Cloud Sofa Restoration Hardware Review

The Cloud Sofa, the brainchild of the late Timothy Oulton, is one of the best-selling furniture pieces from Restoration Hardware.

RH says the Cloud sofa is 'The World's Most Comfortable Sofa.' It promises unrivaled comfort, quality, and reliability. But does it live up to the hype? 

The Cloud is available in many sizes, including as a traditional sofa and various sectional, chair, and ottoman variations.  

On the company website, when first looking at images of the sofa, you immediately understand why RH refers to the sofa as Cloud, as it appears fluffy, plush, and white.

The couch design is beautiful, and the Cloud sofa looks quite comfortable with a luxurious design.

But will the Cloud sofa stand the test of time? Is the premium worth it? 

Let's dig in.

Why Is the Cloud Couch So Popular?

Restoration Hardware is famous for its contemporary, industrial modern, and stylish designs, and the Cloud sofa is no exception.  

My first thoughts when sitting on the Cloud sofa in the store? You quickly sink into the sofa and feel the deep cushions -- as they wrap and hug you like a bean bag chair. The Cloud sofa is a statement piece at its heart. 

Also, RH had help from some of the world's biggest celebrities, who helped make the Cloud sofa a household name for everyone. 

When most renowned celebrities like Naomi Watts and Kerry Washington, among other celebs, ordered them, it became a luxurious sofa that everyone wanted to have. 

Of course, with the influence of these celebrities, this sofa, since its launch in 2015, has become a trendy choice for consumers.

Thankfully, given its long track record, we have a lot of feedback to gather and review.

And when looking into the Cloud sofa reviews, there are more critics than supporters, with most complaining about the price, quality, and comfort. 

Features Of The Cloud Sofa 

Let's take a closer look at some of the finer details on the Cloud sofa before jumping into the reviews.

Three Frame Styles 

One of the cool things about the Cloud Sofa is that there are many customization options based on your particular style. First, on the actual frame, Cloud frames are designed to suit different customer needs and comfort. 

The frame styles are categorized as follows:

The Cloud – this style features a low back design of 24 inches in height and broad arms to comfortably lounge without hurting your back. 

Cloud Track – the arms are a bit thin compared to 'The Cloud' but with the same design and comfort. The other difference is the 28-inch back height. 

Cloud Slope has a higher back height of 33 inches and sloping arms. 

Frame Construction + Suspension

The Cloud sofa frame is built with kiln-dried solid hardwood along with reinforced joinery and corner blocking. 

Based on these details, I have fairly high confidence that RH is using a well built frame for the Cloud sofa. RH does used engineered hardwoods for some of its other frames, but for the Cloud, a more expensive sofa, better materials are utilized.

On the suspension, RH uses a 'proprietary pocket spring suspension' system which RH says that 'each spring moves independently based on where weight is placed'. This to me sounds like a drop in spring suspension system, which is a perfectly fine choice for most sofas and should be supportive of good longevity for the sofa. 

Sectional and Modular Components

Suppose a standard sofa size isn't suitable for your space. In that case, RH also offers the Cloud sofas as a series of different modular components built to varying-sized sectional or chaise/sectional style sofas.

These modular components are also sold on their own by RH. Thus, the best part is that you can tailor your design to fit your space best. 

These components could be a stand-alone statement piece, including an armless Cloud sofa, chairs, chaise lounges, and differing-sized ottomans. The Cloud Collection's plug-and-play optionality makes these sofas so popular with consumers.

Leather Materials, Fabrics, and Colors

RH sofas come in various color options, but the Cloud sofa you've probably seen advertised is a white fabric material – like the clouds. 

The Cloud sofa is also available in leather, with many different leather options from RH. Note that free leather swatches can also be ordered. 

Based on our past discussions with the RH team, the Italian Berkshire leather, a top-grain, pure aniline, is their most popular and affordable leather choice. 

RH also offers different fabrics for the Cloud sofa, including stone-washed Belgian linen and flax linen, among other fabric materials, including velvet. 

Restoration Hardware also sells slipcovers for its fabric Cloud sofas which can help brighten up the furniture after years of usage or nasty stains.

Length, Depth and Cushion Filling

Regarding length, the Cloud sofa is available in 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10-foot options. Of course, if you are building out a sectional, the lengths would move larger from there.  

The Cloud sofa comes in two depth options; Luxe (45") and Classic (40").

If you are accustomed to a traditional sofa, where you can sit on the sofa seat with your feet touching the ground, go for Classic. 

Get Detailed Dimensions on All RH Cloud Sofa Products Here

With Luxe, there is more of that 'sink in' feeling; thus, great for lounging on the sofa and perfect for any overnight guests that might sleep on the couch. 

As for the filling of the cloud sofa, seat cushions have a high resiliency foam core, wrapped with a mixture of feather and down. The back cushions on the Cloud sofa also use a high-resiliency foam core mixed with a feather, down, and poly fiber.

So what does this all mean?

RH's use of high-resiliency foam is a positive for customers, as the cushions will retain their shape even after periods of heavy usage. Adding down and feathers to their cushions helps with the comfort level of the Cloud sofa and tends to be more expensive. However, it's unclear what the mixture of down/feathers/poly fiber is in the cushions.

How Much Does A Cloud Sofa From Restoration Hardware Cost?

This is usually the most important concern for most consumers, especially when considering any furniture from RH, considered a premium furniture brand, a far cry from the likes of IKEA.

The Cloud sofa in leather is not cheap. The Cloud Leather 2-seat sofa starts at around $10K, which is also reflective of the 'Member Price'. The Member Price is a 25% discount you get for paying $175 for an annual RH Membership. 

Prices rise from there, dependent on your leather choice, length choice and depth choice (Luxe is a little bit more expensive). 

For most homeowners, this price is quite prohibitive, thus if you have your heart set on a Cloud sofa, I highly encourage you to visit a local RH outlet to see if you might find something at a discount.

Into the Reviews! Is Cloud Sofa Worth It? 

The Cloud is an expensive sofa and a sharp one at that. But we can't evaluate a product based on its looks and price alone.

After receiving numerous inquiries from our readers, we researched the Cloud sofa deeply to find out what the owners had to say about it.

Does Restoration Hardware Make Their Own Furniture?

In my initial piece reviewing Restoration Hardware, I was a bit concerned as to whether Restoration Hardware was making its furniture. I tend to lean away from any company not making its own furniture, due to the lack of quality control. 

My discoveries were that most of RH's production is outsourced:

The majority (75%) of their products come from 30 different vendors, with 72% of products sourced from Asia, including 35% of their products sourced from China

The reason behind outsourcing is to cut costs and to make the products affordable.

I also found that Casco Bay used to make some of Restoration Hardware's leather sofas, but that also Mitchell Gold Bob Williams did (or still does).

This alone shouldn't be enough to sway you from purchasing from RH, but important to know.

Here are other aspects that we also looked into while doing our research into the Cloud Sofa

Durability 

In evaluating the feedback from hundreds of Cloud sofa owners, I learned that there are many concerns about the sofa's durability.

The sofa is not well-made at all it is terribly uncomfortable and I am still slaving over fluffing it up all the time. It just looks so frumpy all the time. Doesn’t matter if a child sits on it or if an adult sits on it. We did a extension of it for eight people so we added a few pieces to make it extra large and I am so sorry I did this. If ever I could wish to go back and change my mind, this was it. Terrible quality, please reconsider.

If the above statement from one sample owner holds any truth, then it seems the quality of the Cloud is quite different from what RH promises.

Style and Comfort 

There is no doubt about the sleek style of the Cloud. The sofas look good and can blend best with any décor. Most of the YouTube videos you will see about this product display it in an unbelievable style everyone would want. 

However, remember that paid influencers can make anything look great regardless of quality. 

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the company's tagline about this product, 'the world's most comfortable sofa.' 

Not to bash them, but this is based on my intensive research. 

Most of the owners of Cloud are dissatisfied with comfort, and they blame it on the sink-into design that doesn't give comfort but instead makes you feel tired sitting when you sit on it for more than 60 minutes. 

Cushion Filling 

From the descriptions of this product, the cushions are filled with down and feathers, so it "guarantees soft and comfortable back-lounging". The fluffing of the feathers is what determines whether these sofas are comfortable or not. 

From the feedback, it seems most owners are not satisfied. As mentioned, the cushion comes with filling materials that don't quite provide the level of comfort necessary. Here is one user from Houzz complaining about the fabric version of the Cloud:

I bought a Cloud Track Arm Two Seat sofa in October from RH. It is the worst couch I have ever owned. I had to take the arm cushions off the sides and put them under the seat cushions in order for me to feel that I am not sitting on a wood plank. Neither me or my husband are overweight, but we are getting ready to buy foam inserts to try to make the couch more comfortable.

Other users also report having back issues when they sit on the couch for more than 30 minutes. The cushions are so plush and not well fluffed hence making the sofa uncomfortable for long sitting hours. 

The other issue that has been reported about this couch is that the feathers compress when you sit on it and do not fluff back after you rise. 

"There are not enough feathers in the cushions. I fluff them daily and after one sitting, it becomes flat as a pancake."

Frame Quality and Materials

Something to applaud is the kiln-dried solid hardwood construction and there is no doubt that will provide a sofa that can last for decades if cared for propertly. Looking into the feedback, there are no serious issues from the owners regarding the frame except that they are too oversized for them to get into some doors. Therefore, you need to check the dimensions of your door to ensure it is the right fit. 

Pricing 

As noted earlier, a leather Cloud sofa from Restoration Hardware can start at near $10,000 which is even a member's only price. The most common complaint we've heard is that customers feel like they are getting ripped off based on what they've paid for the couch. Most anyone spending $10,000 and more on a sofa expects something that will last a lifetime and based on my reviews, it seems that the RH Cloud sofa is well overpriced based on the build quality.

Final Thoughts 

Based on what we have discussed regarding Cloud sofas, it seems that Restoration Hardware is providing a well inferior product based on the price it is charging. 

With the Cloud sofa, you are paying up for prestige, brand name, luxury and supposed comfort when in reality you are getting a couch that should probably retail at about 1/3 the price. 

Long story short, don't be fooled by the RH gallery or 1000 page lookbooks.   

There are only a few owners I've spoken with who are satisfied with the comfort and quality of the RH Cloud sofa.

Most report poor quality cushions and unreliable comfort among other issues as discussed above. 

If you really need to own the Cloud sofa, visit the RH Outlet and see if you can get a steal. Otherwise, save your money and buy from a more reputable brand name. 

Therefore, if you have any questions regarding these sofas, feel free to email us on tom@bestleathercouches.com