The 12 Best English Roll Arm Sofas

One of the most common yet underappreciated sofas of our day is the English Roll Arm.

This classic piece of furniture contributed to the widespread perception of a typical sofa. Most households and furnishing stores have this type of couch. It’s the kind of sofa you’d find on an iconic movie set, ads, and traditional and digital artwork.

Because of its widespread use and ubiquity, it also went by the name “Standard Arm English Sofa.”

Imagine having such fame that people unconsciously forget about you!

How did this sofa design come to be so well-known?

Discover why English Roll Arms are so enduring and how to choose the best one for your house.

Our Top Picks

Finding the perfect sofa for your home can be a hard task, especially if you have a limited budget. It doesn’t have to be! At Best Settee, we have put together a list of the Best English Roll Arm Sofas for the money. We’ve considered what people love about their current sofa, and have taken that into consideration when creating our picks. Each one has been selected based on its quality, style, comfort and value for money:

• Best Overall: Amazon Brand – Stone & Beam Lauren Down-Filled

• Runner Up: Jennifer Taylor Home La Rosa

• Best Velvet: Modway EEI-3064 SEA Heritage Upholstered Velvet

• Best L-Shaped: Serta Harmon Rolled Arm

• Best for Small Spaces: Amazon Brand Wood Trimmed Contemporary Armrest

• Best Leather: Signature Design by Ashley Larkinhurst

What is an English Roll-Arm Sofa?

An English Roll-Arm sofa may be identified by its side profile.

Do you see the broad, arched arms? The L-shaped armrests known as roll arms are a trademark of English roll arms. They extend from the sofa’s back, move along its breath, and descend to the floor.

Because roll arms are also intended to be recessed, the armrests are less in height than the sofa’s back. They support your arms at elbow height and give the sofa its recognizable sloping form.

The T-shaped cushions on an English roll arm are another element that serves as a crucial supporting component. To cover the couch arms, these cushions have a “T” shape. The sofa appears much larger than it actually is, and it also gives the arms the appearance of being shorter.

Additionally, T-shaped pillows offer greater seated support than traditional cushions.

Why are English Roll Arms such classic furniture designs?

Since William Birch created the English Roll Arm for Liberty London in the late 1800s, it has been used in homes all over the world. It has been used into modern residences, farmhouse-style interiors, classic English homes, and even geometric interior designs!

The English Roll arm has been able to adapt to a wide range of architectural preferences and meet the demands of every owner for the past 150 years.

Given all the changes our lifestyles have undergone since then, that’s fairly astounding.

How does this sofa adapt to all those shifting demands and shifting fashions?

English roll arms continue to be effective because they offer a wide range of design and functional flexibility.

The English Roll Arm can be customized in any way the designer sees fit, with the exception of the roll arms and the T-shaped cushions.

There are narrow sofas for large gatherings of guests and small sofas for modest residences.

Blythe Roll Arms with substantial padding and detachable cushions offer the utmost comfort for a movie night.

For workplaces or minimalist designs, there are Basel Roll Arms with tight back cushions that offer the furniture a clean and streamlined appearance. (Tight back cushions are sewed into the soda and are not attachable cushions.)

If you don’t want a couch, you may still acquire an armchair with the distinctive roll arms.

An English Roll Arm can be altered in terms of height, style, tone, material, and design. The sofa can be categorized as an English Roll Arm if it has roll arms.

Despite its unusual form, the roll arm allows for a lot of versatility in interior design. The roll arm lends a classic vibe to historical styles like Victorian designs and rural interiors because of its heritage.

The roll arm’s originality lends the sofa a touch of refinement and sophistication. Therefore, English Roll arms are also appropriate for usage in formal environments like offices and hotels.

Despite its long history and elegance, the roll arm’s design is basic enough to have a casual appearance. English Roll Arm sofas may be employed in more contemporary designs because of this.

Even its curves work well for interior designs that are more avant-garde and abstract.

English Roll Arms are common sofas, but they are commons with lots of possibilities for customization and entertaining designs!

Our chesterfield sofas and love chairs would benefit greatly from the same treatment.

How can I pick the best English Roll Arm sofa for my home since its design is so flexible?

That depends on the experience you hope to have when sitting on your couch.

Do you want to unwind on your couch with some food and TV after a long day at work? Or do you prefer that you and your friends congregate on your sofa in a welcoming yet vibrant social environment?

Even at home, where is your English Roll Arm? If you position them in an office and a waiting room, there are various expectations that you need to meet.

In her English Roll Arm, Katlynn Christiansen does a fantastic job of articulating her preferences. She is aware that she wants her sofa to exude a relaxed, sophisticated, and feminine aesthetic while providing the most comfort for her money.

She was then able to decide that she desired a sofa with:

• A Cozy Stuff

• Extra Deep Seats

• Turned legs or light wood casters

• Light, neutral colors

Be aware that when searching for a sofa, you should also take your constraints into account. Of course, your money and room space will be your most major limiting constraints. Your choice of sofa, however, may also be influenced by your present living arrangements, such as the potential for your cat or dog to scratch at your sofa.

Here is a checklist of things to take into consideration while buying an English arm roll sofa in case you need a bit more direction.

1. Cushioning

The cushions of a sofa are crucial components. Your seated comfort can be greatly impacted by the amount, type, and technique of filling used in English Roll Arm cushions.

You simply need to pick between the Basel and the Blythe varieties of English Roll Arms to find the proper filling, so don’t worry about that.

The English Roll Arms made by Blythe are more faithful to Birch’s original concept. The sofa has removable pillows that give it a natural and comfortable appearance.

On a Blythe arm roll, you may relax just like you would in your bed. You can sink deep into the upholstery thanks to the soft, dense cushioning, which creates the ideal setting for rest and relaxation.

(Source from Pinterest)

Blythe Roll Arms are often simpler to clean, restuff, and switch fabrics than Basels due to their removable cushions.

Instead of removable back cushions, Basel English Roll Arms have tight ones. This indicates that the cushions cannot be removed from the frame of the sofa.

Although the trimming on the cushions restricts how much filling you can add, the tight frame of the couch gives it a clean and professional appearance that makes it ideal for professional environments.

Despite the minimal filling, a Basel English Roll Arm is nonetheless incredibly comfortable. But regrettably, you won’t have the same sense of “sink-in” as you would with a Blythe Sofa.

2. Roll Arm Height and Shape

The essential components of your English Roll Arm are Roll Arms. Roll arms don’t come in a lot of different styles, but you should be aware of how their height and form might influence arm support.

The majority of roll arms feature flat armrests that extend to the elbow. They offer the ideal height and form for us to rest our arms on without hurting our forearms or elbows.

However, certain roll arms could be designed with more pronounced curvature. Although they look fantastic in more avant-garde home designs, larger curves might detract from the armrests’ height and provide less support for your arms.

Some people may not require the best arm support because everyone chooses to sit in a manner that is most comfortable for them. Your preference for a roll arm with comfortable arm support or one with more distinctive characteristics relies on your own preferences.

(Source from Pinterest)

3. Materials

Although you have no influence on the materials used to build the English Roll arm, it is still a good idea to be aware of how the nature of the materials impacts the way your sofa looks and works.

For instance, cotton, velvet, or leather are most frequently used to create English roll arms.

Leather is a durable and simple-to-clean material. Because of its streamlined and polished appearance, it is frequently employed in professional environments. It does not, however, perform well in hotter regions since it can become sweaty and has a limited palette of colors.

The English Roll Arm made of leather would best fit your demands if you’re a lawyer seeking one for your workplace.

Leather is a constrained choice, though, if you’re a homemaker who enjoys often redecorating your home. Selecting an English Roll Arm made of cotton will be preferable. Cotton comes in a plethora of hues.

(Source from Pinterest)

The coverings of Cotton English Roll Arms are likewise detachable. So it is simple to replace your light blue textiles with a richer crimson.

We suggest reading our most recent offer, Vortex. This thick fabric boasts deep hues and a delicate diamond design. When used for upholstery, it brightens the space while harmoniously integrating with other aspects of your house.

You should also think about the materials used to construct your sofa’s legs. Different types of wood and metal may be used to make sofa legs, which can impact the English Roll Arm’s style, design, and longevity.

FAQs

How does a drop arm couch function?

You may spread out completely and comfortably without leaving the coziness of your living room since both arms are simply lower. Drop-arm couches’ small shape is perfect for houses with limited space since when the arms are entirely lowered, they make a cozy single bed.

(Source from Pinterest)

What is the name of a couch with high arms?

Tuxedo. Tuxedo sofas are sophisticated and elegant. They are a product of the Art Deco era and, like the formal clothing, are named after Tuxedo Park in New York. High arms that are level with the couch back and a clean-lined, geometric design are the defining features of these sofas.

Are roll-arm sofas out of fashion?

No, to put it simply. The roll-arm couch is still in fashion. To be sure, you could feel differently if you favor modern contemporary furniture. Because it is a classic and frequently appears in traditional and transitional settings, the English roll-arm sofa is the reason for this.

How we picked the Best English Roll Arm sofas in this guide

You may choose the best English Roll Arm for you once you have a thorough knowledge of your materials.

The English Roll Arm is a timeless piece of furniture that is frequently disregarded. But rather than being a standard piece of furniture, it is an upholstery with a flexible design that can change with fashion. Whatever you have in mind, an English Roll Arm will probably work for you.

We’ve traveled hundreds of miles across various couch showrooms in search of the best English Roll Arm sofas for any budget, and the sit tests we performed to check out all the newest models toned our glutes. Additionally, they quizzed the Best Settee team about their industry knowledge and asked their friends and friends’ friends how their chosen sofas were bearing up to the rigors of daily living. We also consider the broader perspectives expressed by users of each product on social media and in online reviews.