Albany Park’s Barton Sofa: Cozy, Stylish, and Surprisingly Affordable

Getting hands-on with The Barton Sofa

Ordering from Albany Park

Shopping for furniture– especially couches– can be stressful. That’s why Albany Park founders Darryl and Jessica founded the brand in 2017. Frustrated by the decision fatigue and long shipping times that they encountered in their own shopping process, the couple founded Albany Park to solve both of these problems. Today, Albany Park creates award-winning designer furniture that ships straight to your door.

The Barton (like all Albany Park sofas) is made with fabrics that are built for everyday life. Albany Park designs couches that are meant to be lived in: spills and stains happen, and you need a couch that won’t be ruined by life’s little mishaps. When you shop the Barton Sofa, you have the option to pick stain-resistant and performance fabrics. Both are super durable and easy to maintain. While the stain-resistant fabric is coated with iClean, which repels spills and stains, the performance fabric goes a step further and is both stain and water-resistant.

If you have kids or pets (or simply have never been one to follow the no-eating-on-the-couch rule), you may want to opt for performance fabric.

No matter which type of fabric you opt for, there are several beautiful colors to choose from, including rich hues like Olive Velvet and Indigo, classic neutrals like Storm Grey and Sand, Caramel Vlevt for a vintage look, and even a soft White Boucle fabric.

I received the 101” Wide (30.5” H; 40” D) sofa made with 100% polyester performance fabric in Storm Grey. Like all Albany Park fabrics, it is free of harsh chemicals. While Storm Grey is the only color option for performance fabric, there are three options for stain-resistant fabrics (including a gorgeous tan vegan leather). If you have fewer reasons to fear spills and stains, there are four other hues to explore, including two velvet fabrics.

The Barton Sofa also has solid wood legs, and you can choose between a walnut, oak, or black finish. I chose to pair the Storm Grey fabric with a walnut finish for a timeless look.

Perhaps the highlight of my ordering experience was that Albany Park furniture arrives in space-conscious boxes that are easy to move into your space: you don’t need to develop a strategic plan just to get these boxes through your front door or up and down stairs.

While one potential downside to this is that you do in fact have to assemble the couch yourself, any difficulty is avoided thanks to the sofa’s intuitive assembly instructions. You can even watch a video on the albanypark.com website to guide you through the process.

When I received my new sofa, its parts arrived in three easy-to-open boxes. I’ve been known to struggle with furniture assembly in the past (taking two full days to assemble an “easy” bookshelf), so I had my reservations even though the instructions were articulated clearly. I recruited my more spatially-minded cousin to help me out.

Groggy from the previous night’s family celebration that included a few too many strongly-made Manhattans, we faced the task at hand. To our immense and very welcome surprise, assembling the Barton sofa took us all of twenty minutes. We spent more time taking the pieces out of the boxes and plastic wrap and clearing the packaging out of the space than we did actually putting furniture pieces together.

It helped that the sofa’s minimalist design meant there weren’t many parts that we had to keep track of: just the base, back, two arms, and four wooden legs. Since the four main pieces all attach to each other with nesting brackets, our key task was to get the pieces in proper alignment so that the nesting brackets could slide into their corresponding matches.

We started by attaching the arms to the base: affixing the left arm and then the right.

Once the arms were affixed to the base, the foundation of the couch was set and secured. All we had to do next was slide the back of the sofa into place. This was the trickiest part of the process and it took us a few attempts. This was because the back of the sofa also has nesting brackets that need to line up with the brackets on the arms. Since everything is meant to fit snugly, you have to line the bracelets up perfectly to get it done right. It’s the last piece, so it has to be exact.

But with refined focus and a little bit of extra force, it lined up precisely and snapped into place. To finish the job, we tipped the sofa onto its back and attached the wooden feet to the base with the included L-key and screws. We were done, and the whole process took fewer than ten steps.

I can confidently say that this was the most efficient furniture assembly process I have ever been a part of in my entire life. Not only did the nesting brackets mean that it was a tool-free assembly, but each part of the couch was light enough for us to comfortably lift and maneuver together. (Us being an adult woman of below-average strength and an adult man over above-average strength).

If all furniture brands assembly process looked like Albany Park’s, moving would have been much less stressful. (Though one cannot be so lucky).

All in all, don’t let the fact that you have to assemble this couch yourself deter you from considering the Barton Sofa. In fact, this fact can be an advantage: if you ever end up moving, you won’t have to worry about how to get the Barton Sofa out of your space and into your next home.

Living with Barton

Sitting on the Barton Sofa, you can immediately tell that it’s high-quality. (Which it is: all pieces are handcrafted in North America.) The seat cushions are firm and supportive, and the couch’s generous depth allows you to sit back and burrow in. It practically plants the idea of having a movie night into your head at first touch. Plus, with a length of 101,” there’s room for everyone to gather and pile in. If you have a big family or love to host and entertain guests, this sofa gives you the sitting space you need in order to accommodate everyone.

What makes the Barton Sofa special is that for all its snuggly coziness, it's impeccably sophisticated, too. With crisp, clean lines and a low-profile design, the Barton Sofa is undeniably modern. Its chic look makes it an aesthetic focal point of the room. Still, it’s no fuss: trends will come and go, but the Barton Sofa will stay. It’s both beautiful and unassuming: exactly what a sofa should be.

One of the best things about living with the Barton Sofa is that it adapts to any room’s home decor. For example, I have it in my living room, where the vibe is undeniably rustic with wood panel walls, a green carpet,  and a stone hearth fireplace. The Barton sofa ties in with the room’s natural earthy tones and gives the space a bit more polish, elevating it instantly.  On the other hand, I know it could look just as fitting in a space that’s more urban. This versatility (along with overall quality) is what makes the Barton Sofa worth investing in. You very well might redesign your space in the future, but the Barton Sofa will always be a part of it.

The performance fabric has already been put to the test, too. With upstate New York weather not quite deciding yet whether or not it’s fall or winter, I tracked in a bit of mud on my shoes and scuffed the bottom of the couch while we were putting it together. However, my worry went away very quickly with the help of a rag and a little dish soap and water. While I don’t have kids myself, I can see that this fabric would be an excellent choice for parents. I wouldn’t worry for a second about the little ones in my family getting themselves comfy on the Barton Sofa.

That being said, I wouldn’t welcome pets, as I would fear the fabric getting pulled or scratched. However, if you do have pets, Albany Park has certain fabrics that are pet-friendly; these fabrics are tightly woven to prevent damage. If you’re drawn to the Barton Sofa and have fur babies of your own, discover the Tan Vegan Leather or the Sand Basketweave: both are spotlighted for being pet-friendly and easy to clean.

Additionally, online shoppers will appreciate that the Barton Sofa looks just like it does in the photos on Albany Park’s website: you know exactly what you’re getting when you shop. Plus, the retailer’s website features videos of the sofa so that you can get a finer look at some of the Barton Sofa’s smaller details.

As is the case with all furniture, it’s hard to get an accurate sense of dimensions from photos and videos alone, no matter how life-like they are. Make sure to measure your living space beforehand to make sure that the dimensions will be a good fit.

If you do flub your measurements, though, there’s no need to worry: Albany Park offers a 30-day in-home trial. You can return it in that window. For everyone else, the Barton Sofa comes with a lifetime warranty.