admit we don't use alot), hubby has a nice cushy leather chair and I have a chair with an ottoman. We mostly use our sunroom (which is furnished as a den) and he has a "stress-less" leather chair and ottoman in there and I hit the loveseat. I have a chair in the bedroom I like to sit in also. As someone mentioned above, our sofa looks brand new! It's barely used. Friends/guests will occasionally sit on it, but most gravitate to the sunroom or even the patio area if the weather permits. We joke that we should have never put a tv in the great room as it is not used. LOL

I prefer a chair, a LazyBoy to be exact, so I can put my feet up .... the dogs get the leather couch and the cats sit in the wing chairs. Everyone has their spot!

I prefer a chair with a large seat so I can fold my legs up into it. I also have square upholstered stools that are comfortable to me as they are just the right height for my short stature. The worst chairs for me are dining chairs. The seats are about 1" - 2" too high for me to sit comfortably for any length of time. In my living room, I have a square conversational grouping with a sofa, loveseat, two bergere chairs and the two square stools. I always sit on a stool and most guests choose the chairs.

Couch person here, for many of the reasons stated, the ability to put my feet up, stretch out, move around. Funny ... my dog is never been allowed on the couch, she doesn't even seem to consider getting up there to be an option!

I used to love the couch, but after back surgery, I just can't sit there for very long. DH loves it though, so I get my small recliner without having to fight over it. The dogs think they are all good. : )

No preference - all of our chairs and sofas are equally comfortable. It's more about the position and view and what I want to look at.

Surprised so many of you are "chair" people since I have never been in a real life house without a couch. Interesting.

Fori, Sounds like your dog is a well loved family member who just has to observe certain rules regarding "boundaries." Amazing how those little babies grow!

Shari13...i have been in one house only where there were no sofas or love seats only chairs. Very high end, they entertain-between 4 to 60 people on a regular weekly basis-when all of the people aren't there, chairs alone look odd....

It has to be the couch because the cat (and formerly small dogs) always want(ed) to be between us. All of our couches and love seats (five) have high, cushioned arms so you can drape body parts over them (also good cat seats). In another home I had a perfect chair in a perfect spot so that was my favorite (cat could still sit on side of the chair or my lap). There was also a long nearby couch for naps.

Chair. In most cases I would rather sit on the floor than on a couch. I'm just not a "lounger". We have a couch that DH sits on frequently (because he can set his laptop on the coffee table). I only use it (other than cuddle time) when I'm sick and want to lie down somewhere other than in bed. My preferred sitting position is straight up though so I guess I'm a bit weird. Most of my sitting time at home is on a mission oak dining chair (no cushion).

I usually start out the day in a small upholstered chair, very comfortable for newspaper reading and the dog just fits beside me. Later on I gravitate to one or another sofa, and like to sit with my legs up. The dog is just fine with this too. So both chair and sofa here.

When I'm horizontal I fall asleep. I can tell you the plot line of the first 15 minutes of dozens of movies, but have no idea how they end. So I've become a chair person.

As an added note, I've never allowed our dogs on our furniture. But our first dog, in our first home, would lounge on the sofa when we weren't home, and thought she was getting away with it. When we pulled up the driveway in the evenings, the headlights shone in the LR window and we could see her lying on the sofa. Her head would pop up at the sound of the garage door opening, and she'd hop off to meet us at the door, like, "Oh, hey guys... I was just waiting right here at the door the whole time." How do you explain to a dog you know they're lying because you saw them on the furniture 60 seconds prior?

We are in a different house now and cannot see the sofa pulling up. But I suspect our current dog is lying about being on the sofa, too, when we are not home. I see the evidence.

Lily, would love to see a picture of you ensconced in the chair with the 3 dogs!

cacococbird, did you get two identical recliners, or different to fit your height differences?

"Surprised so many of you are "chair" people since I have never been in a real life house without a couch. Interesting." Shari, I think most people here have both and are indicating where they prefer to sit.

Pets rule!

I have short legs, so when I sit on the couch, I need a pillow behind my back - but then I'm comfortable.

DH usually takes the recliner, and I'm fine with the couch. When he's not home and I remember to sit in the recliner, I remember how much I like it!

We got two recliners -- a very comfortable one for each of us. The style and fabric worked well with the rest of our furniture.

Hubby and I each have our own recliner. Papa bear and Mamma bear ones. We have a couch also, but it is only used when we have company. It's about 12 yrs old or more. I would like to get a new one but hubby likes to lay on this one occasionally and it does look almost like new. We built a new house and moved in last year and I would like something a little more colorful. Maybe next year, we have spent mucho bucks on landscaping this year ( his thing) next year (my thing). Ha!

Exactly what Lisa D said!!! Too funny.

Yes, I realized most of you had both. I am simply surprised because I thought most people would prefer sofas.

Couch. I like to recline on it occasionally for a nap. But my next one will have an ottoman for my long legs as I find myself wanting prop up my legs more often.

Chair sitters are cool but I feel like having a couch would be better because its longer. Having a long chair or a ¨couch¨ would be beneficial because not only do you get more room to house people but you can also sleep on it like a bed. A couch may take up more space but if you have the room for one I dont see a reason not to get a couch. I wish you the best of luck on your chair sitting adventures :D