The Valyōu Feathers Sofa Is Just as Cozy as the Famous Cloud Couch—Only It's 1/3 the Price

Bonus: The cushion covers are machine-washable

Author image: Candace Davison, PureWow executive editor

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Published Jun 5, 2023

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Valyōu

Value: 18/20
Quality: 18/20
Comfort: 20/20
Aesthetics: 19/20
Delivery: 20/20

TOTAL: 95/100

It was love at first seat. During a break while producing a home tour video for an interior design magazine, I sunk into the largest sectional sofa I’d ever seen. It was fluffy, yet just firm enough that I didn’t feel trapped; so cozy I didn’t want to get up. Until the designer casually mentioned that it was a custom riff on Restoration Hardware’s Cloud sofa…and cost roughly five figures.

And you let me sit on it in my questionably-stained-with-cold-brewTarget jeans?! I thought. It was out of my realm of possibility, but still, I couldn’t stop thinking about The Couch So Sexy It Made the Designer Correct Me for Calling It a Couch (“It’s sofa, never couch”).

Flash forward a few years, and I’d heard people rave about a sofa so cushy it could compete with RH—and any similar cloud-style sofa—and that it’s currently 63 percent off. At $1,800, the Valyōu Feathers Sofa and Ottoman costs a third of the price of the Cloud Sofa. And about a fifth of the custom one I sat on years ago. I knew I had to try it out to see if it lived up to the hype.

the valyou feathers sofa in real life, in charcoal

The sofa IRL. / PHOTO: Candace Davison

First Impressions

Delivery: True to the website’s assurance, the sofa shipped within days of ordering, and friendly text updates kept me posted on its whereabouts and delivery window. It was speedy and efficient, without inundating me.
Setup: You could pretty much assemble this sofa without looking at the directions. A latch on the bottom of the sofa connected its two main seats, keeping them from slipping around. Pop on the cushions, and you’re good to go. It took me twice as long to assemble a stroller.
Aesthetics: It had the deep-seated, loungey vibe of the cloud sofa. I chose a dark charcoal to (hopefully) hide my four-year-old’s inevitable spills and stains. The covers are machine washable, which is a major plus.
The Comfort Level: I could sleep—OK, have slept—on it, without waking to stiff hips or a creaky neck. The deep seats are ideal for tall people (I’m 5’11” and my husband is 6’3”), and the combination of duck feathers and polyurethane foam padding make it plush without eating you alive. There’s decent support to the seats and back, and in the 103-inch size, it’s roomy enough that three people can comfortably sit on it without feeling like you’re on top of each other.

A close-up of the removable covers. / PHOTO: Valyōu

How It’s Held Up (So Far)

After one month of constant use, spills have quickly been dabbed up, leaving no traces behind, though thankfully the whole sofa features removable covers that are machine-washable (something my old sofa lacked).

My one complaint is the double-edged sword of enjoying duck feather filling: Occasionally, a feather pokes out, and the sofa’s cushions require more routine (say, once a week) fluffing so they don’t slouch. I worry that over time—and because I spend most of my time perched in the same seat—the seat will start to slump, but so far, patting the seat has restored it back to its glory. (It also helps that the feathers only comprise 43 percent of the filling, so there’s less to move around and get lumpy.)

Valyōu

The Bottom Line

It’s just as dreamy as the sofa I sat on years ago, at a price point that’s hard to beat—especially after witnessing many expectations-vs.-reality moments covering under-$1,000 couches that were about as cozy as a park bench…and looked nothing like the photos online.

BUY IT (~~$4,900~~; $1,800)

Why You Should Trust Us

Candace Davison is PureWow’s vice president of editorial, overseeing food, home and major franchises, like the PureWow100 review series and the Happy Kid Awards. She’s covered all things lifestyle in her 10+ years of digital media experience, though she has a weakness for baking (she has *opinions* on stand mixers), DIY-ing and gadgets, all of which she shares on PureWow and her social media accounts. Davison has published multiple cookbooks, and her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Cosmo, Esquire and Delish, among other publications.

PureWow is the best friend you never had when it comes to finding the best, most useful lifestyle products online. Founded in 2010, our company’s editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series, which sees each and every item we test being ranked on a 100-point scale of awesomeness, to the painstakingly curated lists our fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family editors create as vertical experts, you can trust that our recommendations include some of the greatest items you’ll find on the internet. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.

Candace Davison

VP of editorial content

Oversees home, food and commerce articles
Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business

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