We felt like we were taking a big risk by ordering furniture online.  Like others have said, the color isn't really a sand/taupe color as it appears in the photo, but we were okay with gray as well so we went ahead and ordered it.  It is very comfortable, looks great in our space, and is even comfortable enough to sleep on (I recently hurt my knee and couldn't navigate our stairs).  We love this set and are glad we took the risk and purchased online!