Everything to Know About Albany Park’s Editor-Loved Furniture

As wild as it might sound, furnishing a home and creating a capsule wardrobe can be more similar than it seems. The latter is all about rotating between a handful of items in your closet that all complement each other, while the former is about finding the right furniture brand that matches your style so you can go back again and again as you furnish a space. A sofa is a much bigger investment than a sweater, yes, but the concept of sticking with something that just works is the same.

Albany Park understands this stick-with-it attitude, as its curated and highly customizable furniture is designed to complement your life without complicating it. Read on to see how this online retailer has created the capsule wardrobe of sofas.

Albany Park is a direct-to-consumer furniture company that started in 2017. As the story goes, Darryl and Jessica Sharpton were overwhelmed by the dozens of options at a classic showroom, and then felt disappointed by the weeks-long delivery delay after they made a selection. 

That frustration pushed them to start their own business two years later with three modern sofa styles — the Albany, the Park, and the Kova — and they’ve added even more since. Everything can be customized in a range of fabrics and colors, and be delivered to your door for free.

According to Albany Park, the company has shipped more than 44,000 orders and in 2022, reported more than $100 million in sales. “Albany Park was created to provide shoppers a simple way to find a beautiful, comfortable sofa to anchor their homes,” founder and former NFL linebacker Darryl Sharpton told CNN. 

No, you won’t find a brick-and-mortar Albany Park store anywhere, as the company is solely an online retailer. But there’s something deeply satisfying about shopping from bed, no?

Yes, Albany Park will deliver your order for free. However, the free delivery service only covers dropping the boxes at your home or building’s front door, so be prepared to schlep them inside. Darryl used to play in the NFL, so he can probably lug a box or two without incident, but customers have mixed reviews. Some take their time and have no problems, others have partners or friends on hand to help, and more have asked their landlords for a hand. Whatever works!

Albany Park’s “showroom” is entirely online and can be scrolled through in minutes, although you’ll probably spend much longer playing around with the customizations. The company says that on average, orders ship out in less than a week and are delivered to customers in less than two weeks. However, this can depend on outside logistics and customers did notice a weeks-long lag during the height of the pandemic. There is also a 30-day return window, just in case you change your mind. 

Albany Park prides itself on the ease of its assembly process, especially because the founders were just in their customers’ shoes only a few years ago. The furniture is delivered in boxes that are specifically proportioned to fit in stairwells and hallways, and the entire start-to-finish build should take, on average, less than an hour — some reviewers did it in less than 20 minutes with a partner and prior experience. 

The company holds a few sales throughout the year during major holidays, including ones for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Fourth of July.

Former Apartment Therapy editor Britt Franklin loves her Kova sofa and her review points to Albany Park being worth it. “It’s fabulous for someone like me: short, loves wrapping up in a good blanket, never has their feet on the floor — the list goes on,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong: It’s not only suited for shorties. Each seat measures 42 inches wide, 42 inches long, and 30 inches deep. I’m so excited for my best friends to visit because it’s the style of couch you want to hang out on.” 

For more of our editor favorites, here’s a look at the best furniture to buy at Albany Park.