Is A Burrow Couch Best For Homebodies? We Review

Key Takeaways

Burrow is a design-forward, stain-resistant, modular option that’s best for apartments, small spaces, and homes with kids and pets. The brand makes beautiful couches and furniture at a mid-range price, with some prices comparable to IKEA or Wayfair.
The brand could do a much better job of transparency, and I would like to see them pursue accreditations like OEKO-TEX & FSC certifications, and a B Corp status. In all honesty, my colleague has had a great experience with Sabai couches and I’ve got my eye on that brand for sustainable furniture in the future.
Heavy users of a Burrow couch may experience some settling into the cushions, although I don’t think it will sink much further. I’ve also had one cushion rip a little, which may need mending.

A Burrow Couch Review, One Year In

My couch history is full of futons and secondhand finds. The first brand new couch I ever purchased was a dark gray IKEA Karlstad, which wasn’t the color I wanted and whose cushions constantly slipped and morphed into non-pillow shapes. I was gobsmacked by its $500 price tag, which was easily 10 times more than I’d ever paid for a sofa.

Years later, when our ceiling rained (no, poured) water from a burst pipe, the couch got the brunt of it—and renter’s insurance gave us about $100 to cover the depreciated cost. Then our rabbit figured it was a good time to burrow in and make a nest, and we found ourselves stuffing shredded foam back into the gaping hole she left. We finally decided our misshapen, water-damaged, mold-risk, bunny-den of a couch was done for and snagged a secondhand couch from a friend in exchange for gas money.

“Why did we keep a couch we started disliking a year into our eight-year tenure with it? Because couches are expensive.”

Why did we keep a couch we started disliking a year into our eight-year tenure with it? Because couches are expensive.

We finally decided to part ways with that mystery-stained secondhand couch when we moved last year. I spent weeks scouring West Elm for sales and trying to reconcile the $3,000+ price tags I was seeing on my favorite pieces. The price was hard to justify, even for someone like me who keeps furniture well past its reasonable timeline.

So for affordability (without going full IKEA), I finally decided to go with Burrow, a brand that had consistently been popping up on my radar online. Burrow was founded by Stephen Kuhl and Kabeer Chopra and launched in 2017 with its signature seating. By 2018, all of its furniture was manufactured in the USA, although as of writing, it appears manufacturing has been largely outsourced. Burrow’s biggest sustainability claims, now, center around longevity, quality, and durability—the buy fewer, better principle—as well as using responsibly forested wood and upcycled materials.

I am glad I went with a Burrow couch, with some caveats! If you’re considering a couch from this brand, here’s my experience ten months into Burrow couch ownership.

“Burrow’s biggest sustainability claims center around longevity, quality, and durability, as well as using responsibly forested wood and upcycled materials.”

IS BURROW AFFORDABLE?

Burrow balances sustainability, quality, and affordability—but the key word there is balance. This is not an Amazon-cheap brand, and prices are regularly over $1,000 for the larger furniture pieces. IKEA and Wayfair offer similarly priced pieces, although those brands aren’t as dedicated to quality and longevity.

I decided on the Nomad sofa in an ambitious Ivory White and added an ottoman and lumbar pillows. After searching out coupon codes, my total ended up coming in at just under $1800, which I opted to use Affirm for and paid $150 a month for 12 months. It was a huge purchase for me, but I decided that with my new apartment, I would invest in items I loved and wanted to keep for the duration of my stay here (which I hope will be many, many years).

HOW FAST DOES IT SHIP?

One of the biggest reasons we decided to purchase a new couch was because we drive a small sedan that could never fit a secondhand find. Instead, we’d have to navigate U-Haul rental alongside OfferUp or whichever platform we decided to use, and I was far too overwhelmed to handle that during our move. So, delivery and assembly it was!

“I do wish Burrow would tell me more about who was making my couch, where, and in what conditions.”

Burrow appropriately communicated the six-to-eight week shipping timeline, which currently sits at two-to-four weeks. The couch would be coming from one of the brand’s manufacturing partners in North Carolina, Vietnam, Poland, or India. (A note: I do wish Burrow would tell me more about who was making my couch, where, and in what conditions.)

I didn’t think it all the way through and got rid of our old couch two months too early. 😳 I spent plenty of time sitting on old cushions on the floor playing my video games (my back did not enjoy that time period).

IS IT EASY TO ASSEMBLE?

The boxes arrived mostly at once (if I recall, the lumbar pillows came later) and took up a huge portion of our patio. I was overeager and began moving them all myself, diving into assembly before my husband even got home. In total, solo assembly took under two hours and did require some forcefulness when it came to latching and some heavy lifting to arrange (again, my poor back!). Overall, it was fairly straightforward and sitting on the fully assembled couch was the best reward. It feels sturdier and easier to move around than my old IKEA couch—this one will be easy to disassemble and reassemble if we ever need to move it (or better yet, add to it if we ever want to add a chaise or convert it into a larger sectional!).

This is what it looked like in the first month!

WHAT IS THE COUCH LIKE?

*What my couch looks like most of the time, and it still feels inviting to me 🙂*

The couch was immediately comfortable, and I was proud to have a piece of furniture that made me feel so adult. It’s a stunning shade of ivory, although I often cover it with a blanket (as you can see in this photo). I like to walk out to my patio frequently, and the floor outside is always covered in soot from Los Angeles traffic. Dirty feet and white couches do not mix well.

This couch is 85” long and 22” deep—not too deep for people with short legs, but not rigid and shallow. The couch can easily fit three or more if we got cozy, and the ottoman was a smart choice for additional seating versatility. The mid-century-inspired legs are so dreamy, and my rabbits (and robot vacuum) love the 7” rise off the ground for easy coming-and-going.

You can customize the couch to fit your preferences, as well, with five fabric colors, six leg finishes (including responsibly forested wood), and three armrest styles. The couch does come with a USB slot, and you can plug it into a nearby wall outlet—which is great! If you don’t have rabbits or other small creatures that will chew or otherwise pull on it (we do not use this feature, unfortunately). The fabric is a thick, tight weave made without chemical additives or treatments and contains no formaldehyde.

burrow usb cord type in case rabbits chew.JPG

IS THE COUCH WORTH THE INVESTMENT?

Now that I’ve had the couch for almost a year, though, I’ve truly exposed it to all my nonsense. I’ve spilled coffee, beer, and dropped Chipotle on it; I’ve spent hours (and hours and hours) working, gaming, and watching Netflix on it. I’ve taken countless post-work naps on it and even attempted to snuggle my bunnies on it (to no avail). And it has held up—for the most part!

After a particularly bad spill, I tried to wash the seat covers and found that the encased cushions included multiple layers of foam and batting that wasn’t all the way fastened together. I was able to wash the covers (and remove the pending stain) but only later realized the upholstery is only meant to be spot-cleaned. As I pulled the covers back on, one of the seams came open, causing a possible fraying issue in the future. Honestly, that mistake is on me.

The brand recommends using a water and bleach solution to spot clean, which is what I’ll do next time. (I’ll also be reaching out to the brand for nontoxic bleach alternative recommendations.)

*What the seat looks like when I’m sitting on it.*

My biggest worry is that the middle seat where I spend most of my gaming time feels a little more, shall we say, squishy? Without definitive proof (I could just be morphing into a couch potato?), I feel like the couch has settled in a bit in the year I’ve had it. Because of the pandemic, though, I’ve spent a more-than-average amount of time at home on this couch, which might be part of it. I’m confident it’s not going to sink in any further after reading more about Burrow’s testing methods here. Just worth a heads up if you’re a gamer or the like!

All that said, I love this couch like it’s a member of my family, and I have no qualms about maintaining it as best I can for years and years to come. It’s comfortable, cute, and now that it’s paid off, my after-work naps are even sweeter.

“Burrow is a stylish choise for apartment dwellers and people looking to furnish a strange-shaped space since there are so many options for configuration.”

Overall, if you have a mid-range couch in your budget, I recommend Burrow thanks to the ease, sustainability, and variety of products (their furniture range just keeps growing!) I especially think Burrow is a stylish choice for apartment dwellers and people looking to furnish a strange-shaped space since there are so many options for configuration. If you’re looking for a super-luxury option, you might want to consider a custom furniture brand or a well-maintained vintage designer piece.

But you can bet your bottom dollar (and your bottom) that a Burrow couch will be a supportive and stylish addition to your home.

Emily Torres is the Editorial Director at The Good Trade. Born and raised in Indiana, she studied Creative Writing and Business at Indiana University. You can usually find her in her colorful Los Angeles apartment journaling, caring for her rabbits, or gaming.