Skip to main content

A Review of the Floyd Sofa, a Minimalist’s Perfect Perch

floyd sofa minimalist couch review 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After nearly eight years of owning a $300 couch purchased from Walmart during graduate school, it finally gave out on me. Its cushions collapsed inward on themselves, leaving the whole thing looking sad and deflated as if the couch itself knew its time had come and had accepted, though reluctantly, its own impending doom. The breaking of a leg was the final straw, so to speak. The couch was lame, and it had to be put down.

Recommended Videos

So, with a characteristic lack of empathy for an inanimate object, I saw the couch’s final breakdown as a chance to check in with our friends from Floyd, a direct-to-consumer, minimalist furniture company with a design ethos that tends toward streamlined looks influenced by the clean lines and pleasing angles of mid-century modern furniture.

When our friends at Floyd learned of the death of my not-so-beloved couch, they offered a sample in exchange for an honest review, and, being couch-less, I couldn’t pass them up on their offer. And, being honest, I warned them if I didn’t like it, I would inform The Manual’s readers about why. The thing is, I liked it.

Receiving the Floyd Sofa

Early one Tuesday morning, I made my way to my apartment building’s lobby where eight boxes from Floyd had arrived in my name. While I was annoyed at the fact that the couch (a three-seater with a chaise attachment) came in not one, not five, but eight boxes, I was grateful that the majority of them only held cushions and pillows and were not in any sense heavy.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Still, you’ll want to make sure when receiving the bed that you have some sort of cart or dolly to move the heaviest (135 lbs) box, which contains the base and back of the couch. Since my apartment building offers those for residents, I didn’t have a problem moving the boxes down the block-long hallway to my apartment.

However, a word of warning during these days of front porch package thieves, since the couch comes in so many boxes, it is imperative to be home at the time of delivery. You do not want someone to run off with the legs to your chaise or your back cushions and wind up with only a semi-useful sofa.

Putting the Floyd Sofa Together

Once you get all your boxes into your house or apartment, open them, and remove all the pieces (which is honestly the longest part of putting together this piece of furniture). After that, putting the couch together is a breeze, even with just one person. With two, it would make things even easier.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The process is simple: just attach the legs to the base of the couch, add the back supports after that, then add the back itself, throw on the cushions, and you’re good to go. Each leg attachment only requires the insertion of a pin and the turning of a screw. Bam, you’re done. Congratulations, you’ve just assembled a handsome couch in less than half an hour.

Testing the Floyd Sofa

After having the sofa for about two weeks now there are two things to note. One: It is beautiful. The gray color I was given as a sample was much lighter than it appeared on the website (word to the wise, order swatches from Floyd before buying so you can get a true sense of the fabric feel and color). Two: It is large enough for three people to sit comfortably and for two people to sprawl out. It’s the perfect couple’s couch, a couch for lounging and watching GoT and whatever else is the latest binge-worthy show from Netflix.

Now, be prepared for the cushions to be a bit stiff when you first start using the sofa. They take about a week to break in and become soft, but once they do, you won’t regret the time spent wearing them down to the perfect puffiness. In the end, they’re as soft as a full-on plush couch, with the added bonus of not looking like something your mom bought in 1993.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

So, to Buy or Not to Buy the Floyd Sofa?

One word: Buy. The two-seater is a great starter couch for small apartments or for people who don’t want to splash out as much money that they would for the three-seater, or the three-seat plus the chaise. The Floyd Sofa is durable, stain-resistance, comfortable, easy to put together (and take apart) and looks handsome as hell. Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better first foray into the world of direct-to-consumer furniture, and we couldn’t be happier. The icing on the cake, however, is that it’s made in the USA from nontoxic material, has a 10-year warranty, and ships free anywhere in the continental US.

To order your own Floyd Sofa or to check out their other pieces (like their amazing bed and side tables), head on over to the brand’s official website, or click the big red button below.

Happy lounging!

Chase McPeak
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Chase McPeak is the former Lifestyle Editor. Chase regularly appeared on Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast where…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more