A custom sofa that’s built to last a lifetime and crafted in five weeks — need we say more.
By
Zoë Roscoe
Updated
November 1, 2024
BenchMade Modern is a high style and design furniture brand that allows you to bring luxury into your home
I chose the Skinny Fat sofa because it is sleek and modern for everyday living
Delivery averages about 5-weeks, which is almost unheard of with supply chain issues
Finding a sofa that works for your lifestyle and taste isn’t always an easy feat. It can be stressful, expensive and with supply chain issues, your “dream couch” can take over 6+ months to be delivered.
It wasn't until my husband and I moved out of our NYC starter apartment and into a bigger space in Hoboken, NJ that we decided we wanted to fill it with furniture that would last. It was time to ditch the budget furniture and invest in some quality pieces.
Did I mention we moved at the height of the pandemic in December 2019, so finding furniture that was available was quite difficult. That’s when we discovered BenchMade Modern.
When it comes to looking for a sofa for your home, the first thing you need to consider is your lifestyle and space. My husband and I both love to lay down and watch movies, as well as entertain, so we knew we wanted some kind of sectional. With the entertaining comes food and beverage spills, so we wanted a material and color that wouldnt stain easily.
BenchMade Modern made creating the couch of our dreams a reality. Since you can customize the size, depth and material, we knew we were going to get exactly what we wanted. We chose the Skinny Fat sofa which is sleek and modern and fit perfectly in our open-concept living area. Also, it was delivered in 4-weeks, which is practically unheard of in the furniture world now.
Here’s a detailed review on BenchMade Modern’s process and the Skinny Fat sofa. Explore how easy it is to create your dream sofa to how comfortable it is for lounging — and even a night's sleep.
Getting hands-on with the Skinny Fat Sofa
Ordering from BenchMade Modern
From selecting the fabric to the size and style of the couch, the process of creating our Skinny Fat couch was pretty seamless and fun.
First, you select your style and configuration. There are 15 collections and styles to choose from, over 1,100 sizes and configurations and 100+ performance fabrics and leathers. I immediately was drawn to the Skinny Fat sofa for it’s sleek design so I didn’t spend too much time looking into the other styles.
Ordering a couch online can be stressful, but BenchMade Modern made it actually exciting. Once we landed on the Skinny Fat sofa, it was time to select our configuration and fabric. BenchMade Modern will send you a free box of swatches so that you can see the fabrics in person. A lot of fabrics appear slightly different online, so this was extremely helpful.
Once the decision was made on the fabric, the dive into the shape and design.
BenchMade modern has a great online tool that you can use to play around with the different configurations and sizes. While this is great, unless you’re taping down an outline of the couch on your floor, it’s hard to visualize how a piece of furniture will fit into a space.
BenchMade Modern has a solution for that. You can request to have actual paper layouts of configurations and sizes sent to you so that you can test out the couch shape in your space. I ordered a few different layouts and sizes so that I could play with the proportions in the living room.
You can easily move around the paper layouts to play with placement within the room, which I probably did about 500 times. This was probably the most helpful part of the ordering process. Visualizing the size of the couch in the space saved me from ordering a bigger size and overwhelming the room.
Our final order was the Skinny Fat Sectional with Bumper, extra deep in Conran Wheat with Espresso legs. The sectional felt timeless and sleek. I wanted something that we could have for years and was versatile enough to work with multiple styles, as I love to switch up my decor.
Delivery and Construction
Each piece of furniture is handcrafted in the USA which allows BenchMade Modern to make your custom furniture in less than 5 weeks.
We placed the order for our couch on November 30th and it came about four weeks later.
For $99 you can schedule contactless curbside delivery, which means they will have the boxed furniture at the end of your driveway or curb. We opted to upgrade for White Glove Delivery since we’re in a third-floor walk-up apartment.
The incredible crew delivered the sofa, set it up and removed all of the packaging in about 10 minutes or so. The frame came in two pieces that connected at the bottom and the cushions came in separate boxes.
Living with the Skinny Fat
My husband and I love to entertain and relax, and the Skinny Fat sofa makes it super easy. It can fit about five people comfortably, which is important for when we’re hosting. When it’s just us, we can easily lay down to watch whatever show we’re binging.
And if a guest needs to stay over, the back cushions easily remove to create an extremely deep bed for a comfortable night sleep.
When we first got the couch the cushions were a bit firm, but after about 6 months they softened up into the most perfect medium firmness.
The cushions are made from fiber wrapped, premium high-resilience foam so that the cushions hold their shape. When we first got the couch the cushions were a bit firm, but after about 6 months they softened up into the most perfect medium firmness.
The design of the Skinny Fat has a versatile look, which means you can easily mix up your interior style. The couch is deep with a low back, so it doesn't overwhelm our open-concept living area. Since our kitchen, dining room and living room all flow together we didn't want anything that made the room feel too blocked off. The low profile of the sofa allows for the perfect flow.
We’ve spilled red wine, pizza, salsa — you name it — on the couch and have been able to easily get the stains out without any issues.
While we don't have any pets or kids, I would say that some of our friends who come over could be considered animals. We’ve spilled red wine, pizza, salsa — you name it — on the couch and have been able to easily get the stains out without any issues.
Pros
Cushions are removable to create a deeper area
You can customize the size and depth to fit unique spaces and layouts
Fast delivery times
Free fabric swatches
100-day free at home trial
Cons
Price
Cushions are quite firm at first but wear in nicely (would prefer that to having cushions that flatten out over time)
The Skinny Fat is the ultimate comfort sectional. Cushions are medium and have held their shape perfectly for over a year. They have a nice weight to them so they don't move.
What is the lead time for customization, manufacturing, and delivery?
BenchMade Modern prides themselves on a delivery time of 5 weeks or less and they meet that standard. From the date of my order to the delivery, it took four weeks. To say I was impressed is an understatement.
What’s the delivery process? And does the sofa come ready-made?
The Skinny Fat sectional came in multiple pieces that a delivery service set up in about 10 minutes. There were two base pieces, legs and all of the cushions. I did have to give the dimensions of my hallway beforehand — as I’m on a third floor walk-up — and the team confirmed that there was plenty of clearance to deliver. The two base pieces hook into each other so there isn't any separation after it’s assembled.
BenchMade Modern is a luxurious, high style furniture brand founded by Edgar Blazona in 2015. The brand offers a fast and straightforward way to purchase high-quality, customizable furniture.
"The reason we exist is we want to provide a great quality product at a good price that is custom fit to your room."
All BenchMade Modern products are custom-made and handcrafted in the USA. The brand offers a range of 15 collections with 100+ performance fabrics and leather upholstery options to choose from. Its sofas are made in five-inch increments to seamlessly fit into your space, and all frames have a lifetime warranty.
I would highly recommend this sofa to anyone looking for an investment piece of furniture. The ordering process was a breeze and the delivery time is almost unheard of. The Skinny Fat sofa is extremely comfortable and looks sleek and modern in a space. Since the cushions are removable, it’s easy to clean the couch and also create more room if you have an overnight guest. There’s not one aspect of this couch I would change.
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