Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

how long have you had your sofa??

120 replies

MacarenaFerreiro · 31/01/2019 11:58

SIL has just been on the phone discussing her new sofa. She has got a bargain in the sales, apparently. She has had her previous sofa for 3 years. She asked us when we'd be replacing ours.

We've had our furniture - a large 3 seater sofa and a smaller 2 seater one - for 16 years. I remember it vividly as it was delivered when DS1 was a newborn and he's just had his 16th birthday. It's still comfortable. It's brown leather which I know some people think is desperately naff but it's stood up to 3 kids and still looks fine. We had the cushions refilled and some stitching redone about 5 years ago. SIL is horrified. She's had at least 4 sofas in the time we've had ours.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of chucking out and buying new just because someone has decided that fashion has changed. Surely you keep things until they fall apart or are no longer fit for purpose rather than buying new "just because"?

(And it's not a money thing, we could afford a new one if we wanted to. But we don't).

OP posts:
Summeriscomin · 31/01/2019 12:01

We’ve had ours for 6 years. Still good condition with two young kids. Had to have the cushions refilled and one of the zips redone but apart from that it’s still going strong. I doubt we will replace it any time soon.

PinkHeart5914 · 31/01/2019 12:01

About 6 years, We built our house from scratch and it was one of the first things that were delivered after the build was complete. Even with 3 dc it still looks as good as the day it was delivered and it cost £££££ so I hope to get another few years out of it yet.

megletthesecond · 31/01/2019 12:03

It's second hand. I've had it five years.
My friend may be lurking to say when they brought it. I'd guess it's around 15 years old.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Home improvement
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/01/2019 12:04

Ours lasted almost 25 years. The springs had gone, the zips in the cushions needed replacing and the arms were to to shreds by the cats.

So we got new ones recently. I miss the old ones a bit and feel a bit guilty about the indulgence.

Smileymoon · 31/01/2019 12:04

Replacing your sofa every 3 years is very wasteful. If everyone did that the environmental impact would be awful. Our sofa is 13 years old, also brown leather, also still looking good.

silkpyjamasallday · 31/01/2019 12:05

We've had ours about 4 years, and it was second hand when we got it. It's a really well made old Laura Ashley sofa and is covered in beautiful thickly woven silk, there's no way we could afford the same new and I doubt that it would be the same quality as I think they now use the same manufacturer as DFS. We may need to replace the seat cushions soon as they are sagging a bit, but I don't plan on getting a new sofa until this one falls apart.

AwdBovril · 31/01/2019 12:08

About 6 years. Have ordered a new one last week, it's coming in a couple of weeks. Really looking forward to it! One of our current pieces is starting to collapse, the other is already partially collapsed. (DH is very tall & heavy.)

MirandaWest · 31/01/2019 12:10

We have various sofas. Main one was DHs before we met (so at least 7 years old but I think he’d had it for a while before that). One in the kitchen is about 4 or 5 years old and one in converted garage is at least 16 and a bit worn but very comfy. Although mostly sat on by the cat. Sofa bed is about 3.5 years and still feels new Grin

thatsmyspace · 31/01/2019 12:12

2 years and I love it!

Wandastartup · 31/01/2019 12:12

21 years! (Do have 2 on order though!!) Was recovered 2 years ago. It’s going in the playroom & we have bought 2 new as could do with a bit more seating space.

Fortysix · 31/01/2019 12:15

My first major grown up purchase which I saved for a whole year. May1986. Cost £880. In TV room. This likely to be its last year.

caperplips · 31/01/2019 12:16

My dh has a relative like that! She has had more sofas and changes of decor in her house than I have had hot meals! Seriously she completely redecorates almost on an annual basis and then plasters FB with all her show-off images. She buys cheap stuff that is very 'up to the minute' and currently her house is stuffed full of crushed velvet in shiny silver colours Can you tell she is not my favorite person Grin

I know it is absolutely NONE of my business but it really gets on my nerves when she puts the photos on FB and it is another set of furniture and rugs and every thing is co-ordinated right down to the ornaments and picture frames and she has discarded perfectly good stuff that was only bought the year before. This extends to christmas decorations too!

Anyway - we have to opposite approach! We buy the best we can and have it for YEARS and years....

We have 5 sofas in our house. The oldest is a very valuable antique chaise longe and is about 150+ years old

Our next oldest is 13 years old - two matching stone coloured (actually cream colour) 3 seaters in the sitting room. Used daily by all of us and 2 ancient dogs. Washable covers and now we use coordinating fleeces for the dogs. We replaced the inner foam of the seat cushions about 3 years ago and it has made a massive difference.

1 blue velvet 3 seater and matching chairs in another reception room. Bought from Habitat about 10 years ago and still perfect (except the cat has snagged the fabric on one end of the sofa so we will re-upholster at some stage in the future.

Grey velvet 2 seater in the kitchen, we only have it a few months and we LOVE it

FrenchyQ · 31/01/2019 12:17

7 years....not in horrendous condition but with 2 dogs the cushions are ruined . We've just ordered Lazy_boy ones which will hopefully last years (and the dogs wont be allowed on them!)

YouCantBeSirius · 31/01/2019 12:18

Just over 2 years but they belonged to my parents for a few years before they gave them to me when they downsized. They are good quality leather and still look good as new so I think we'll have them for many more years.

ComeTheFuck0nBridget · 31/01/2019 12:18

We've had ours 8 years but we could do with a new one now, it's definitely past it's prime and getting more uncomfortable!

MeetJoeTurquoise · 31/01/2019 12:19

We've had ours just over a year. We had no choice but to buy a new one when we moved house and the old sofas wouldn't fit due to a different room shape.
This one will be here years but buying a new one when you redecorate is a thing now, you seeit on fb selling groups all the time.

Ragwort · 31/01/2019 12:23

Over 18 years, bought quite cheaply as ‘stop gaps’ when our DS was born but the sofas are absolutely fine, I’ve just got rid of another one I’d had for over 30 years, that was rather disgusting when we took the covers off.

I also have a sibling who updates their furniture every 3/4 years, then complains they are always ‘hard up’. Confused.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 31/01/2019 12:29

I’ve got two beautiful sofas covered in a tapestry style fabric that I’ve had 17 years. They’re still going strong and they’ve got washable covers so they look fine. I’ve also got a big brown leather sofa that I’ve had about 7 years. It’s in the style of a Chesterfield and is utterly sumptuous. Yes it’s brown leather and no I don’t care. Grin

princessTiasmum · 31/01/2019 12:30

I am known for changing my sofas etc about every 2 years,i recently bought a cream one, very expensive make Italian leather, i had a black one for about 2 years, but my living room is very dark in a morning especially, lovely in an afternoon if sunny, so decided i wanted a lighter one, which i got for an unbelievable £60, its gorgeous,the lady had just bought a new one and wanted it out of the way,
I never buy new, just good quality second hand, but i get fed up after a while and want a change, i rarely lose on the original price i paid
Before this i have has red one, a mint green one, a salmon pink one, and before that another black one
The only ones i have bought new were a cream recliner and then a blue Italian one
Any visitors never know what to expect when they visit me
I dont change my decor often, but i do have this thing about sofas, Grin

Believeitornot · 31/01/2019 12:31

12 years. Ours too are brown leather and have withstood the dcs. Still going strong!

I’m so impressed as they’re from Ikea!

ReaganSomerset · 31/01/2019 12:32

Three days. And it's brown leather Grin

Before that was our first ever sofa bought just out of uni, not very comfortable and dropping to bits when we got rid of it. Had that about five years.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

GrumpySausage · 31/01/2019 12:33

6 years. I've got another on order st the moment.

We bought our current one very cheaply to replace the fag ash stained, dog hair covered 'cream' suite the old owners kindly left us couldn't be arsed to take it with them.

It was our first house together so we bought what we could for £400. It's a good size corner sofa but it has fibre cushions and it is so uncomfortable! The joint is also going in the arm. I reckon that's what's giving me back pain most of the time.

New ones ordered two weeks ago, we've had leather his time so hoping they last a good while now.

Original poster
MacarenaFerreiro · 31/01/2019 12:34

I'm not even sure ours were terribly expensive when we bought them. DH wasn't earning as much as he is now, and I was just about to go on maternity leave so i'm sure we didn't shell out thousands on them. They are from DFS, I remember that much, and we had a couple of years interest free credit to pay them off.

A few years later when we'd moved we bought another sofa from the same retailer for a different room. They are much poorer quality and are looking a bit battered after about 7 years.

OP posts:
HollySwift · 31/01/2019 12:34

We bought ours early 2013 so 6 years pretty much bang on. It’s still as new and we have 2 sets of covers for it so if we feel like a change we just change the colour! IKEA bargain - it’s a very large, corner sofa that seats about 8 comfortably. Cost £600 and £100 for extra covers. No plans to change it any time soon.

Theunreasonableone · 31/01/2019 12:36

We've had ours for 5 years and I still think of it as new. The previous one we had for 10 years.

Swipe left for the next trending thread