I visited Swyft’s first standalone store in London – now you can finally try out all their most popular sofas and sofa beds in one place

by Furnishly | Oct 28, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Last Saturday, Swyft’s first physical store, named Store 01, opened in London’s Angel. I popped in on the launch day to see and experience this new shop of one of my favourite brands of sofas and furniture for myself. And I’m so glad this store now exists so you and I can see and try all of Swyft’s popular sofas and sofa beds in one place.

When I was doing research for Ideal Home’s best sofas and best modular sofas guides earlier this year, I had a hard time tracking down all the different Swyft sofa models that I wanted to try in person. Even though John Lewis stocks the majority of the styles, only a fraction is available to see and test out at the retailer’s physical stores, so I had to sift through all the various little stockists that have one or two models on show to track down the ones I wanted to see.

But with Swyft’s new Store 01 now on the scene, that’s a thing of the past for all Londoners, myself included.

The store spans two floors at Islington Square shopping centre – the full address is at Unit G17, Islington Square, 129F Upper Street, N1 1QP – which is a perfect location if you ask me as it offers a lot of space and the likes of Arlo & Jacob and The Lounge Co are Swyft’s new neighbours, with a Loaf store also in the neighbourhood just a five-minute walk away. So if you’re shopping for a new sofa or sofa bed, you can hit up multiple sofa stores in one go.

‘Store 01 – Angel marks a really exciting moment for Swyft,’ says Ben White, trade sales manager at Swyft. ‘It’s our first physical space and a true reflection of who we are as a brand. We wanted to create somewhere that feels welcoming, relaxed, and design-led; a place where customers can experience the quality, comfort, and craftsmanship of our furniture in person. Angel, and Islington Square specifically, felt like the perfect fit with its vibrant, creative community that mirrors our own values. The store is designed to feel like a home, not a showroom, giving customers the chance to see, touch, and imagine Swyft pieces in real life.’

Swyft is most known for its quick-delivery sofas and sofa beds which can be with you within 24 hours after you place your order which is pretty unheard of, since sofas famously come with long-lead delivery times of several weeks. Another great thing about Swyft’s best sofa beds and sofas is that they arrive flatpacked in a box but are also super easy and fast to assemble.

But as already mentioned, the one downside was the difficulty to try the products out IRL before purchasing. But that’s no longer the case as the store’s two floors showcase the brand’s sofa and sofa bed designs, as well as its beds, ottomans, coffee tables, dining furniture, cushions and rugs – even I didn’t know how many different rug designs Swyft sells, it might just be one of my new favourite places to buy rugs.

One wall is also dedicated to all the different fabrics you can get your sofa or sofa bed in, including Swyft’s collaboration with Morris & Co. that launched earlier this year.

Top Swyft picks

The store is now open every week from Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm – are you planning a visit?

I just discovered Loaf has launched two new flatpack sofa beds – they’re ideal for anyone with awkward delivery access

by Furnishly | Oct 25, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Loaf has just launched two new super-stylish sofa beds, and their flatpack builds are specifically designed to help those of us who struggle with awkward delivery access.

If you’re currently searching for the best sofa bed for your home, I think you’ll definitely want this multifunctional seating on your radar.

The two new sofa bed designs are based on two of Loaf’s most-loved sofas – the fantastically named Squishmeister and Squisharoo.

These have always been my two favourite Loaf sofa designs, so it’s brilliant to see the flatpack Squishmeister and Squisharoo sofa beds added to the three new Loaf sofa beds the brand launched this summer.

Loaf is known for its laidback designs, and when I was researching where to buy a sofa for Ideal Home’s best sofa guide, I found the brand does mean that quite literally.

Most Loaf sofas have *very* deep seats, which means your body lies back rather than sitting upright. In contrast, the Squishmeister and Squisharoo sofas feature slightly shallower seats and more supportive backrests. I found this a much more comfortable sitting experience: there’s still plenty of room to curl up, but it’s also much easier to sit more upright if you want to.

The other bonus for those of us who need to think more carefully about small living room ideas is that the Squishmeister and Squisharoo have smaller footprints and take up less floor space than most of Loaf’s range.

The new Squishmeister and Squisharoo sofa beds are identical in design to these sofas, and their flatpack design is another nod towards those of us who aren’t blessed with wide hallways and commanding living rooms.

‘It’s all to do with access,’ explains Laura Burnett, category lead on made-to-order upholstery at Loaf. ‘We introduced our flat-pack sofa bed designs in response to real customer feedback about access challenges.’

‘Many homes, particularly in cities, are smaller apartments or have narrow hallways and tricky staircases – we wanted to ensure everyone could enjoy a seriously comfy sofa bed, no matter their space. The clever flat-pack design simply makes delivery smoother and stress-free.’

And, thankfully, the flat-packed designs don’t mean you’re left with any time-consuming DIY to do once the delivery team leaves.

‘Our Room-Ready Delivery Service means customers don’t need to worry about any fiddly assembly,’ says Laura. ‘Our two-person team sets it up in the room of your choice and takes away all the packaging, so you can just put your feet up.’

If you don’t need to take advantage of the flat-packed delivery, then both the Squishmeister and Squisharoo are available in non-flatpack options as well.

And whether you opt for flatpack or ready-built, both sofa beds feature sink-in cushions that make these two sofa beds that are *actually* comfortable enough for everyday use as a standard sofa.

Plus, both have 12cm deep pull-out mattresses hidden under those seat cushions. That makes them the thickest sofa bed mattresses on the market, and unlike standard foam options, the mattresses are handmade with proper pocket springs.

Shop flatpack sofa bed alternatives

Loaf’s Squishmeister and Squisharoo aren’t the only flat-packed sofa beds on the market – I’ve rounded up three alternative options below – but, in my opinion, they are two of the most comfortable *and* stylish options you could consider.

In comparison, with prices starting at £3295, Loaf’s Squishmeister and Squisharoo sofa beds certainly aren’t cheap.

However, they do come made-to-order in over 140 upholstery options, and if you’re looking for a sofa bed that can take pride of place in your living room – rather than being hidden away in a home office – I think both the Squishmeister and Squisharoo are worth the investment.

I don’t get impressed by a sofa design easily – but this Next modular sofa with built-in storage has done it

by Furnishly | Oct 18, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Sitting on sofas, trying and testing them out has become something of my specialty. But having sat on over 200 sofas to date and counting, it means that I don’t get impressed by a sofa all that easily. But after coming across the new Next Crosby modular storage sofa at the brand’s autumn/winter 2025 press preview earlier this month, I was obsessed.

The choice of sofas on the market seems almost endless, but there are not that many unique and original designs out there. I’ve pretty much seen and sat on it all. But once in a while, there is a brand or a particular best sofa design that stands out, whether that’s the John Lewis Pleat sofa or Habitat’s new made-to-order sofas, including the Sacha sofa.

And the latest sofa that’s managed to grab my attention to the point that I’d consider investing in it myself if I didn’t already own my dream sofa is Next’s versatile Crosby sofa.

What impressed me was that it’s modular and it comes with hidden storage within, while also being super comfortable to sit and lounge on – it’s the combination of all of these features that sold me on this design which is now one of the best modular sofas I’ve come across. I’m not 100% sure why but most storage sofas and sofa beds I’ve tried in the past haven’t been particularly comfortable so I was very pleasantly surprised.

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To access the storage, all you need to do is remove the seat cushion and lift the top of the base – there is a handle that allows you to do that very comfortably. And voila!

Prices start at £399 for a single armless module, while the matching footstool (which also comes with internal storage) starts at £275, depending on the upholstery option you decide to go for. There are only three to choose from at the moment – rust brown velvet and brushed weave in light olive green or a cream colourway called oyster – which is very limited but I’m hoping the upholstery choice will expand with time, especially if the sofa proves popular with customers.

But you can create configurations as small or large as your living space allows. And there is a multibuy discount, saving you 10% when buying two or more pieces priced at £150 or more – and that’s across several different selected sofas, rugs, chairs, beds, mattresses and other furniture.

And since opting for a high quality frame with a decent warranty (ideally at least 10 years) is a part of choosing a sofa that will last, I was also really glad to learn that this sofa comes with a 15-year structural guarantee.

This sofa just keeps on ticking all the right boxes!

I don’t need *any* more furniture, but this super-pretty Morris & Co sofa bed just made me rethink my living room setup

by Furnishly | Oct 9, 2025 | Design Inspiration

There are a lot of reasons to invest in a good sofa bed. This multifunctional furniture works hard for its floor space in your home, offering seating and sleeping space for overnight guests.

However, as Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor, I’ve tested dozens of sleeper sofas for our guide to the best sofa beds, and one thing I can tell you is that, generally speaking, sofa beds aren’t that pretty.

That is, they weren’t. At least not until furniture brand Swyft launched its recent Morris & Co collaboration, which sees the already stylish Swyft Model 08 Sofa Bed upholstered in four super-pretty floral prints.

There’s the bestselling ‘Blackthorn’ print, the fun ‘Fruit’ colourway, the timeless blue and white ‘Standen’ print, and the elegant ‘Willow’ print in sage green and cream.

Is this now the prettiest sofa bed on the market? Beauty is subjective, but I’ve visited more than twenty furniture showrooms over the last four years and browsed through all the upholstery options under the sun.

In my opinion, yes, the Model 08’s streamlined silhouette upholstered in these four new fabrics makes this the prettiest sofa bed you can buy.

I’d definitely be more than happy having any one of these sofa beds in my own home. However, style isn’t all the Swyft Model O8 has to offer.

This sofa bed offers seating and sleeping for two. There’s a full-size double mattress hidden in its depths. Plus, thanks to its cleverly designed slim armrests, it also offers a compact footprint that’s ideal for incorporating into a small living room design idea.

As with most sofa beds, you’ll need a mattress topper for when you transform it into a sleeping surface. But Ideal Home’s Thea owns this sofa bed, and she says the Swyft Model 08 sofa bed is more comfortable to sleep on than her own bed!

Thea uses the Swyft double mattress topper that’s made to fit the Model 08 exactly, but you could opt for a cheaper alternative, such as the memory foam Panda Topper, which is one of the best value mattress toppers we’ve tested.

If, like me, you live in a home that has awkward delivery access, you’ll also be delighted to know that this sofa bed is delivered flat-packed in two reasonably sized boxes. That means it can easily fit through any doorway or be carried up a twisting staircase without headaches.

And once it’s unboxed, this isn’t an IKEA sofa bed that can take a good hour to assemble. It’s simply a case of screwing on the feet and slotting the armrests and backrest into place via the brand’s tool-less locking system. Ideal Home’s Heather put together the Swyft Model 04 sofa bed with no problems when she reviewed it.

Even better, Swyft also offers an assembly service that you can book at checkout if you don’t fancy doing any DIY delivery day.

Admittedly, this sofa bed isn’t cheap. Although the current discount from £2,099 to £1,699 is very welcome indeed. However, I do think it’s worth it to get your hands on a sofa bed that’s this pretty as well as so practical.

It’s certainly making me reassess my living room setup to see if just *maybe* I could squeeze it into my home.