We need a new sofa. Where can I buy a decent one that isn’t John Lewis (all the ones I like in JL are £2K+. I’m pretty sure I will not set foot in a DFS store based on their inflationary sales tactics. The one it’s replacing is a Barker and Stonehouse and the reason we need a new one is because it’s only lasted about 8 years and wasn’t cheap.
How do you actually tell if a sofa is well made?
Problem is that anyone recommending XX based on the fact they have one that's 20 years old, well the quality may have gone well downhill in that period. I'd have cheerfully suggested Marks and Spencer's up to the mid 2010's based on one we got from them, ex display in 1999, but it's replacement is crap. It literally has cardboard under the armrest padding. I know because I watched a bloke fix a collapsed one under warranty.
Actually the cheap DFS one we bought for the kitchen seems pretty decent, but only 18 months old so far.
We bought two from Ercol outlet on Facebook! You can call them and discuss. Most are just cancelled orders or returns.
Edit: they now have an online store:
https://www.ercol.com/en-gb/our-company/ercol-outlet
They were about half RRP.
Lifetime guarantee.
Our last ones were from Oak Furniture Land and have been excellent
I bought a dfs 2 piece about 3 years ago and paid extra for the better filling.
Filling is only in the back and butt cushions not the arm rests...
which look deflated once they've had a bit use and need buffing frequently.
Delivery and estimated delivery day was all a smooth process.
Seems put together ok but I feel a bit short changed to be honest.
It's this model I think.. Not the most expensive as sofas go, but still I'm not thrilled about it.
https://www.dfs.co.uk/zana/aaz13asms?skuId=6310695
which look deflated once they've had a bit use and need buffing frequently.
I've never had to 'buff' anything on the OFL sofas I've had for circa 5 years
https://springvaleleather.co.uk/collections/all-furniture
Springvale Leather if you're in the NW.
Quality wood frames (no cardboard)- I've seen them in their workshop, the foam is from Vita, leather hides are all from quality suppliers.
Fully customisable and well priced.
They are our neighbors - Peter the owner is an awesome guy, any profits go to his orphanage in India for street kids and he supports the local community. Been going for years, exports a lot abroad.
Looking for a sofa too. It’ll be replacing a ~30 year old Sofa Workshop one that has stood up well but hasn’t felt as good since it had some repairs and refilling by Plumbs a few years back: ‘too firm’. SO spotted a suitably ‘squodgy’ one in Next.
Next are good in that all the styles are available in all the materials and there is a wide range of both
Sorry goes against your question but John Lewis here. Bought two 3 seater leather sofas last October, they finally got delivered in February. £1800 a pop. Very pleased with them. DFS, Sofology etc didn’t have anything we liked. There are some ugly sofas out there, each to their own etc but my god who buys some of that tat?
Recently looked at JL, really gone downhill considering the one I'm replacing is 18 years old and still comfy from there.
Loaf, nothing both my wife and I liked.
Arlo & Jacob seem to have reasonable reviews and some degree of customisation, no hard sell in the store we went to either.
As for price, I tend to think a good sofa with worth spending a bit on, given we kept our last one for as long as we did!
sofas and stuff produce are good quality and allow for a large range of choices of fabric and filling. Pricey but always has a discount somewhere or other.
We got our leather sofas 14 years ago from Furniture Village.
They are holding up well; seemed quite pricey at the time, but I think they were a good investment.
We spent ages looking at and sitting on various sofas. So much of it is down to personal preference & you really can't tell if a sofa is going to be comfortable or not until you actually sit on it. We saw lots we liked the look of and then immediately dismissed once we'd sat on them.
Depends on where in the world you are.
We went to Long Eaton (between Derby and Nottingham) which historically wass the country's heart of sofa making.
We went to... wait for it... Long Eaton Sofas !
There's several manufacturers in Long Eaton and some have a show room too. Made on site, to order, no middle man etc.
Ercol outlet is fab, I bought some bar stools for c half price, ex display. 25 quid postage but still a good deal.
I spotted a defect on a leg, sent them a pic and they sent an engineer to fix it in situ.
I bought a sofa from tetrad factory shop in Preston. They post on Facebook current stock, best go in.person and sit on some. It was c 30% retail price.
Some good recommendations there, thanks folks. I’d like a leather one but - cat. So it will have to be fabric I think…
If you are in driving distance of Bristol I would suggest visiting Park Furnishers. I bought a sofa from them around 20 years ago for my flat, which was one of the most comfortable sofas I have ever sat in. Unfortunately it is too big for my front room in my 'new' small terraced house, so I have left it in the flat which I now rent out and it still looks as good as new despite being on my fourth pair of tenants over the last ten years. I've ended up with a Next leather sofa which is a bit of a compromise, and in retrospect I wish i could have afforded something a bit more expensive which had bit more character.
Ours came from House of Fraser about 15 yrs ago, fabric 3 and 2 seater. Still going strong and comfortable to sit/lie on
I’d like a leather one but - cat
We have two house cats. The sofas I mentioned getting from Oak Furniture Land are a faux brushed/smooth suede - but a really good one, you wouldn't know. Spills wipe off without a trace and they seem to have resisted cat claws for a good few years
A lot of quality made sofas have gone downhill.
Our Laura Ashley one is over 20 years old and still going strong. I have a second hand ercol which is amazing, however they can be expensive if re-upholstered and re-vamped.
I'm going to have a look at the ercol site mentioned above.
There's a great family run store in Macclesfield called Arighi Bianchi, their furniture was always great quality, but it's a long time since I've visited.
Costco seem good. My last sofa's came from next and have lasted 10 years or so.
Due for replacement soon though as they don't match anything now 🤔
Also, worth having a look at places like ClearCycle on eBay - big brand returns & ex-display for a lot less.
You've not given any idea of the style you're looking for. You'll definitely get quality from somewhere like the place RustyNissanPrairie has recommended.
Our sofa came from https://camerich.co.uk/ and it's still good after 10 years (we replaced the covers that got trashed by our cat but the frame and cushions are all still good). I think they pretty much always have a sale, but that doesn't change the price/quality equation.
(I posted this before but it’s disappeared 🙄)
I’m in the north east so any comfort tests would need to be within an hour or so of here. Leeds is doable so might visit that one…
Style wise something traditional with cushioned arms. We need two probably a 3 and a 2 seater…
This sort of thing.. https://cpratts.co.uk/product/claudia-3-seater-sofa/680?cover=144916&scatters=144921&feet=144933&bolster=144928
Just a little further on than Leeds.
https://vintagesofa.co.uk/collections/sofas
And you get free coffee and cake while browsing.
And you get free coffee and cake while browsing.
I should bloody well hope so if you're buying a 3 grand sofa, lol!
Tetrad have an outlet store. We renewed our front room with new, and based on the weight of even the smallest sofa, it’s going to last! Avoid the giant sofas with feather cushions if you don’t like plumping. We have one in the second room. But the quality is very good.
Springvale Leather if you're in the NW.
Ohh gawd that looks like something my Nan would like.
Went in a few stores last weekend trying to find something for my son's new place. Must say the stuff in Sofology surprised me. Not sure of the long-lastingness of it, but every thing I sat on was comfortable!
I bought mine from an independent place that has gone out of business now. Last sofa with the ex bought from there too. Lasted well over 10 years, both of them. RIP Peter Greens
If you're in the North East then get along to Prudhoe and check out these guys. For some random reason they opened a pop up shop in Galashiels which my wife and I stumbled into while looking for lunch on our way to Glentress. This was brand new ~£600 delivered, we think its a Barker & Stonehouse cancelled order. Have had it about 10 years now. Their stock changes daily and items published on the facebook page are usually snapped up within hours.
