Most Iconic Sofas in Film and TV

In any home, a sofa is a place to sit with family and loved ones and relax. So it’s not surprising that almost every television show or film contains a sofa somewhere – some more iconic than others.

To help celebrate those sofas which have become almost synonymous with the entertainment pieces in which they featured, we’ve listed some of the most famous sofas.

From the fresh and pristine to the tired and trampled. Take a look at our six favourites:

Friends – The Central Perk sofa

Probably the most iconic of the whole bunch, the sofa on which Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Rachel all sit appears in almost every episode.

Central Perk is their coffee shop hangout and the orange mohair, high-backed sofa is their favourite spot. With its curved armrests, it’s art-deco in style and is probably as famous as the gang themselves.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Clawfoot bathtub sofa

With so much style on display in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it’s little wonder that it has become a long-standing classic.

With so much to admire about Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn) and her apartment, you may be forgiven for not having spotted the clawfoot bathtub sofa.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: a bathtub cut in half and adorned with purple and fuschia-coloured cushions.

It’s a bold, statement piece if ever there was one.

The Simpsons – The gag couch

Not actually a real couch, but for many, still one of the most iconic in television.

You’re guaranteed to see the tired old couch at 742 Evergreen Terrace – home of The Simpson family.

Every episode begins with opening credits which result in a different scenario involving the sofa, for the subtle to the out-of-this-world, it’s one of the constants of the show, referred to as a “couch gag”.

The Oprah Winfrey Show – Oprah’s couch

While The Oprah Winfrey Show was not necessarily something we tuned into over here in the UK, who can forget the antics of Hollywood movie star Tom Cruise? In 2005 he appeared as a guest on Oprah’s show and jumped up on her yellow sofa numerous times while discussing his relationship with Katie Holmes.

It was a bizarre interview and clearly he hasn’t heard of the “no-shoes-on-the-furniture” rule, but either way, that yellow sofa would be recognisable to anyone with an interest in pop culture.

Fraiser – The BarcaLounger

We’ll accept that this piece of furniture isn’t exactly a sofa, but Martin Crane (father of Niles and the titular Fraiser) has one of the most iconic seats in television.

An old recliner style chair, it’s upholstered in an unforgettably monstrous fabric – moss green, striped with white and orange.

It was a testament to the character’s stubbornness that he insisted on having his tattered old chair in his son’s sleek, sophisticated apartment.

The Living Daylights – Q’s man-eating sofa

Given only the briefest glimpse in the Timothy Dalton era Bond film, we thought it was worth mentioning the sofa which can swallow a man whole.

While Bond is passing through Q’s laboratory of gadgets, an assistant is made to sit on the chunky, murky brown sofa, and then the seat and backs roll together to swallow him. The assistant isn’t seen again, so we’d be inclined to stay as far away from this sofa as possible.

Whether it’s a sofa that is iconic for the whole world or just in your eyes, at John Frederick Ltd, we provide professional upholstery cleaning.

That means your sofa can be given a brilliant clean to look as good as the day you got it, adding a pristine feel to your home. Whatever material your sofa is made of, contact us today to book an appointment or to find out more about sofa and upholstery cleaning.

John Frederick is based in Hendon, but provides cleaning services throughout the Greater London area, including Stanmore, Pinner & St John’s Wood. John Frederick’s are expert carpet, upholstery, curtain & blind cleaners. They also supply a wide range of curtains & blinds and carpet & flooring options to customers throughout London.