So, you want an Article Sven?
Well, seeing as you’re about to drop some real money on a sofa – and assuming you haven’t already been funneled through the sales pipeline of the first Instagram ad you saw – it’s worth considering some non-sponsored, real life reviews on this thing.
Article’s flagship mid-century modern sofa is their Sven Sofa. It’s clearly got a lot going for it and we’re going to begin with focusing on positive reviews from real users who haven’t been incentivized by either us or Article to share their opinions.
Positive Reviews:
In this reddit thread, u/alexnewpix (who purchased the blue velvet version of the Sven) says,
“The design is beautiful. Out of the box it looked stunning in our apartment.”
“Good conversation piece”
“Garnered a ton of compliments from guests.”
“Comfy. We watch TV a few nights a week on it comfortably and I’ve even slept through the night on it.”
In a separate thread, u/jam_pudding praises the Sven saying,
“My brother has the Article couch, and it feels absolutely divine…It’s super soft, and the color won’t fade or rub off or peel over time. It’s set in there, deeply. The feel is buttery. The smell is amazing; warm and creamy. This is very high quality leather.”
In another thread, u/TheeWolf dishes out some high praise commenting on its cost,
“Speaking as someone who owns one – it’s totally worth the money. I don’t know if you’ll find one that is cheaper, that is the same quality or comfort. If you really don’t want to dish out the $1700, you could look at AllModern or one of Amazon’s furniture brands because I know they have some faux leather couches for cheaper. But seriously…the Sven is amazing.”
So, on the plus side we’ve got that it’s aesthetically appealing, draws in some compliments, is comfortable enough to sleep on, features some high quality leather, and provides good value for its price point.
Negative Reviews:
Unfortunately, there’s always a flip side. Now we can never be sure with possible selection bias associated with negative online reviews, so we’d advise taking these with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the negative reviews are generally divided between the velvet and leather versions of the Sven.
The Velvet Sven:
With the velvet Svens in particular, many users have cited fading. Of course, if you’re going for a vintage look that could be a plus, but for most customers this was a bug and not a feature. In the same thread where u/alexnewpix praised the Sven, he provides some not so positive feedback saying,
“The fabric on this faded, fast and unevenly. Within only two-three months, parts of it had drastically shifted color to a pale blue with some almost rust-colored fabric fraying through at certain edges. It’s not in a particularly sun-heavy room.”
“A year in, the uneven color and fickle nature of the fabric makes me regret purchasing it. I could take the velvet being sensitive alone, but for the price we paid ($2400), the amount of fading that happened in under a year is unacceptable to me.”
“I wanted to share an honest review to potentially warn anyone on the fence about purchasing one. I wouldn’t recommend it at this point and I’m pretty surprised I haven’t seen any review sites mention any significant fading. Hopefully I can get other’s opinions if they’ve purchased velvet pieces from Article as well.”
He summarizes his experience lamenting that,
“My Article Sven Velvet Sectional has faded a dramatic amount within a year’s time. Buyer’s remorse. Warning to other purchasers: this pricey couch hurt me 🙁 ”
The Leather Sven:
Although not facing the same, consistent level of online critique, another user followed up on this same thread wondering if Article leather couches faced the same fading issues. A separate reviewer responded saying,
“I got a lot of fading and spots on my leather version. It ended up looking like crap to me.”
Now that’s not exactly what you want to hear when dropping close to $2k on a couch (or considerably more if you elect to go with the larger sofa or sectional options).
Additionally, there seem to be issues with cushion support as multiple users cited that the back cushions needed refilling after a few years. One user further commented on the cushion support saying,
“The leather Sven back sits so deep and the back cushion has almost no support.”
Again, these negative reviews are few and far in between, but definitely something to take into consideration when dropping some major cash on furniture. As for the fading and cushion support, you can see a great example here of a velvet Sven that has clearly lived a full life. Now whether you think that adds character or detracts from its value is a more personal decision.
Summary:
People seem divided over the Sven. It’s pretty clear the velvet line has historically been subject to premature fading, especially if located in a room exposed to a lot of sunlight, while fewer customers complain about its leather counterpart. And even fewer complain about its less popular (but also cheaper) fabric versions – a few of which you can see featured below.
But like any direct-to-consumer product that doesn’t allow for a showroom experience, the Sven manages to both delight and disappoint its customers based on their level of expectation. Fortunately, if you happen to fall on the happier end of that spectrum, Article offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and return period.
In our estimation, we think u/raisimo’s review encapsulates the Sven experience well:
“I’ve had it for maybe 3 years. The finish is kind of suede-ish, so it does stain easy and I’m still not totally sure what to do for cleaning/conditioning since anything will definitely change the color of the leather. Overall it’s pretty comfy and is holding up well though.”
With that in mind, we’d recommend taking the Sven for a spin. For its price point, it’s an undeniable deal on a mid-century classic.
