Is What a Room Worth It? A Buyer’s Guide

I’ve owned three sofas since graduating college: one from Ethan Allen, one from Macy’s Furniture, and most recently one from LoveSac. They were all very different, but none of them really wowed me enough to become a repeat customer. They also ranged quite a bit in price, from about $3,000 to $7,500.

This time, I wanted something in the middle of that price range that offered better quality, was comfortable enough for everyday use, and would actually last. A new sofa isn’t exactly an impulse purchase. I was working within a budget, but I also knew it was an investment.

I looked at Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Crate & Barrel, but most of their sofas had a similar style and fairly limited customization options. I also visited Arhaus and really liked their selection, but it was well outside my budget.

Why I Ultimately Chose What A Room

After a few Google searches, I came across What A Room and found several discussions about them on Reddit. They have a showroom in San Jose, California, and manufacture their sofas in Los Angeles, but unless you’re local to the Bay Area, you’re ordering everything online.

Why It Stood Out to Me

What I liked most was the amount of customization they offered, especially when it came to fabrics and sizing. I’m a mom of two teenagers, and while they’re older now, they still jump on the sofa with friends and eat in the living room. I wanted something that looked nice but was also durable enough for everyday life.

I also live in a small condo with an open floor plan, so I wanted a sofa that didn’t take over the entire living room. I was looking for a smaller L-shaped sectional with a pop of color, and What A Room had plenty of options that fit what I had in mind.

The Design Process

The process started with me submitting the form for their free design services. I uploaded photos of my living room along with a few inspiration photos to give the design team an idea of what I was looking for.

I was also able to order free fabric swatches, which was really helpful since the entire ordering process is online. Being able to see and feel the fabrics in person made choosing a color much easier.

The design service also included room renderings, which honestly made a huge difference. Seeing how everything would fit in my space gave me a lot more confidence before placing the order.

Choosing the Daphne Sofa

After looking over the renderings and fabric samples, I settled on their most popular sofa, the Daphne. I loved the look of it and thought it looked incredibly comfortable.

The sofa is handcrafted in Los Angeles using premium 2.5 lb high-resiliency foam cushions and a kiln-dried solid wood frame. Since every sofa is made to order, you’re paying for the craftsmanship, frame construction, customization options, and high-quality materials.

What Do You Get For This Price Point?

I kept coming back to this question because $4K for a sofa is a lot of money and I wanted to understand what I was actually getting for it versus just buying something cheaper at a regular furniture store.

Furniture Framing

The frame is where it starts. What A Room uses a kiln-dried solid wood frame.  Kiln-dried wood has the moisture removed so it’s less likely to warp or crack over time. 

A lot of mass-market sofas use engineered wood or soft wood frames that could start shifting and breaking down within a few years. 

You obviously don’t feel that difference when you sit on the sofa in a showroom but you’d totally feel it a few years in.

Sofa Foam Materials and Durability

What A Room uses 2.5lb high resiliency foam, which is actually the density you’d find in commercial furniture. 

Most mass-market sofas use 1.5 to 2lb foam to keep costs down, which is why your cushions start looking sad, flat, and breaking down after a few years of regular use. 

Higher density foam holds its shape longer, the tradeoff is it feels firmer out of the box, which is noticeable but it’s softened up over time and still holds its shape and looks like it was just delivered.

Sofa Construction

Then there’s the actual construction process. 

This sofa is handcrafted in the US, not manufactured overseas at scale. That means real labor and time going into every piece, and that’s included in the price. 

It’s not actually a markup, it’s just that it costs to make the sofa that way.  

The Difference Between $2K and $4K

Honestly, there is a difference, but it depends on how you use your furniture and how long you plan to keep it. I’ve owned a sofa in the $2,000 range, and there’s nothing wrong with buying one.

What I’ve noticed, though, is that at that price point you’re usually working with fixed sizes, limited customization, fewer fabric choices, foam that starts breaking down sooner than you’d like, and a frame that may or may not hold up over the long term.

At the $4,000 price point, you’re generally paying for better materials and more customization. With What A Room, that meant dimensions built for my space, over 165 fabric options, higher-density foam, a solid wood frame, plus free design services and white glove delivery.

When I started looking at the price that way, it felt less like a splurge and more like paying for something that was built specifically for my home and designed to last.

My Sofa Configuration

I ended up choosing the Bella Lagoon fabric, a rich blue-green velvet. It has an elevated look while still feeling durable enough for everyday life. It’s soft to the touch, machine washable, and designed to hold up well with kids and pets, which was important for my family.

My sectional came in at a little over $4,000, and both the white glove delivery and design services were included in that price. For a custom piece of furniture that I’ll use every day, I thought it was a fair value.

Comparing It to My Previous Sofa

For context, my last sectional from Macy’s cost close to $3,000. The fabric held up well, but it wasn’t machine washable, and the only customization available was choosing the fabric color.

With What A Room, I felt like I was getting much more than just a sofa. The frame comes with a lifetime warranty, and the cushions and fabric are covered for the first year against manufacturing defects. For a custom sofa in this price range, the lifetime frame warranty adds a lot of peace of mind.

How Does What A Room Compares to Other Options?

In addition to retailers I looked at above I also checked at Interior Define, which is also online and offers similar design services and sectionals around the same price point. The styles were similar to What A Room but with a few less fabric choices, and their production is overseas. 

I appreciated that What A Room is made in the USA, and their design staff was great to work with. Interior Define does offer personalized mood boards through their design process, but I didn’t get renderings the way I did with What A Room, and for someone buying sight unseen that mattered because I wanted to see how everything would fit in my space.

DreamSofa was another one I looked at since they also do custom builds. The price points were comparable but I didn’t care for the styles so much, I like more of the contemporary look.  It all came down to the aesthetic and What A Room checked that box.

If you’re shopping around at this price point,  the things worth comparing are whether design services include renderings, where the sofa is manufactured, what the fabric options actually look like in person via fabric swatches, and what the warranty covers. Those details do vary across other retailers. 

My Final Thoughts on ‘Is What a Room Worth It’

This price point may not be the right call for everyone.  If your room is a standard size and shape and if you’re not particular about fabric, or you tend to only replace furniture every few years regardless, a $1,500 to $2,000 sofa from a mainstream retailer will probably serve you fine. 

The sight-unseen aspect of ordering a custom sofa online is also something to consider. The swatch program and room renderings go a long way toward managing that and seeing/feeling the fabric, but it’s still not the same as sitting on a sofa in a showroom before buying.

Overall though, I think What A Room is worth it. You’re investing in something built to last, fully customized to your space, with design services folded into the price. The cushions are on the firmer side but they’ve softened over time and still hold their shape. 

If you’re furnishing a space you plan to stay in, have a smaller space that doesn’t fit a standard sofa, or are just tired of replacing sagging cushions every few years, the price is worth it and makes sense.