When decorating your home, you may want a comfy, casual look with a sophisticated flair. This lets you entertain guests without pretension while maintaining a contemporary, modern look to your living room or patio. The Bridgewater provides the couch style you need.
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The Bridgewater Sofa
Source: Home Depot
Interior designers and architects tend to favor the Bridgewater sofa since it fulfills the contemporary look and the comfortable feel. This combination stems from the sofa’s high back and low, slightly rolled arms, which make it an ideal “schlepping” couch. Its back and seat usually measure the same, so you can switch its loose seat cushions around.
This makes it handy to hide stains from spilled milk or Kool-Aid until you have time to remove the cushion covers to wash them. These cushions include heavy padding and thick cushioning, hence their use in outdoor furniture typically used for lounging by a swimming pool or on a deck.
Another feature of this sofa is its skirt. The original design uses the skirt to conceal the sofa’s legs and feet. Bridgewater designs often contain three seat cushions and can comfortably seat three people. You can find these couches in variations with two large seat cushions or four cushions.
The Bridgewater sofa design includes a slipcover that fits under the seating rather than over it. You place the back and seat cushions on top of the slipcover. The cushions can use materials that match the slipcover or a contrasting fiber or color.
The frames of the Bridgewater style sofa show. Typically designed of metal or wood, the arms and backs may contain a design, hence showcasing the frame rather than hiding it under the slipcover. Variations of this type of couch leave off the skirt to also show the legs and feet, which may use an ornate styling.
The arms of the Bridgewater sofa typically sit back from the front of the sofa. Designers provide the arms a low profile. People tend to sink into these couches when they sit on them.
Source: Home Depot
FAQs
Although the Bridgewater uses a simple, sleek style, it offers many variations. Designers favor its lines since it so easily goes with any décor simply by changing the slipcover and pillows or cushions. This section answers the most frequently asked questions about this sofa and styling it.
Can you style a Bridgewater sofa in a formal manner?
Yes, you can style the Bridgewater sofa formally using textiles and throw pillows. Using tweed upholstery provides this comfortable sofa with a formal look. Solid black pillows or stark white ones would contribute to the formal look.
With what furniture does the Bridgewater-style sofa match?
This style of sofa goes well with many furniture pieces, including classic armchairs, slipper chairs, and some rattan pieces. The furnishing you use depends on your design scheme. You can find a matching sofa, loveseat, and chair sets for a coordinated look. This is common in patio furniture especially.
Since this style of sofa comes with a slipcover and removable cushions, you can color match it to nearly any décor. The depth of these sofas makes them ideal for throw pillows, which also extends the possibilities for your design options. Many fabric choices include a multitude of colors from which to choose, including some couches with up to 40 options.
The breadth of choices in these couches lets you easily blend them into any decorating scheme. Only the frame needs to match the specific type of décor. A sofa in this style with a detailed wrought iron frame and no skirt would go well in a Victorian setting, while a redwood frame would easily complement a rustic décor.
Using a rattan frame would match a beachfront home or one with a décor inspired by the sea. Choose an ash frame or a straight metal frame for a contemporary or modern look.
Does this sofa design use springs?
Yes, the Bridgewater sofa uses springs in its frame to bolster the comfort of the seats. For this reason, you need to test a used sofa to determine the health of its springs. Any protruding spring can make the sofa an uncomfortable place to sit.
With what are these back and seat cushions typically filled?
Many of the newer Bridgewater sofas use comfort foam in their cushions. Others use polyester fiberfill or gel foam. Older sofas, especially antiques, typically use feather fill, such as down for the seat cushions.
Are there other names for this modern indoor and outdoor sofa style?
If you see an advertisement for a birch-arm sofa or couch, or for an English three-seater sofa or couch, you find a Bridgewater.
How common are these couches?
These affordable sofas provide a reasonable furniture choice for most people, so you see them in many homes or on the patio or deck of the home. You can style this couch as a statement piece or blend it with the other furniture in the room.
With what materials do they cover these sofas?
You can find these sofas covered in linen and upholstery, such as Suncaster, cotton, polyester, tweed, and sometimes denim. The choice of material decides the look and feel of the sofa. Solid colors for the slipcover and cushions provide a comfortable, easy look when matching, a Boho look when contrasting.
The use of contrasting stitching provides a sophisticated look. Floral patterns lend themselves to the American country home look, especially when the Bridgewater sofa comes in rattan or oak.
Do all Bridgewater sofas use the same frame design?
No, some of these sofa styles use an angled, plush back, while others use 90-degree angles for the back and seat. The latter provides a more elegant design; the former provides a cozy style and seats. Depending on how you style the couch and the material of its frame, this sofa could blend with the other furnishings or create a stand-out, statement piece in the room.
Do these sofas come as sleeper-style sofas?
The design of the Bridgewater sofa does not lend itself to a sleeper-style sofa. You will not typically find these in that design. You could find a Bridgewater sofa as a daybed if you need a small sofa/bed for a room or a sleeping porch. You may also find this sofa style in chaise lounges as a part of a patio furniture set.
Where can you buy these sofas?
A visit to nearly any furniture store results in seeing several Bridgewater-style sofas in the showroom. You will typically find others for sale by special order through the store’s suppliers.
You can also find them. You can also look at many second-hand, thrift, or antique stores. You might find a fixer-upper through a source like Facebook Marketplace, although these used sofas might require a bit of work.
You can order a Bridgewater online from Wayfair, LuxeDecor, Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Amazon, or eBay. Be careful when shopping on eBay for sofas, since, unlike the department stores or furniture stores, you get a mix of used pieces with new items. If the sofa does not have springs and only uses the Bridgewater look, you can more safely buy a used couch online.
If the item description specifies that it uses springs though, ask for extra photos of the sofa to ensure you do not spend money on a sofa with bad springs or that you know you will need to replace the springs when your sofa arrives.