Which Elan Sofa Is Right for Your Home?

Who wants to put their feet up?

On our three-seat Elan with two powered recliners, the seats at either end recline and the middle stays upright. That works well if two of you usually watch TV together and you use the extra seat when someone visits.

If three people regularly share the sofa, the version with three powered recliners gives the person in the middle a footrest too. Everyone gets a reclining seat, so there’s no need to take turns sitting at the ends.

For a smaller seating area, our two-seat Elan takes up less width. Allow room in front for the footrests as well as space around the sofa to walk through.

Standard or Upgraded?

Both versions have power reclining. With Standard, you adjust the headrest by hand. With Upgraded, the headrest has its own powered adjustment, so you can change its position with a button while you’re seated.

If you tend to find a headrest position you like and leave it there, Standard may be all you need. If you like changing the angle as you read or watch TV, Upgraded makes that adjustment easier.

Standard also has a slightly deeper seat. Your current sofa is a useful reference: measure its seat depth from the front edge of the seat to the back cushion, then compare it with the depths above. Think about whether you’d like a little more room or whether you already have to scoot back to reach the cushion.

How will the seat feel?

We rate Elan a 3 on our firmness scale, where 1 is softest and 5 is firmest. It sits in the middle of that scale. If you’re used to a very soft sofa, consider how much you enjoy sinking into the cushions and whether you’d like a firmer feel.

You can stop the power recline partway. You might want just a little lean while reading, then more when you settle in for a film. Adjust the headrest to keep your view of the book or screen comfortable.

A cushion or throw can make the sofa feel more like home. Leave the buttons uncovered so you can reach them without moving a pillow every time you want to recline.

Bringing Cafe brown into your room

We like Cafe brown with a blue rug and an ivory throw. A small olive-green cushion works nicely with those colors too. You can start with the pieces you already own and see how they look beside the leather in daylight and with your lamps on.

Adobe’s guide to complementary colors explains how blue and orange sit opposite each other on the color wheel. It’s a pairing to try when brown leather has an orange undertone.

For other combinations, our brown leather sofa color guide includes six room palettes.

Leave room for the footrests

It’s easy to picture a sofa with the seats upright. Picture it with the footrests out, too. Your coffee table needs to sit beyond that space. A side table beside the arm gives you somewhere to put a drink without blocking the front of the seat.

Before delivery, mark out the width and fully reclined depth of your chosen Elan on the floor. You’ll be able to see whether there’s room to pass the table or open a nearby door.

Arrange help to move the sections into place and clear the route first. The UK Health and Safety Executive’s advice on planning a lift covers those preparations. Keep the power cord clear of the moving parts and the paths people use.

The leather and everyday care

We use top-grain leather on the seats, the front of the backrests, and the armrests. The sides and back are finished in matching synthetic leather.

For dust, use a clean, dry, soft white cloth. If a drink spills, blot it promptly with an absorbent cloth. Keep Elan away from direct heat and sunlight. Our leather care guide covers cleaning in more detail.

If you need more than three seats, our reclining sofa collection includes larger seating arrangements.