Floyd: Ultimate Brand Review And Rating

Like its furniture, Floyd’s website is very unique, design-forward, and minimalist. But once the initial “cool factor” wears off, the shopping experience leaves a lot to be desired.

Floyd’s Ease of Navigation

• I was immediately on board with the style, branding, and format of the website the moment I saw the gorgeous, full-width main photo, the elegant formatting, and the thoughtful font choices. The site has the exactness of an engineer mixed with the stylings of a hipster. And it works.
• But then I struggled to find the camouflaged “menu” tucked away in the upper left corner. The menu had a very chic way of expanding and sliding, but I didn’t love that it took over the full screen. It also felt strange that there were three tiny photos at the bottom when they could have been much larger and higher up, considering the amount of unused space.
• The “Shop” menu makes sense as it takes you to product categories, but the “Lived In” and “Stay Floyd” sections were confusing. The “Lived In” section leads you to a design blog, which features articles that may or may not be Floyd related. “Stay Floyd” leads to a page that shows a bunch of Airbnb listings that claim to feature Floyd pieces, but the included photos don’t necessarily show the pieces. The whole page felt like an ad for Airbnb.
• I really love the way category pages look with the clean lines and the larger aspect ratio sections and product images. Since there are so few actual products to choose from, this helps create some aesthetic interest and nice use of space.
• Product pages feel a bit cluttered and messy once you scroll down from the well-designed upper portion of the page. There’s a mismatch between the size of the font (tiny) and the size of the photos everywhere else (big). It feels intentionally designed to keep you focused on the glamorous pictures and not on the actual important details of the products.

Floyd’s Information Available “At-A-Glance”

• On category pages you see the couch name, the “starting at” price, how many fabrics it’s available in, and whether it’s currently on sale (for example, “30% off”). This is as much as you really need and it works well here.

Floyd’s Product Images

• The main product images feature the couches on a white background. Hovering over images on the category page does not provide an alternate image, nor can you change the fabrics without clicking into the products.
• On product pages, you get one wide view shot of the couch on a white background. This image updates as you customize your couch. However, there are no alternate angles or close-ups. Nor is there a 360 view. You get this one image and then the rest of the carousel is a variety of lifestyle images that don’t tell you which fabric or frame choice is being displayed. If you only have 3 couch products, you should really be able to have more images that show them off.
• Product pages are full of gorgeous lifestyle images of the couches, but they don’t tell you the specific fabric or frame customizations being displayed. Granted, there are only 6 fabrics so you can probably figure it out yourself, but you shouldn’t have to do any guesswork.

Floyd’s Quality of Product Information

• The top of the page lists the “starting at” price but the Add to Cart button displays the actual price based on your configuration choices. This is a sleek design decision, but it could lead you to think the price is lower than it actually is if you aren’t paying attention to the Add to Cart button.
• The method of choosing your customizations is sharp and clean, but they do NOT display the additional prices that each customization results in. It would be nice to know up front that choosing the un-upholstered birch frame on The Sofa is +$700 and the walnut is +$800 (yes, the couch is actually just named “The Sofa”).
• The dimensions are neat and tidy, but I’d like to see a diagram or to see certain listings broken out individually. It’s nice that they include the delivered package dimensions too.
• The material descriptions could be far more specific.
• The FAQ section is a clever addition and answers some really good questions without you needing to click away from the page. I really like this feature here.

Floyd’s Extra Bells & Whistles

• The Reviews section on each product page has a cool “keyword search” feature that allows you to single out reviews that use specific words like “quality,” or “fabric,” or “cushion.”
• Outside of this there aren’t many bells or whistles, which is disappointing considering how cool the website looks otherwise. Seems like they’d be the perfect people to pioneer some useful and progressive ideas in this space.

Floyd only offers 3 couches in a limited number of fabric options, so it would make sense if they had fast lead times. However, that’s not the case. Here’s how they stack up:

Floyd’s Made to Order Products:

• It takes 7-9 weeks on average for them to manufacture your couch after you place an order.

Floyd’s In Stock Items:

• They do have a clearance section, but otherwise there are no quick-ship options. These clearance couches will ship out in 4-7 days.

Floyd’s Shipping Time:

• It takes an average of 2-5 weeks to reach the local delivery hub, 3 days for inspection, and then you’ll be contacted to schedule an exact delivery date.

Our goal at Couch.com is to provide customers with the information they need to find the best couch for their home. We take customer satisfaction very seriously. So how does Floyd stack up to the competition when it comes to customer friendly resources and offerings?

Floyd’s Warranty:

• Floyd offers a 1 year warranty on craftsmanship and workmanship. This covers repairs and/or replacement at no additional charge. A 1 year warranty is not incredible for this price point.
• Floyd has partnered with Mulberry to offer add-on warranty coverage for accidents, spills, and other damage. This is great.

Floyd’s Return Options:

• There’s a 30 day return window. Customers are subject to a 30% restocking fee and the original shipping charge is not refundable. This feels intentionally expensive to encourage customers to simply stick with their purchase.

Floyd’s Delivery Options & Costs:

• Delivery cost is calculated at checkout. It’s 12% of your order value (up to $299 max). That’s expensive, especially when it’s not white glove delivery (see below).
• Couch orders (and orders over 100 pounds) ship with a 3rd party freight delivery partner. They bring the couch inside but they do not perform any assembly or remove packaging materials. This is considered “threshold delivery” since they do bring the couch inside as opposed to leaving it at your door.

Floyd’s Financing Options:

• Floyd has partnered with Affirm to offer 3, 6, or 12 month plans starting at 0% APR.

Is Assembly Required?

• The Sofa does require assembly, though it appears to be rather simple and straightforward. It’s essentially attaching the legs, the arm panels, and the back panels to the frame. 2 people should be able to assemble it very quickly.
• The Sink Down Sectional and Form Sectional are modular sectionals and would only need to be attached in your preferred configuration. No other assembly required.

Floyd’s Customization Options:

• The Sofa has several variables you can choose from: 6 fabrics, whether you want the platform base to be upholstered or exposed wood, and which wood you’d like it to be (birch or walnut). It also has 2-seater, 3-seater, and chaise variations.
• The Sink Down Sectional and Form Sectional have more than a dozen fabric options available across multiple fabric types. You may also have the choice to add toss pillows, which you can upholster in any fabric option. This provides a good opportunity to mix and match colors and styles.

Does Floyd Offer Free Fabric Swatches?

• Yes, though it can be tricky to find the part of the website where it’s possible. Here are links to where you can find the free swatches: Form Sectional swatches, Sink Down Sectional swatches, The Sofa swatches.

Durability is a major factor when it comes to purchasing a couch, especially when you’re ordering online. So do Floyd couches hold up over time? Truth be told, they could be better.

Floyd’s Quality of Materials:

• Fabrics look chic and modern, but there are no double rub counts listed, which is always concerning. These types of fabrics, while gorgeous, might also lead to more visible wear and tear (for example, exposed basket weaves that can pull apart or be easily clawed-at by cats).
• Their cushions are described as “dense double-layered foam cushions” (found on The Form and The Sofa) and “memory foam with blown fiber” (found on The Sink Down). This is not very descriptive. How dense is the foam? Is it wrapped in anything? The materials also sound very synthetic, which makes the higher price tag for these couches a bit suspect.

Floyd’s Cleanability:

• The fabrics are said to be cleanable with a damp cloth and soap. Chemical solvents are also generally permitted. This leads us to believe the cleaning code is W/S, though we can’t be certain since it’s not specifically listed.
• Customers are urged not to machine wash their fabric as it will remove the stain-resistant treatment on the fabric (see below).
• If stain treatments applied to fabric is a concern for you, then you should be aware that they coat their fabrics with, “short chain fluorocarbon-based treatment for stain resistance.”

Floyd’s Quality of Construction & Manufacturing Origin:

• They list their manufacturing facilities as being located in the US, China, and Mexico, but they do not specify which products are manufactured where.
• The Form and Sink Down sectional frames are made from plywood and OSB (oriented strand boards – aka engineered wood) and The Sofa’s frame is made from plywood, which has walnut or birch veneers applied if you choose the exposed frame option. OSB is a good material for keeping formaldehyde levels low. However, it’s still a version of plywood/engineered wood. These are generally fine options, but at this price point I’d much rather see solid wood frames. Plus, the frames are only covered under a 1 year warranty, which doesn’t inspire confidence.
• The Sofa rests on a plywood platform so it does not have any type of additional spring support system. This should reduce the cost, but it somehow doesn’t seem to.
• The Form and Sink Down sectionals have a “flat spring suspension,” which I assume means it’s a sinuous spring system. This is good and acceptable for the price point.

Vibing with a brand is important. Brands can also promote certain lifestyles and sustainability goals. That’s why it’s my goal to help you find a company and brand that you vibe with so that you’re as comfortable with your new couch as you are on your new couch.

Floyd’s Key Differentiators & Unique Facts:

• The name Floyd harkens back to co-founder Kyle Hoff’s family name — Kyle’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all share the first name Floyd and were all once steelworkers in Youngstown, Ohio.
• Floyd started as a Kickstarter with one single product – The Floyd Leg. Literally a table leg that would allow you to use any other surface to create a table. It was born out of a desire to avoid disposable furniture. In their first year they sold the Floyd Leg to customers in over 30 countries.
• Floyd has a focus on furniture that can adapt and change and mold to the customer. Adjustable bookshelves, a platform bed that can start as a queen and be expanded with another panel to become a king, a squishy bean bag chair, etc. It’s simple, thoughtful, non-disposable design philosophy.

Floyd’s Sustainability:

• Floyd is committed to becoming one of the first carbon neutral furniture brands. They’ve also partnered with Climate Neutral, a non-profit organization that provides consumer standards for climate neutrality. That being said, I’d like to see more concrete details about how they’re achieving these listed goals.
• Their Squishy Chair is made from manufacturing foam scraps and recycled materials that would otherwise end up in the ocean or a landfill.

Floyd’s Overall Brand Presentation:

• The founders of Floyd are design nerds, and I use that term lovingly. They have brought a specific type of design passion to their furniture that separates them from other companies on the market. Everything about the products and the website shopping experience feels intentional and articulated.
• One of the co-founders, Kyle Hoff, explains, “We knew from the beginning we wanted to make thoughtfully designed products more accessible and show how the products work, where the materials come from, and our thinking that goes into the design. People like reading our story and learning what goes into creating our products.” This mindset helped them create a unique and strong brand vibe.
• Floyd fits right in with the lifestyle for people who know the exact temperature to heat their water for their pour-over coffee, for people with a record collection full of ’80s experimental art rock (and who might even own several vintage synthesizers), and people who store their road bike on their wall (and who actually ride them).