ERYE cloud couches

Inside a cloud couch there is no wooden frame to wrestle up the stairs. Each seat is a block of foam in its cover, pressed flat, sealed in plastic and packed into cartons rather than a crated frame. Once you cut the bag open, the foam draws air back in and swells to its full shape. Unpack every module in the room where the couch will stand, not in the hall, because a full-size module is far harder to carry than a flat one.

Cloud sofas are straight runs, from compact pieces around 63 inches wide to long couches of 133.8 inches. The cloud sectionals add a corner or a chaise and come as L-shapes, U-shapes and curves, most between 94.5 and 133 inches across. Seat depth is where they differ most. At 19.5 to 22 inches you sit upright with your feet on the floor, and past 25 inches you can fold your legs under you or lie back against a pillow.

Corduroy covers more of our cloud couches than any other fabric, with chenille next and boucle, velvet and faux leather after it. The wide ribs give a plain foam block some texture and hide the soft creases a seat takes on after an evening. Many sets arrive with ottomans that turn a seat into a chaise, and several add a console between two seats with cup holders and a USB port for your phone.

Big sets come in several cartons, and they do not always arrive on the same day. Keep the boxes closed until every module is in the house. Then lay the pieces out as an L, a U or a straight row and move them around until your room works, which is the whole point of modular foam from the ERYE family of pieces. Our guide to measuring for delivery covers the stairs and turns.