I Tried Australia’s First Couch Made From Recycled Plastic

When it came to moving a couple of months ago, I couldn’t stomach the thought of paying a delivery driver to get my stained, sinking couch from A to B. So when the opportunity came up to test out the new Eva All Day Sofa – Australia’s first couch made from recycled plastic – I absolutely jumped on it. It was time for a refresh, especially after the year(s) we’ve been having.

The Eva All Day sofa appealed to me for a number of reasons. One sofa saves around 200 plastic bottles from landfill, meaning I can feel good about the selection every time I sit on it, it’s made from sustainably sourced timber and it has foam cushions with washable covers (essential). It also has pet-friendly fabric (which you can get swatches of prior to purchase).

Sounds like a dream, right? Let’s see how the start-to-finish process of delivery, unboxing and putting together went down, and then you can make your own informed decision.

Eva Sofa delivery

My delivery day was on moving day, which conveniently removed the need to ever see my old couch in a new setting. It’s also free next-day metro delivery, so it made sense on all fronts.

The delivery for the Eva sofa was between 9:00 am-4:00 pm on a Saturday, and my delivery driver gave me a buzz with a more specific two-hour window. He also gave me a 30-minute heads up (which I politely asked for) and the delivery truck arrived within that timeframe.

I got an Eva mattress at the same time (you can read the full Eva mattress review here) because if you’re going to start fresh, you may as well go all out. Needless to say, the bottom floor of my new house was box city that day.

The unboxing

The lounge room – which is three flights of stairs up from the ground level – was where I needed to take my new couch. As far as lugging couches to new surroundings go, comparably, this was a piece of cake.

There were three boxes all up – the back and arms, the seat, and the cushions (with the legs and bolts tucked away in a separate box amongst the parts). Given the size, it was a two-person job but not wildly heavy where you need to call backup (mum and dad) for support.

Once opening, it was great to see the plastic packaging was made from soft, recyclable packaging. Keep in mind that you will have a whole lot of it – luckily for us, our new roommate, who moved in a week later, had access to skip bins.

Given I’m by no means a handyman, this little box had everything I needed to construct. This included instructions (which I did find a little hard to read, to be honest, but I used the video on-site as backup), chair legs and bolts. No tools were needed, which is just a dream, really.

The construction

Putting the couch together took just under an hour, but it wasn’t without its stresses. If I learnt anything from these situations it’s to be patient and not get overexcited by the idea of something new. (If you know, you know.)

I could’ve benefitted from really sitting and understanding the instructions before diving right in. In our first attempt, we connected the backrest to the seat the wrong way around. Silly really, given there’s a green print that tells you exactly which way it should go.

Once my roommate and I had the backrest and seat joined correctly, attaching the arms took a hot minute. Getting one side into the bracket was fine, but trying to get the other one in without the other popping out was a bit of a struggle.

The four legs were super easy to put on. That being said, there were two bolts (which secure the couch together), that were impossible to screw in all the way, so that the base was touching the timber. That being said, they were as tight as they could be, so we weren’t worried.

It’s been a month and no one has fallen what’s roughly 30cm from the couch to the ground, so that’s nice!

The result

It looks pretty damn good, I’ll admit – even though my household is still in the midst of furnishing. It’s also more comfortable than I expected.

The back cushions are quite big and offer great back support – I regularly swap from my desk to the couch for that exact reason. They also double up as great pillows (my roommate napped on it for an hour during the craziness of the move).

You can imagine my internal freakout when someone spilt red wine on it after only two weeks. I reminded myself that they were washable cushion covers (a luxury I’ve never had before), but, interestingly, that wasn’t even needed. I just applied soapy water straight away.

I also love that it’s elevated on legs, which is different to a lot of other couches. It brings a minimalism bulky couches can’t. It’s really easy to vacuum underneath with a stick vacuum, as well. There are also practical sleeves on the outer of the arms, where you can put your remote (genius) or magazines and books.

I’m pretty stoked overall, my only wish is that it was L-shaped for a communal lie down. That being said, it also wouldn’t look as good and would likely create an odd division in our open plan lounge-dining room, so you have to choose what’s a priority to you.

Eva couch price, range and warranty

I have the Eva All Day 3-Seater Sofa in Midnight Navy, which is $1,650, but you can also get the 2-seater for $1,350 if you have less room to play with.

Since launch, Eva has also added a 5-seater ($3,200), 6-seater ($3,500) and 7-seater ($3,800) to the mix, as well as an Ottoman ($350), which I’m 100% looking into purchasing for ultimate binge-watching vibes. All options also come in Loft Grey as a colourway, at the same price.

The warranty for the All Day Sofa is top-tier. They come with a 5-year limited structural warranty on the frame, 10-year fabric warranty and 2-year limited warranty on all other soft furnishings and components.

It also comes with a 120-day free trial, which is nice peace of mind, where you can return it for a free refund, free of charge.

You can buy the Eva All Day Sofa here.