As a Londoner, I’m accustomed to moving to a different flat every year or so. I’m always on the hunt to escape noisy neighbours, loud traffic and stingy landlords. However, my most recent move has landed me in a flat that I plan to stay in for years to come. The only snag? It has a tiny front door and it’s up two flights of narrow stairs.
Plus, it’s conveniently located on a red traffic route. Despite this, I assure you it’s pretty much perfect. I managed to assemble my bed and wardrobes inside, meaning they didn’t have to squeeze through the front door.
But there was one item I couldn’t get upstairs to my living room, regardless of the model I ordered or the delivery company: a sofa. I’ve been living here for 6 months now and I’ve had delivery men arrive with sofas, only to pack them back into their trucks when they realise a full sofa wasn’t going to fit through my door or up my narrow staircase.
I sadly watched them cart off my lovely sofas while I returned to sitting on the floor or on a small armchair, resigned to the fact I may never get a comfy two-seater to sit on in here. I say this all in the past tense because I have indeed found a solution, and it’s Swyft’s ‘sofa in a box‘.
A friend recommended Swyft to me when I found myself in a similar predicament, and I was immediately hopeful when I saw the brand’s unique selling point. The company believes you shouldn’t have to wait weeks for delivery (ideal), that your furniture should fit regardless of how many flights of stairs or narrow doorways you have to navigate (YES), and that it should be well-designed, comfortable, and built to last (perfect, as my 6ft4 boyfriend loves lounging on a comfy sofa).
Could this be the solution to my dream sofa dilemma? I was ready to give it another go.
Zoe’s Swift review
I chose the Model 06, priced at £2799 here (currently in the brand’s summer sale), because I was drawn to its high backs, plush cushions, and three-seater design. However, there are plenty of two-seater and smaller options available, as well as sofa bed alternatives depending on what you’re after.
The first thing I noticed about the website is how user-friendly it is each model has a number, and within that, there are clearly marked colour and fabric choices. It’s like designing your own sofa.
I opted for the Seaglass shade in a linen texture, thinking it would be dark enough to hide stains but light enough to brighten up my living room. I find linen slightly easier to clean than velvet or suede, but those options along with mottled velvet, faux leather, chenille, cotton, and boucle are available if they better suit your interior design preferences.
If I thought the choosing and shopping processes were easy, I was about to have a treat when the delivery arrived. It took around a week for my sofa to be delivered, but there were some fabrics and shades available for next-day delivery if you were in more of a rush to get your couch.
I received regular communication from Swyft’s couriers in the days leading up to my delivery, including fairly specific arrival timings (also a rarity considering many companies will have you waiting in all day).
I anxiously stood near my phone that morning waiting for a call from the couriers to say they couldn’t find a place to pull up on my road and wouldn’t be delivering (I’ve had this twice), but the time arrived and I was surprised to hear my doorbell go instead of my phone. Two very polite men stood on my doorstep with the boxes ready to be loaded through my door.
I ordered a three-seater model and I’d say there were about eight cardboard boxes in total each one of them fit perfectly through my front door and was easy to navigate up the staircase. I say easy, the two men made light work of some very heavy boxes, but they didn’t have any complaints.
The best part? The couriers were allocated 20 minutes for the delivery, meaning they had time to stay and help open the cardboard boxes, which they then took away with them in their van once the task was done. Genius! It was such a small detail that most companies wouldn’t think about, but Swyft even took the cardboard away with them, meaning my small flat wasn’t filled with recycling that I’d have a tough time getting rid of.
Onto the final task of setting it up, I called my boyfriend over to come assist. With the promise of making him a coffee by way of thanks for the gruelling task, I headed to the kitchen to get going on it. When I returned to the living room less than five minutes later, he was positioning the last cushion on my new sofa. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.
To assemble it, he explained the three base pieces simply slotted into each other with metal rod-like fixtures placed in the easy-to-locate holes to secure the base together. Then it was just a matter of placing the cushions on correctly.
I stood back to admire my new living room addition, in awe of how comfy and luxe it looked. I know a good sofa like this is a big investment for many of us, but if you’re like me and you sit on it every day watching movies, take meetings from it and entertain guests on it, I promise you it’s well worth the investment. And the comfort, I can confirm, is next level.
Other Swyft designs to shop
You can also shop Swyft through John Lewis, where there’s a selection of designs. I love this Model 03 Medium 2 Seater Sofa with Ottoman in Teal Velvet for £2499 here and Model 01 Medium 2 Seater Sofa in Seaglass Linen, £1099 here – my exact sofa colour and fabric but a tad smaller for living rooms limited on space.
For lower-cost ‘sofa in a box’ alternatives, La Redoute has some starting from £421 here. However, I can’t vouch for their comfort like I can Swyft’s.