An Honest Review Of The Puffy Couch Every Fashion Girl Owns

There are a lot of random things that keep me up at night. The cringe-y bob I had my sophomore year of college, my behavior at my office holiday party in 2019, the supposed return of low-rise jeans — the list goes on. But in May of this year, soon after moving into my new apartment, there was one object in particular that haunted my dreams. White and puffy, with the curves of an engorged cumulus cloud, it started appearing all over my Instagram feed in the homes of fashionable influencers like Aimee Song, Erica Choi, and Lauren Caruso, and soon infiltrated my thoughts like a giant, bulbous marshmallow. But it was not edible, or wearable. It was...a couch. Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda couch, specifically.

Mario Bellini is a renowned Italian architect and designer who has won countless awards and designed everything from electric pianos to cars. But his Camaleonda couch might be one of his most lauded creations, thanks, in part, to its unique design and instantly recognizable shape. The original couch was created and sold in the 1970s, but B&B Italia, the original seller, recently re-released it and launched its revival into the modern architecture scene. If there was an It bag equivalent of a furniture item, Bellini’s couch would be just that (along with the wavy Ultrafragola mirror — another dream purchase).

Bellini’s original couch will cost you upwards of $25,000, which was, sadly, much more than the budget I had set aside for furnishing my new apartment. That’s why I was thrilled to discover furniture company Eternity Modern’s reproduction of the famous couch for a much less intimidating price and almost identical appearance.

I am now the proud owner of my very own marshmallow couch, and I treasure it more than most things in my life — some people, even. Read on for my honest review of Eternity Modern’s Mario Bellini sofa.

Fast Facts

• Price: $4209
• Best for: A minimalist (or maximalist) who wants to add some interest and texture to their home.
• Your rating: 4/5
• What we like: White glove delivery, eventual comfortable texture, unique design
• What we don’t like: pricey, low to the ground, uncomfortable at first

Delivery, Packaging, & Assembly

Since the couch is made up of a few separate pieces that you can mix and match depending on how much space you are trying to fill, it’s great for any type of space, big or small. You can order individual sections à la carte, or Eternity Modern makes it easier (and a bit more price effective) for you by offering set combinations. I ordered Combination 008, which features three separate couch pieces that you can combine altogether to make one larger couch, or separate out into a loveseat and chair (which is what I ended up doing).

Like most furniture companies in 2021, there was a slight delay with my order, but I found this completely understandable given everything that has happened this year. I ordered my couch in late July, and received it in early September. Eternity Modern offers free shipping on orders over $1000, and a White Glove delivery service for a flat fee of $350. I opted for the White Glove delivery and was super impressed by how easy it was — I would highly recommend going this route if it’s within your budget. The two delivery men brought the couch straight into my apartment in three boxes, then unboxed and set up everything in less than 15 minutes. Sadly, my small NYC apartment was not wide enough to fit all three pieces together in a row — instead, the delivery men were able to secure just the two outside pieces together to make more of a loveseat-style couch, with the center piece serving as a standalone chair. They took all of the trash out (I gave them directions to the recycling area in my building), and were in and out in a breeze. A huge pro of this couch: it’s super-easy to set up because it has no legs and the back and sides are secured with taut wires that clip onto different sections.

The Review: Comfort & Style

I had high expectations for the comfiness of this couch. My previous one was stiff and uncomfortable, and I was determined that my next sofa would feel like sitting on a cloud, or as close to possible to that. After the delivery workers left, I immediately flung myself onto my new Eternity Modern Mario Bellini reproduction — and froze. No, it couldn’t be. The couch was ... uncomfortable?! I felt like I was sitting on a stiff spring. I was crestfallen, and honestly, a little bit horrified. I immediately called my boyfriend and asked that he come over and sit on my couch to see if it was just me — a few hours later, he confirmed it: The couch was extremely uncomfortable.

A day passed, then a week. Then, one morning, I went to go sit on my couch, and something miraculous happened. The texture had changed. It was not just slightly more comfortable, but all of a sudden, as cushiony and bouncy as I could ever have hoped a couch could be. In fact, I had a breakthrough case of COVID shortly after getting the couch, and it became my main resting place for the 10 days I was quarantined at home. Its soothing curves seemed to hug my body as I lay horizontal that week. Even though the protruding curves of the couch make it seem like it wouldn’t be the most comfortable place to lay your head, it somehow worked. A few weeks later, a friend visited and stayed with me for the weekend — his air mattress deflated halfway through the night, so he moved over to my couch instead. He said it was one of the best sleeps of his life.

So, what happened? I can only assume that maybe the material of the couch takes a few days to soften up. Eternity Modern states on the website that the couch is made with “shaped polyurethane foam with three distinct dense layers,” so perhaps it just takes a moment for the foam to lose its stiffness. My advice to anyone who buys this couch is this: Give it a few days to test its comfortability. Once the foam layers soften, you’ll be blown away by just how comfortable and cozy-feeling this couch can be. The back of the seater is also a bit lower than most couches, and its spherical shape takes a little bit of getting used to. But once you sit on it a few times, you’ll find that the back actually offers more support than you would think. My old couch had a super-stiff back that always felt uncomfortable to lean against, but because the back of this couch is a soft sphere, it seems to actually mold to the shape of your back and feels almost like a supportive pillow when you lean against it.

As for the outside material, Eternity Modern offers an array of different fabrics and colors you can choose from. If you’re indecisive like me, you can order fabric swatches of your favorites (which are completely free!) to see how they look in real life. I decided to go with a bloucé fabric in Snow White to fulfill my squishy marshmallow dreams, and wasn’t disappointed. A white couch is high-maintenance, though, so keep that in mind — you might want to place a light-covered blanket or sheet over the couch if you’re wearing darker jeans or fabrics to keep it looking crisp and bright.

One last note: as I mentioned before, this couch doesn’t have any legs, which is part of why it’s so incredibly unique. That means, however, that you sit very close to the ground. My previous couch sat much higher, so it took a little bit of time to get used to being so close to the floor, but after a week or so, I barely noticed it and actually came to prefer it. The lack of legs gives it more of a cozy feel, in my opinion, like a really upscale beanbag chair that you can sprawl out on in every direction.

The Price — Is It Worth It?

The cost of the three-piece Eternity Modern Mario Bellini Combination 008 starts at $3,939 and can increase depending on which fabric and color you choose (for example, bouclé is $4,429 and leather is $5,989). It’s comparable to similar modern sofas you’ll find online, but given the high quality of the product and the unique design, it’s a much more appealing investment, in my humble opinion. This couch feels and looks luxurious and high-end — I am not exaggerating when I say that it is now my most prized possession. It instantly elevates any room you put it in with zero effort (just take a look through the tagged photos of @eternitymodernhome for proof), and it has completely changed the look and feel of my living room. I am, in short, obsessed and cannot recommend it highly enough. There’s a reason it has hundreds of positive reviews online, and I can honestly say that this is a lifetime investment piece that I see owning for the rest of my days. If you’re curious or considering grabbing one for yourself, I have two words for you: do it. Then take a photo of it for the ‘gram.

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