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Article Sofa Review: At Home with Article’s Sven Sofa

Article’s Sven Sofa
Article is a direct-to-consumer brand with a focus on customer convenience and budget-friendly prices.
It makes Scandinavian- and mid-century-modern-inspired furnishings, including the social media-famous Sven sofa.
We tried the Sven out at home to see if it lived up to the hype.

The Sven Sofa is featured in our best sectional sofas of 2024 guide. To create our "best of 2024" guides, we shipped more than 20 sofas to Living Cozy contributors across the U.S. for thorough at-home tests and reviews.

When my twins were toddlers, my top requirement for a sofa was that it had to be stain resistant and somehow durable enough to hold up against small humans generally bent on destruction. But now that my kids aren’t so little anymore (they’re 8) I decided that it was time for an upgrade from our hard-working and rugged but drab couch.

These days, I have a little more leeway to prioritize style and sophistication over pure utilitarianism, so I gravitated toward an internet-famous couch that seems to transform everyone’s living room into a fresh, polished, and functional space — at least as far as I could tell on social media. 

I ordered Article’s Sven sofa and soon after got it delivered to my own home. Here’s my honest review.

Getting hands-on with the Article Sven Sofa

Ordering from Article

I started out on Article’s website and found it impressively easy to navigate. Because the collection is highly curated, there’s no sense of helplessness that comes from endless scrolling (which tends to leave me stricken with analysis paralysis).

Article Website Sven Sofa

Settling on the Sven couch, I then had three fabrication options from which to select: leather, velvet, and textured fabric. I ruled out leather because I suspected our cat would claw at it. Although I loved the rich and luxurious jewel-toned velvets, I decided the ivory fabric would best suit our space and our lifestyle, in a hue that appeared to be both bright and also potentially forgiving.

Getting to Know the Sven Sofa

The Sven sofa I chose is made from solid wood, foam, polyester, and duck feathers. It has a tufted bench seat for comfort, but it also has a sleek, sophisticated design with a single chic round bolster pillow at each side. I’d call the overall look modern and streamlined, but versatile and transitional enough for my 1936 Spanish revival-style house in Los Angeles.

I’d call the overall look modern and streamlined, but versatile and transitional enough for my 1936 Spanish revival-style house in Los Angeles.

In particular, I loved the proportions: At 27 inches from the floor and with a broad, flat surface, the arms on this sofa offered a much more comfortable place to rest my arms (and even a drink or a bowl, in a pinch) compared with the arms on my previous couch, which were awkwardly high and spindly.

Living with the Sven Sofa

I arranged a delivery date and window, and my sofa came promptly at the beginning of the slotted time frame. The gentlemen who delivered it — driving a company truck, not one from a third-party delivery service unfamiliar with the merchandise — were friendly and helpful. 

First, they helped me move my old sofa outside to get it out of the way and prepare it for pickup by a neighbor; they mentioned this isn’t a standard part of the service, but seemed happy enough to do it.

Then, they brought my new Sven sofa in a giant, couch-sized box, and placed it right where I asked. They instructed me on how to open it and set up my new sofa, and advised me to keep the box until I was sure I was satisfied with the couch within my 30-day window to exchange it free of charge (or face a potential reboxing fee if I changed my mind later). 

After they left, I opened the box, screwed in the legs — and the assembly was complete. Right away, Sven brightened my living room — both with its light hue and also its modern form factor.

Article Sven Sofa

Despite its structured look, the couch is quite comfortable and inviting. In fact, I found the streamlined design more comforting than my previous couch, which seemed to suck me into a vortex of superfluous pillows.

Sven Couch

My Sven sofa also feels sturdy and seems prepared to go the distance in a household with kids, despite a budget-friendly direct-to-consumer price point. And although the color is light, I have some degree of confidence that it will hold up against wear and tear — and forgive stains — because the fabric is variegated and textured. Fortunately, I haven't yet put it to the test as far as stains go — but it’s just a matter of time with two eight-year-old kids and a cat in the house. I'm optimistic.

My Sven sofa also feels sturdy and seems prepared to go the distance in a household with kids, despite a budget-friendly direct-to-consumer price point.
Pros
  • Affordable 
  • Easy and fast to assemble
  • Free delivery (over $999)
  • Streamlined and sleek look
  • Exchange within 30 days with no fee
Cons
  • Too firm for sleeping
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Sven Sofa/Article FAQ

How comfortable is the Sven Sofa?

The Sven sofa is great for everyday comfort in my home. I’d describe the cushions as medium in terms of firmness — structured enough for comfortable entertaining and relaxing (if a little firm for actual sleeping).

What’s the delivery process? And does the set come ready-made?

My Article sofa came delivered by a dedicated Article truck. Two delivery people brought it inside my home and placed it exactly where I asked inside my living room. They left the box in that position, and all I needed to was open it and screw the legs on. 

About Article

Article’s mission is to make great, stylish furniture long-lasting and well-priced. Since its launch in 2013 it has delivered its furniture pieces to more than a million customers in North America.

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Article understands that consumers don’t wait to wait months for new furniture to arrive and it aims to get most orders from its warehouse to your front door in two weeks or less. It supplies a wide range of furniture from sofas, tables, and chairs to bedroom staples like beds and dressers.

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Article’s Sven sofa is just right for my family's lifestyle.

I love my new Article Sven sofa. It strikes just the right balance between ruggedness that can handle my household with kids and a cat, but with a sophisticated-enough look that my space looks pulled together and dressed up. It’s also super comfortable (I’m writing as I sit on it right now!) with elegant proportions.

Combine all these features with the budget-friendly price point and seamless delivery and assembly experience, and I’d eagerly recommend this sofa to anyone.

Alesandra Dubin
Written by
Alesandra Dubin is a news and lifestyle editor and writer based in Los Angeles. Her work appears in Glamour, Insider, Travel + Leisure, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and countless other digital and print outlets.
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