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Reviewer: Roshan Nozari, as told to Elaheh Nozari, contributing writer
Model tested: Maiden Home Dune Sofa
The details: Maiden Home’s founder Nidhi Kapur was inspired to start the brand after she noticed a gap in the market while furnishing her apartment in New York City. Options at big box stores felt overpriced for their quality, while designer boutiques were just out of reach. All of Maiden Home’s couches are custom-made by skilled artisans in North Carolina, and by cutting out the middlemen (showrooms, wholesalers, boutiques), customers get high-quality pieces at a fraction of the price.
Ordering process
Price: How much does it cost? Are there payment plans available?
All that said, Maiden Home’s couches certainly aren’t cheap—at the end of the day, you are still getting a made-to-order luxury sofa! The 90-inch Dune chaise sectional is $4,300. There are monthly payment plans available via Affirm over 6, 12, or 18 months.
What are the upholstery or customization options? Did you choose any?
The Dune is Maiden Home’s version of the classic slipcover sofa, and there are seemingly endless ways of customizing it. There are six different styles of sectional to choose: The chaise is the smallest and the least expensive, but there’s also an L-shaped and a U-shaped family sofa within the Dune style. The chaise is available in widths ranging from 90 inches to 132 inches, and you can choose if you want it on the left or right side. The sectional is available in two different materials—Performance Linen and Performance Textured Linen—and there are multiple color options among those two. Finally, you can choose if you want classic large back pillows or a scatter back, which gives the Dune an even more relaxed and casual look.
What is the lead time for customization, manufacturing, and delivery?
All couches are made-to-order and, per the website, take 12-14 weeks to deliver once ordered.
After delivery
What are the dimensions? How does it fit in your space? Would it be better suited for a different type of home?
The entire couch is 90 inches wide. The sofa part is 38 inches deep, while the chaise is 65 inches deep and 31 inches wide. My husband and I clipped the piece of the sofa together easily right after the delivery team left. I do live in an apartment, but I have a pretty roomy living room—before getting our new couch we had a three-seat sofa, but I’ve always thought a sectional would be a good use of the space. And it really does bring the room together. I think this couch would be just as appropriate in a large suburban home as it would in a larger apartment.
Sit test: Is it comfortable? Does it feel well-made? Does the couch have a tendency to sag?
Very comfortable! It’s like sitting on two giant dog beds with three pillows (that’s a good thing in our book). It’s firm but cushy and really well-made—like, really above and beyond quality. We’d previously lived with a couch from Room & Board, which served us well for almost a decade, but the Maiden Home sofa feels superior in its craftsmanship. The linen fabric has a very high-end handfeel, which I would liken to the quality of the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa my parents have had in their home for years and years. It’s too early to tell if the couch has a tendency to sag, but I was also heartened to see that there’s a lifetime warranty on the sofa frame and springs.
Lay test: Is it comfortable? Does it feel well-made? Does the couch have a tendency to sag?
Yes, incredibly comfortable! My husband and I are in the 5'4–5'7 range, and we have a bouncing two-year-old as well as a dog (more on that below).
Is the sectional suitable for particular decor styles, and if so, which?
It feels a little California casual, and even though we live in Manhattan and our vibe is a bit more traditional, it really works! Our apartment is a mix of styles, mostly leaning towards midcentury-modern, and the couch looks really nice with the space. It did inspire us to redecorate a bit—we just swapped our rectangular coffee table for this round one from West Elm. Despite the breezy California style, the slipcover and attention to detail (the narrow arms, the well-fitted upholstery) also give it a level of polish, which makes it super versatile.
Is it durable/practical in a modern home?
Yes, it’s great for a home like ours where the living room is the center of everything we do. It’s where we sit in the morning to drink coffee, where all of our toddler’s toys are, where we watch TV, and where we host guests.
Is the couch kid- and/or dog-friendly?
Yes! Our toddler likes to face dive into the couch, so that must be a good sign. The dog doesn’t sit on the couch, but I have noticed that if she brushes up against it, her hair easily comes off the fabric and doesn’t get woven in, like it did with our old couch. It’s a great couch for a family home.
What are the care and cleaning instructions? Do you think stains could be easily removed?
Maiden Home’s website says its performance fabrics are resistant to stains, and that liquid spills can easily be spot-cleaned using a solution of mild detergent and water. The fabric feels very durable, and we did have a small spill that was easily cleaned. The slipcovers are zippered around the seat and back cushions, and they can be removed and machine washed, which I appreciate. It feels like an insurance policy!
Do the photos do this product justice? Was there anything you were surprised to see IRL?
Yes, they did. I thought the couch would be closer to the ground from the pictures but it’s higher up, which I like. It feels very sturdy.
One year update:
The Maiden Home Dune Sectional has held up quite well. The material is still intact (dog hair doesn’t stick to the material like it did our previous couch) and shows normal signs of wear you’d expect from a family’s main couch.
We are a very messy family and this couch has truly survived it all, and still looks good. We had a few potty training incidents that were easily cleaned with water and a small touch of dish soap. We’ve also spilled coffee on the couch a few times and it easily wiped off with some water—the performance fabric really does live up to the hype. One small thing that we’re not crazy about is the extra long seat cushion (separate from the chaise). Hypothetically it’s a two-seater, but if you’re sharing the cushion with another person, you can really feel the pull of them sitting and you kind of sink into the seat when they sit down. We would prefer two separate cushions instead of the extra long one.
My husband and I have really come to love the slipcover look. We were worried it would be a bit too casual for our living room but we’ve found that the neutral color really pulls the room together. This is also the first couch we've owned that has a chaise and we really love it. In fact, it’s definitely been our favorite part of the couch since it’s great for napping!
I’d definitely still recommend the sectional. The performance linen makes it a great buy for families with small children as it can handle a variety of spills. It’s a great multipurpose couch—it’s not too deep that you completely sink into it when you’re trying to sit up straight, but the chaise makes it great for napping and lounging. Really love it!
Maiden Home Dune Sofa Grades
Comfort: A
Value: B
Style: A
Overall couch rating: A
