Picking a sofa.

last year

Hello

We're looking at getting a sofa for our snug. The room will be used for a maximum of a couple of houses a day, and almost certainly not every day. Our assumption is that we won't need to go for anything to special, but not really knowing much about sofa's we do still want it to look nice and be comfortable after 5-8 years of that kind of usage.

I know this is more of a design forum, but I was wondering if anyone who knew about sofa's who could recommend a brand or something to look out for or avoid please? We did see the below in a shop that we quite liked, but the company have quite mixed reviews online. The price is around £800-900, we can increase in price, but we don't really want to spend a fortune for a top quality sofa that we simply don't need or won't benefit from.

https://www.alstons.co.uk/poppy-22.html

Thanks

Jamie

Featured Answer

Juliet Docherty

last year

last modified: last year

I would seriously consider looking on ebay. There are lots of companies selling off ex-display sofas and there are some amazing bargains. If you search by good makes such as G Plan Vintage, Duresta, etc there are some that are new.

Comments (12)

Daisy England
last year
For me it’s relevant to the foam inside the seating pads. It will go softer with use so get a firm foam. l replaced mine even though it was new with cold cure as recommended by the seller when l noticed the existing foam was becomming too sloppy. lt’s been in place now for a couple of years and l’m hoping it’ll last several more yet.
J W thanked Daisy England
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I agree with Minnie. Paint colour last. Try to get swatches of everything and look at them in your home, in different lights (day and night). It's amazing how different colours look in different lights. So what looks like grey in the shop, might look purple in your home. Also, hold the swatches together and hold the swatches in the direction they are going in. For example: carpet horizontal, sofa fabric vertical and horizontal, curtains vertical. Good luck and have fun :-)
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Hi Diana, I would suggest an L Shaped Sofa for comfort. If possible an Electric recliner for a bit of Luxury. Please feel free to have a look on our website https://www.londonfurniturecompany.com and to let us know if you need any help in choosing something suitable for your room and within your budget. PS. Love the space you have looks very cool. Best regards The London Furniture Company
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I think you could go various ways. I like the rug, can it go under the sofa feet? (Hard to tell how wide it is from the photo). The art seems a bit small, it often works better if it's hung just a few inches over the sofa to connect with it. I'm not sure if this art is big enough though as 4 seater sofa sizes vary. I'd probably repeat the brass for a coffee table or floor lamp and then I've picked up colours in the art for cushions but maybe vary the texture with linen etc rather than just all velvet. I think it will look great once furnished and accessorised 😊
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Cle Campbell
last year
I agree with colourhappy. My son got a virtually new DFS French Connection 4 seater sofa from Facebook for £350 as the owner didn’t like the colour! I bought a lovely retro made.com sofa from eBay for £150 as a temporary additional Xmas sofa and still love it 6 years later. I sold my practically new leather sofa for peanuts as it was just too small for the space we had.

Lots of second hand bargains around and I’ll be looking to do buy another couple of used sofas once we finally extend and renovate.

By the way lots of people will give away perfectly decent sofas if you are prepared to collect them as they can’t be bothered to either sell or take it to the recycling depot.
Sarah U-S
last year
I was also about to say eBay but others got there first! If I have a rough idea of what I want, I always look on there. It’s especially good if you’re not in a rush - if you can’t find the perfect thing this week, it might be there next. I find that there’s different types of bargains - those that are preloved from people who are moving house or redecorating and also those that are from companies selling “returns”. There are quite a few of those for sofas from John Lewis and Loaf. They are more expensive than preloved, but still bargains.
J W
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Thanks, we have been looking on ebay, but we've not seen anything in the right colour in the right size that's in a new or near new condition. We will keep looking though, typically one will come up a few days after we place an order!
Sonia
last year
Have a look at Furniture Village, they do quite a good range of modern and traditional sofas, and you can actually try before you buy, unlike all these online companies. John Lewis are pretty good too.
J W
Original Author
last year
Thanks, we actually went there the other week. Great service from the salesman, but unfortunately they didn't have a sofa we found comfortable in the right colour. (Not to mention we got a few free cookies)
Sonia
last year
Cookies? Was that at Furniture Village? 😂
J W
Original Author
last year
It certainly was furniture village. We did look at John Lewis too, they had a nice collection, but the one we liked had awful reviews. They had another that was more expensive, but everything about it seemed to suggest it was from the same supplier, which isn't necessarily an issue but nobody in shop or on the phone could tell me the difference between the two versions!
Juliet Docherty
last year
I have a feeling that most of the sofas in these shops are made in the same few factories. Certainly John Lewis has really gone downhill and don't seem to stock many that are good quality or get good reviews. Loaf ones seem particulalry bad in terms of reviews. That's why ebay can be good for quality sofas that are expensive new.
Sarah U-S
last year
Long Eaton on the Derbyshire / Nottinghamshire boarder is the sofa manufacturing capital of the UK. If you live anywhere close, maybe go for a visit - you can buy direct from one of the many factories and they will personalise it to your requirements.
PRO
MN FURNITURE LIMITED
3 months ago

When picking a sofa, consider the size for your space, choose a style that matches your decor, think about functionality (e.g., lounging or sleeper options), assess material for comfort and durability, check construction quality, set a budget, and try it out in person if possible to ensure comfort and suitability for your space.

Picking a sofa.

Juliet Docherty

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