PRODUCT REVIEW: WAZO FURNITURE

Welcome to Gracilianca’s first furniture review! It’s no secret that online shopping has taken over the globe, but shopping for home goods online can still feel like a gamble sometimes. As a self-proclaimed luddite, I (G) have been on the hunt for an ottoman and a coffee/end table for a gazillion years (factually accurate), and was struggling to find something that met my champagne tastes/beer budget for far too long!

Canadian furniture company Wazo Furniture popped into my IG ads one day, and I was immediately intrigued. The Cameron vegan leather ottoman seemed to check many of my boxes - it was an ottoman that could double as a table, had a modern look, was black like my soul, and most important of all - seemed easy to clean! An added bonus was that it could be used as a seat - it has a weight capacity of 120 kg, which I confirmed by asking a sales representative (this info isn’t online unfortunately). However, there were no reviews, and no in-person showroom in Alberta - normally seeing things in person is a must for me (see the aforementioned luddite-ness). I do note that Wazo offers video consultations, but I did not make use of this due to my work schedule.

After a LOT of internal debate, it went on sale - and so into my cart it went! There was a confusing period of time where it appeared out of stock, so as soon as it seemed to reappear, I bought it with my fingers crossed. Timeline-wise, I placed the order on Feb 14 and received it Feb 24 (via UPS) which was a turnaround time I was pretty happy with, and shipping was free. (At the time of writing this, it does appear to be out of stock unfortunately, though there are other colours/fabrics of the Cameron available.) There was no assembly involved - everything came as is. As an FYI, Wazo’s return policy is 14 days, and the customer has to disassemble and repackage the product, as well as pay for return shipping (unless you live in Toronto/Montreal and can drop it off at their warehouse).

For this ranking, I will be looking at a few categories: form, function, and value!

Form: 4.5/5 - I found this pretty true to the photos online! It’s a little more matte than I think the photos suggest, which may be either good or bad depending on your tastes, but I have no complaints yet. The metal base feels sturdy, but overall it is still light enough to easily move, and the stitching seems solid. The only thing I wonder about is how well it will recover from stains - so far I haven’t had to test this yet! Looks-wise, faux/vegan leather can be tricky with time, and I will update this review if any durability concerns arise.

Function: 4.5/5 - Granted, it’s hard for an ottoman to….not be an ottoman…but it certainly functions as that, and is at a good height for me to kick up my (albeit very short) legs from my couch. It’s big enough to hold what I need, and a surprisingly sturdy seat. I will caution that again, I am vertically challenged and have a small living room area so I don’t have a need for a large table. If you are interested in this ottoman, please look at the measurements and see if it would work for your space!

Value: 4/5 - This is more expensive than your average ottoman at Homesense or Ikea, but I think its contemporary look and multiple functions help add to the value. I bought it for $179 + tax on sale (regular price $269) and for that price I’m pretty happy! To be super honest, I’m not sure I would’ve bought it at its regular price - but then again, champagne tastes/beer budget.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Would you order from Wazo again?

Overall, I was happy with my Wazo experience and this ottoman, and would recommend it esp. if you can catch it on sale! However, while I’m intrigued by their other wood offerings - especially their mid-century-esque bookshelves and sideboards - those are unfortunately out of my price range, so I’m not sure when my next purchase will be. I find the concept of video chatting to show items intriguing, and think that is a very interesting business model worth exploring! I hope more online-focused furniture stores start doing this in the future.

Disclaimer: This review is not affiliated with or sponsored by Wazo. Views expressed are solely our opinions.

Bonus box photo: it made it through my front door, to my great relief!