The Search for the Perfect Sofa
Recently, I assisted Paul McKee, a digital advertising executive from New Jersey, in finding the ideal new sofa for his active family. After several weeks with the Lido Sofa, Paul has plenty to share about its impact on their home. Albany Park, a direct-to-consumer furniture brand, offers the convenience of purchasing online with benefits like easy delivery and assembly, making it an attractive option for busy households.
Paul and his family needed a new couch for their sunroom, a bright and airy space they affectionately call the “wine room.” With two college-aged kids and two energetic black labs, they required a sofa that could handle heavy use while still looking stylish. As Paul describes, “Our house is basically our office, and any changes to it are significant lifestyle changes.”
The Albany Park Lido Sofa: Key Features and Specifications
The Albany Park Lido Sofa is a modern, minimalist piece designed to elevate any living space. Key features include:
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Design: Sleek lines and a contemporary silhouette that can seamlessly blend with various interior styles.
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Material: Durable, high-quality fabric available in various colors, providing both aesthetic appeal and practical resilience.
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Comfort: High-density foam cushions offer optimal support and comfort to the seat cushions, making it ideal for lounging, reading, or entertaining guests.
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Dimensions: Ample seating for a family while fitting snugly into smaller rooms, making it versatile for different living spaces.
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Durability: Robust frame construction ensures the sofa can withstand daily use, making it a reliable addition to busy households. The seat cushions are made with high quality materials as well.
Paul’s Experience: From Skepticism to Satisfaction
Paul was initially skeptical about purchasing a couch online, particularly at the Lido Sofa’s affordable price point. However, the positive reviews and Albany Park’s reputation persuaded him to take the plunge.
The Delivery Process: The process started with a call to schedule the delivery. Unlike traditional furniture deliveries where movers set up the piece, Albany Park’s service involved dropping off a large box at the appointed time. This approach initially seemed daunting to Paul, especially with the prospect of moving and assembling the sofa himself.
Paul’s wife and daughter were home when the sofa arrived. Paul recounted, “I was in the garage breaking down the large box for recycling. It took me about 15 minutes. By the time I came back, the sofa was fully assembled. It was super surprising how quickly and easily they put it together.”
Comfort and Quality: The Lido Sofa quickly became a family favorite. Paul noted its superior comfort and support, rivaling much pricier models they’ve owned. The fabric’s easy-to-clean nature has been a boon for their pet-friendly household. It seems to me like a place to achieve ultimate coziness that likely can accommodate many an afternoon nap.
Daily Use: The sofa has transformed their sunroom into a cozy reading nook and a relaxation hub. “It’s super easy to clean,” Paul shared, “and surprisingly, it’s just as easy as leather.” The Lido Sofa also stood up well to their dogs’ activities, maintaining its appearance and comfort.
How the Lido Sofa Compares
The Albany Park Lido Sofa offers exceptional value within its price range. It combines affordability with high-end features, making it a standout choice for quality-conscious buyers on a budget. Compared to other mid-range sofas, it excels in design, comfort, and durability. Paul noted, “For the amount that we paid, I wasn’t expecting this kind of quality. It was a pleasant surprise.”
Pros and Cons
Pros:
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High-quality at an affordable price.
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Easy to assemble.
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Comfortable and supportive.
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Durable and pet-friendly.
Cons:
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Self-assembly required, which may not suit everyone.
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Limited color choices compared to some competitors.
Customer Testimonials and Feedback
Paul’s positive experience aligns with numerous other customer reviews. Users frequently praise the Lido Sofa for its comfort, stylish appearance, and value for money. The straightforward assembly and ease of maintenance are commonly highlighted benefits. One customer noted, “The Lido Sofa exceeded my expectations in both quality and comfort. It’s a great addition to our living room.”
Tips for Potential Buyers
Styling Tips: Enhance the Lido Sofa’s modern look with neutral-toned throws and cushions. These accessories can add texture and warmth, making the sofa more inviting. Position it in a well-lit area to showcase its sleek design. Natural light enhances the sofa’s color and fabric texture, creating a welcoming ambiance in the room.
Maintenance Advice: Regularly vacuum to remove pet hair and debris, which helps maintain the sofa’s pristine appearance. Spot clean spills promptly to prevent stains from setting. Use a mild detergent and a soft cloth for cleaning, ensuring the fabric remains in top condition.
Albany Park Reviews: The Verdict
The Albany Park Lido Sofa has exceeded Paul’s expectations, proving to be a valuable addition to his home. Its combination of affordability, quality, and comfort makes it an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a new sofa. If you’re looking for a stylish, durable, and easy-to-maintain couch, the Lido Sofa might just be the perfect fit for you.
My Full Interview with Paul - Albany Park Kova Lido Sofa
Alex:Hey everyone. It’s Alex with Couch.com, and I’m here joined by my friend Paul McKee here today. How you doing, Paul?
Paul:Doing Well!
Alex:Good. Um I was helping Paul figure out the best couch for his home. And I think we landed on a perfect match. He’s had the couch, the Albany Park Lido sofa, for a number of weeks now. So we’re doing sort of like an after review. How is it a few weeks in? Let’s get your high level first, and then we’ll learn a little bit more about you. How’s the sofa going, Paul?
Paul:That works out great. I’ve actually changed the… It’s wild how a couch kind of changes your lifestyle a little bit. And uh we didn’t have a couch where it was, and it really… it’s a place to read now that we didn’t… I mean we’ve lived in this house for 20 years, and it kind of changed how you do things. There was no "last couch" there before. We all kind of take turns using it, so it’s interesting.
Alex:I think what I’m hearing is in the last 20 years you’ve read zero books, and then as soon as you got this you have become a huge bookworm. Is that accurate?
Paul:I’m going to say no on that. We’re still reading the same amount, just in a different spot.
Alex:Okay. All right. Fair. I got excited there, I thought. Um all right. Well tell us, you know, the whole point of what we do at Couch.com is to help people find the best couches for them and their lifestyle. So it sounds like we were on the right track here, but tell us a little bit about you. What do you do? What’s your lifestyle? You’re a dad. You got kids playing sports. They’re messy. They’re older. What’s your lifestyle? Tell us a little bit about you.
Paul:Um so we have two kids that are… one just graduated college like months ago from Florida. And my daughter’s going to be a sophomore in college in North Carolina. They’re both athletes. My wife and I are both athletic, so we’re always involved in stuff. We have a full gym in our house that helped during COVID. But uh we like to get out as well. I work for a digital advertising agency, been doing that for 20 years, and been a website owner for the same amount of time. Not your traditional position. I’ve been remote well before COVID even was a thing, so it was kind of always our lifestyle. Our house is basically our office in most cases. Any kind of changes to it, it’s a big lifestyle change, and really happy with the couch that we got. Definitely recommend it, and it worked out real well.
Alex:That’s awesome. So one of the reasons… Well first of all, tell us about the room that we were looking to put a couch in. Is this your main living room? My understanding was that it was not the main TV watching area but more of a sitting room type of situation, which a lot of us have, and we’re like, it’s kind of the last place to get furnished fully. But that’s just my assumption. Am I on target there?
Paul:Yeah, you’re on target. I mean it’s attached to our living room. It’s like one big great room. Most people would call it a sunroom. We call it the wine room because that’s where my wife stores all of her wine. It’s skylights, a lot of light, very bright area. Our dogs highly traffic it, so it’s been a busy area. It just hasn’t been a place to lay down and read a book on the seat cushions and cushion covers. And that’s kind of our sunroom.
Paul's First Impressions of the Lido Sofa from Albany Park
Alex:I love it. Um okay. So after I got a little bit of info about you and your situation and about some of the things that your wife might like, we started talking about this great couch from Albany Park. Now I had heard great things about Albany Park. I’ve seen their products a few times, but I don’t have them in my own home. So I was really interested to see how the whole process went. I think I sent you guys the website link and was like, Hey take a look at this brand. I think this is the type of thing that you’re looking for. And maybe even this particular sofa model. So can you describe the process of looking online for it and shopping? Have you ever bought a couch online before? How about the fabric options?
Paul:Sure. Yeah, I mean it was new to us. Like we bought a lot… I think the biggest furnishing purchase we’ve ever done online without actually physically touching it has been what I’m sitting on right now, our patio furniture. So this was the next step. I was skeptical because of the price. We’re used to good quality stuff, and we’re in the New York area. It was really cheap price-wise. We were like, Oh boy, I don’t really know. Might as well try it. If Alex is saying it’s good, we’ll trust in Alex. And we did. And I still can’t believe it was that price, especially with the fabric quality. It was an interesting experience because you’re used to getting a call and them giving you a time window, and we’re going to come in and remove all your stuff. That’s how typical furnishing goes, but this was a lot different. They gave me a call the night before and said, listen we’re going to deliver at X time. They brought it, they dropped the box. They let you know, listen we’re going to drop the box where you want it, but we’re not putting it together. That was a little bit intimidating. We were like, Oh my God, this is a huge thing. We’ve got to move it from our garage to the house. Wasn’t that far or taxing, but it’s a large object.
So what was interesting was, and this caught me by surprise, I didn’t expect this. My wife and my daughter were home, and I was like, Hey guys want to put the couch together? And they’re like, yeah sure. So I cut the box open, brought them all the pieces, and I was like, Hey I’m going to go in the garage, I’m going to break down this huge box. I mean think it’s like… there’s a couch in there.
Alex:Right. It’s a couch box. These are big boxes. Good thing it assembles easily haha.
Paul:Like it’s refrigerator size box is the only thing that I’ve ever encountered like this. So I’m sitting in there, and it took me maybe 15 minutes to break down the box, get it into the recycle and all that. I come back in and I’m like, okay guys you ready to put this together? And they’re like, Oh no it’s done. What are you talking about? Yeah, it took them like 15 minutes, and it’s put together. Honestly, I’m really kind of a stickler for quality because we’ve… we grew up lower middle class, and you get the cheap furniture. We’re 50 now, you get a little bit of money, you buy a nice couch, and you’re expecting high quality. For the amount that we paid, I wasn’t expecting this kind of quality. I was like, ah you know it’d be kind of a mid-range, maybe it’ll last three to five years if we’re lucky. No, this thing’s awesome. It’s going to be here to stay.
Albany Park Lido Sofa: How Does it Hold Up With Large Pets?
And obviously that’s another thing when you buy a couch, you’re always worried about the dog. If you have dogs or cats, what they’re going to do. It’s super easy to clean. We only have leather couches everywhere because we have dogs, and this is our first non-leather couch. It was surprisingly easy to clean, just as easy as leather, which was interesting. It’s not porous, let’s put it that way. So you drop something on it, it doesn’t get sucked in. It was pretty easy to clean, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Alex:That’s awesome. Now you seem like a real big dog kind of guy. That would be my guess. We’re talking 80 pounds plus. Paul, what kind of dogs do you have walking around this house?
Paul:Labs.
Alex:Black labs. They’re big. They love to jump. They love to play. They love to shed.
Paul:A hundred.
Alex:So in the video you sent me, you showed that the couch was in great condition post a few weeks with dogs. I’m assuming that’s still the case?
Paul:No they haven’t found a way. They are housebroken, so they’re not peeing on the couch.
Alex:Right right. I didn’t mean that.
Paul:But the one dog chews on the side all the time. He literally just sits there because it’s right in the sun, and the two of them love the sun. It works out great. It’s super easy to clean. It’s comfortable. Some of our couches it’s not one you sink into. It’s really supportive and comfortable. It was perfect. I didn’t expect it, it was a pleasant surprise for sure.
Alex:That’s awesome. And then my last question for you is probably the most important one. What does your wife think, Paul? How happy is she with this? Is she okay with it or just kind of going along with it because you like it?
Paul:No I think she’s into it. She’s into it. I catch her and my daughter doing the same thing, reading a book on the couch. It’s like the perfect runway. It’s where it’s positioned, you have to pass by it to do anything in the house. Our kitchen is attached to our living room, so somebody’s on it almost all the time. Which is interesting because no one really ever sits on the couches or we have lazy boy chairs. Nobody really sits on them until night. If we’re not sitting on furniture outside, we’re sitting on our new Albany Park couch for sure.
How is Albany Park Able to Offer Such Great Prices on The Lido Couches?
Alex:I love that. And yeah just as my final closing comment here, I really liked what you said before about expectations of quality. Sometimes price definitely helps determine what’s going to be good quality if you have some concerns. If you buy a five to ten thousand dollar couch, it’s almost definitely going to be of great quality. It’s when you go into the mid-range or towards a more promotional direction that you’re really taking a little bit of a gamble. One of my points to everybody at Couch.com, to all of our users and customers, is that you don’t have to spend a million bucks to get a million dollar sofa. There are a lot of companies out there these days, like Albany Park, doing a great job focusing on keeping it simple. They keep their overhead low. It’s an online-only company. They make a great product and they don’t make too many products. They have a limited catalog so the ones that they do make, they make them right. They have control over them and I really like this model of business. I used to run a couch company, a direct-to-consumer brand that was quite similar to Albany Park, so I really believe in it. I’m super happy that it worked out for you guys. I really am.
Paul:Thank you, Alex. Yeah it was a total surprise and opened our eyes to new things. I know when my son… my son’s probably going to be the first one to move out. I’m going to recommend Albany Park for him for sure, because it’s right in his price range and it’s good quality.
Alex:How long out are you before this guy gets out of the house?
Paul:We’re thinking two years. He just graduated from college. We’re thinking two years, but we’ll see how it goes.
Alex:Okay. So in the McKee household, you have a two-year leeway period and then maybe it’s time to ship out.
Paul:I don’t know. You hear from other people that their kids are staying in there until they’re almost 30. We’ll see. We love them. We’ll keep them around as much as he wants to be here.
Alex:All right. Well say hi to the family and the dogs for me. Thanks again for doing this crazy experiment with Couch.com.
Paul:Right. Totally worth it. Totally worth it. Thank you for your time, Alex.
Alex:All right great. I’m going to stop recording now and we can just finish up our chat.
