It’s generally agreed that the kitchen is the heart of the home. The centre of all hustle and bustle, it’s where we prepare and consume meals, gossip over tea with friends and blindly stare into the fridge in case the perfect snack might magically appear.
This isn’t to say that the living room isn’t of supreme importance – far from it. However, rather than being the hardworking centre of your home’s ecosystem, it offers a precious haven of relaxation where we can put our feet up, unwind and flick on our favourite binge-worthy TV show. Integral to this blissful relaxation is the perfect sofa.
We’re talking about the kind of sofa that is so exceedingly difficult to get up from that our bodies may threaten to leave a Homer Simpson-esque imprint in it. Now, it’s important to note that we don’t mean a sofa which is physically difficult to exit because it sits too high, and sinks too drastically. Rather, the ideal sofa should cradle us in a cocoon of cloud-like comfort that prevents us from ever wanting to leave.
It's hard to imagine that this level of luxurious comfort could be achieved with a modular sofa delivered via a series of boxes, but it seems as though Snug has cracked the code. Whether or not the UK-based brand was inspired by Ross Geller’s ‘pivot!’ debacle in Friends is impossible to tell, but we’re certainly here for a couch which is easy to manoeuvre and even easier to assemble.
What’s more, Snug offers free and fast delivery. That means no more waiting months on end for the sofa that rinsed you of your savings to arrive. We put the modular sofa which can supposedly be assembled in as little time as it takes to boil a kettle to the test. Keep scrolling to sink into our in-depth review.
Snug offers a variety of sofas, chaises and armchairs but we went for The Small Biggie Chaise Corner Sofa – a two-seater with ample storage below the sumptuous chaise. Without the chaise, The Small Biggie is priced at £1,664.
Buy now: The Small Biggie - £2,591, Snug
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Key Specifications
- External: W244.5 x L158.5 x D103 x H98cm
- Chaise Storage: W74 x D116 x H14cm
- Weight: 52.5kg
- Fabric: 80 per cent polyester, 10 per cent acrylic, 10 per cent cotton
- Frame Construction: Hardwood
- Cushion Composition: Foam interior with a fibre jacket (seat) and polyester fibre (back)
- Cushions: Removable covers for loose back and base cushions
- Frame Guarantee: 15 years
- Weight: 52.5kg
Delivery and assembly
Delivery of The Small Biggie was indeed very speedy. In under two weeks, I was treated to that much-anticipated roar of the intercom buzzer. While you can opt for assembly upon delivery, it wouldn’t be a full review if my partner and I didn’t attempt to build the sofa ourselves. It’s not a one-man job. While the components aren’t massively heavy, you’ll need a spare set of hands to help lift and slot each piece of the puzzle into place.
Thankfully, reaching my flat only requires traversing one flight of stairs. While I wasn’t lifting the boxes myself, I could tell it was no small feat. I was nervous that the door to my flat doesn’t actually open all the way since the entryway is half-blocked by an additional wall. You can check the box dimensions for each Snug sofa online, but I still had my reservations.
Yet with minimal manoeuvring and no attempts to ‘pivot!’, my boxes were safely inside, and it was time to build. The single-page instructions are offered in a strange first-person voice, whereby the sofa asks you to assemble its arms and backs. This was more confusing than we’d like to admit. It took us multiple attempts to slot the back of the sofa into the right position, and the back kept sliding through the openings and hitting the floor.
Slotting the arms in was even easier. While each arm is labelled accordingly, they’re actually interchangeable. This means that you don’t need to stress about the right parts going into the right places like you would with Ikea furniture. Simply give each arm a good heave, and they’ll slot into the metal crocodile clips without any risk of coming loose. No need for Allen keys or screwdrivers.
Comfort and materials
Despite the array of statement and neutral tones to choose from, we opted for the rather trendy fuzzy white bouclé material. We immediately loved that it broke up the chic, sleek yet rather monotonous look of our living space by adding some gorgeous texture.
When you first take the pillows out of the box, they’re incredibly fluffed up. While you won’t lose that brilliant height any time soon, they do subtly sink after a few days. In no time, you’re treated to that beautifully marshmallow-like silhouette.
In terms of the quality, we have zero complaints. In roughly a month since the delivery of The Small Biggie, there’s been no pulling or other infrastructure concerns. With a Martindale Test score of 40,000, we weren’t expecting anything less.
The Martindale Test measures the fabric rub count or the level of abrasion that it can withstand. A score of 25,000-30,000 is generally considered to be suitable for heavy domestic use, so 40,000 is a brilliant result – especially given how soft and comfortable the fabric remains.
Additional features
The chaise is an optional feature, but one worth its weight in gold. The extra storage is a godsend. I’m currently keeping my winter duvet, clean sheets and a spare mattress topper in the spacious underbelly of The Small Biggie – and there’s ample room for additional blankets too.
Perhaps our only qualm with the Snug sofa is that it doesn’t come with non-slip pads for the feet. This can be solved with a simple Amazon order for scarcely more than a fiver. If you have carpeted floors, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, those with vinyl and wooden floors would benefit from additional grip to prevent slipping and sliding.
Verdict
While Snug sofas aren’t on the budget end of the spectrum, we’d much rather give our savings over to a company which can ensure quick and easy delivery no matter how small of an entranceway your flat has. Brilliant for city-dwellers and those whose relationships have been tested by Swedish flat-pack furniture, the assembly of this sofa-in-a-box is a relative breeze.
What’s more, the sofa itself is crafted from high-quality materials – and it shows. It offers sink-in comfort yet springs back into action once you’ve managed to pry yourself off, and the removable covers show no signs of pesky pulling.
