REVIEW – Our family room has been the main gathering place in our house since we moved in in 2005. We got a new sofa then, and it survived almost 20 years and two kids. It was still comfortable, but in rough shape. When the opportunity to review the FlexiSpot modular sofa, I jumped on it (not literally – we want our furniture to last!). This was also a chance to re-do the whole room, so what started as an email agreeing to review a sofa turned into a weeks-long process of picking out new carpet and painting the walls. But it all started with a new sofa, which is actually quite comfortable and unique.
What is it?
The FlexiSpot Modular Sofa is a sofa, but it is probably different from any other sofa you have purchased. The sofa is sold in pieces, and you can buy as many pieces as you need to fill your space—from a single chair to a huge sectional. It’s all the same pieces that literally snap together.
What’s included?
- For each modular block, you get:
- Base
- 4 Feet for the Base
- Base cushion
- Back
- Back cushion
- Maybe a side depending on your configuration
- Clips for attaching modular blocks together
- Hardware for attaching the back and sides to the base
Tech specs
Click to expand
Base Dimensions: 28.5’’ x 34.5’’
Base Seating Height: 18.5’’
Rear Cushion Size: 21.1’’ x 28.5’’
Side and Back Thickness: 5.5’’
Available fabrics: Polyester Fabric, or Polyester microfiber (Flexispot calls it velvet)
Design and features
The FlexiSpot modular sofa is a really unique sofa. You basically figure out how big you want the sofa to be, based on the space you have to fill and the shape you want (a straight sofa, a “L” shape, a “U” shape, or something even crazier). Then you can order enough modular blocks to make that shape. The Flexispot web site offers a ton of pre-configured options as well.
The sofa I ordered consisted of four blocks, and we set it up with three blocks across and one perpendicular, forming a chaise lounge situation and ending up with a sofa in an “L” shape. Each modular block includes a base, a seat cushion, a back, and maybe a side depending on your configuration. These blocks basically just snap together with heavy metal clips, and many configurations are possible. One great aspect of the Flexispot Sofa system is that each base includes a big storage area under the cushion.
The rear cushions are not attached so they tend to move around a bit and fall over occasionally. There are many ways to set the blocks up. For example, from the system we got, we could create a chair and a sofa, two loveseats, or the sofa system we initial set up. Keep in mind that we only have two “sides” (the part that’s like an armrest) so not all those pieces would be complete, but it’s possible.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Each block comes in two large boxes. Because our sofa shipped from a few different locations, we ended up having eight large boxes delivered over a few days, which meant that we had to find a place to keep them all. Just be aware that the pieces are big, so storage and assembly will take some space.
Once received, assembly is pretty simple, with a single included hex wrench. The pieces are well packed, and there is an extra strip of cardboard under the tape for each box to keep you from slicing the sofa with your new knife that you read about on The Gadgeteer when you cut the tape.
Each back or side has two heavy metal “clips” that attached with two bolts.
Each base has four feet that each just screw on.
Once those are all attached, assembly is as simple as slipping the clips into the slots in the base, and adding the cushions. The sides and backs further attach with a bracket that attaches at the bottom with two bolts. And then the blocks simply attach to each other with heavy metal “U” shaped clips that slip into adjoining slots on neighboring blocks.
All told, for my “four-block” system, assembly was about 45 minutes. The only challenge I had was that when installing the back on the short side of the “L”, the bolt hole for the bottom bracket attaching the back to the base was not where we needed it to be. There are many ways to configure each block, and the way we chose to configure worked with the clips attaching the back to the base, but not with the bracket on the bottom. I simply drilled a pilot hole and used a wood screw instead of the included hardware, but it was surprising that there was not a corresponding bolt hole like in all the other configuration locations.
Performance
If you are looking for a formal sofa for sitting properly and upright, this might not be for you. The base cushions are simply too deep. I’m 6’1” and I’m forced to slouch to put my feet on the floor.
But if you are looking for a sofa to lay on, curl up on, and maybe even use as an occasional guest bed, this is definitely what you want. It’s only three inches narrower than a twin bed. Given that we have the sofa in our “less formal” family room, curling up and laying on it is how we have been using it. The cushions are firm and comfortable, and there’s a lot of space. Four people could easily fit on it and not feel crowded. The rear cushions don’t attach, so they can move around and fall over and do look sloppy sometimes, but you can also grab them and reconfigure for lounging. Trade-offs. The only other negative is that unused slots for attaching adjacent blocks can be seen under the cushion on the front of each base.
Overall, the Flexispot sofa has gotten rave reviews from my entire family, especially our youngest daughter who spends a lot of time on it.
What I like about the Flexispot Sofa
- Comfortable
- Very configurable – just buy what you need
- Assembly is simple
What needs to be improved?
- Ensure there are bolt holes for all configurations
Final thoughts
I had never considered a modular sofa, but it turns out that it’s a great concept. It’s not a unique design or the height of interior fashion, but it’s very functional, comfortable, and configurable. We still have more formal sofas in our “official” living room, but the Flexispot modular sofa is perfect for our informal family room!
Price: $999.99 for the SF-2 Small with 4 seats and 6 sides. Many other options are available
Where to buy: Flexispot or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Flexispot. Flexispot did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
